Best thing for hardening soles?

[poacher82]

My horse has always had quite soft soles (though farrier says his hoof walls are actually very hard) and is not great on stoney tracks as a consequence. Our hacking involves 5-10 mins of stoney track to get to anywhere, so we basically can't avoid them.

So what do people recommend for hardening? I used NAF Rock Hard a couple of years ago, but wasn't overwhelmed and it was quite expensive. However horse was out 24/7 at the time and is currently in at nights, so maybe if I used it when he came in it would have more effect over night.

Choccy biccies for anyone with handy suggestions - especially 'cheap and cheerful but effective' ones!

 

[skint1]

Our TB has soft soles and recently got a badly bruised foot. I panicked thinking it was something else and called vet, probably should have called farrier, but never mind lol. The vet gave me some stuff called Anti-bac, which is basically some kind of mixture of iodine and eucalyptus, this hardens and also disinfects (if that is the right term) I think with the help of Google I could probably figure out how to make my own, I do my own fly spray so why not this?

Right now we're soaking cotton wool in it and packing his foot but then we'll paint it on with hoof brush, will probably do the same with my others too btw

 

[Pale Rider]

Exercise, lots of it on roads.

 

[amandap]

Is it soft soles or thin soles? All tissues in the body respond to a good diet and especially the usual low sugar/starch, high fibre with good quality balancer. Decent balancers aren't cheap. There is no point in trying to harden thin soles they need to grow thicker. Softer soles due to wet need drying out so time out of wet everyday should help.

ps. If you can flex the sole with your fingers/thumb keep off stones. Soles like this are at great risk of bruising and abscess.

http://www.hoofrehab.com/horses_sole.htm

 

[Rudolph's Red Nose]

I used many years ago copper sulphate crystals - bought them from a chemist, mix with water to a paste and paint on soles with a hoof brush - seemed to work for my old boy.. good thing was that if you left the paste as you made too much they went back to crystals.

 

[spinneybarns]

I used many years ago copper sulphate crystals - bought them from a chemist, mix with water to a paste and paint on soles with a hoof brush - seemed to work for my old boy.. good thing was that if you left the paste as you made too much they went back to crystals.

Ditto - we used copper sulphate on one of ours, it worked a treat, but I dont think I would want to use it as a long term solution

 

[Mitchyden]

Add some iodine to some sugar and bandage it on the feet for a couple of hours. It's worked a treat for mine!

 

[NaeNae87]

Put him in a rocky paddock, he will be uncomfortable for a few weeks til his feet harden up but once they do, you won't have a problem with him

 

[Angua2]

to reiterrate Amandap Diet, diet diet.

 

[Polos Mum]

Will diet do it without the exercise/ road work? I'm currently off riding (my fault not his) so I've experimentally taken his shoes off. He's always had very thin soles (easily move them with your thumb.

He's having 1/2 scoop of speedibeet and fromula4feet, ad lib hay and turn out 20 hours a day (in for a few hours to let feet dry out and hard feed his companion).

 

[Meowy Catkin]

You do need to stimulate the hooves. Could you walk him out in-hand?

 

[Polos Mum]

I'm six months pregnant, the size of a house and he's not straightforward (especially as he's not been separated from his companion for 4 of thoses months!)

How much would be a minimum to be helpful? 20 mins walk once or twice a week I could get my OH to try

 

[poacher82]

Thanks everyone. He's been on a decent balancer for about 8 weeks, it's making a real difference to the rest of him so hoping his hooves will follow suit as they grow. I'm also already doing several weeks steady roadwork to harden legs and feet - infuriating sticking to the roads when we have forest on the doorstep, but got to be done! So really just looking for something topical I can paint on to help the process.
To the person who asked whether the soles were soft or thin (sorry, forgotten name, 3 second memory!)... you've got me wondering... will check tonight!

 

[kezz86]

Exercise, lots of it on roads.

This...

But you might need to build it up slowly.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Keratex Hood hardener is very effective but can actually go too far so be a little careful.

 

[mandwhy]

The iodine and sugar thing works well, or my farrier said to just paint with iodine (the sugar is just to create the base for it). Diet is important too but a topical thing will do no harm.

I've heard keratex hoof hardener is best but I tend to go for the cheap option

 

[HaffiesRock]

Keratex Hood hardener is very effective but can actually go too far so be a little careful.

How often would you say to use the keratex? I have some as my last mare had the softest soles ever. It worked wonders for her and I sold her on. My gelding now has been barefoot for 7 months and I was thinking of trying it on him seeing as I have some already. Dont want to over do it but would a couple of times a week make any difference? x

 

[LucyPriory]

Thin bendable soles are usually linked to diet and/or an underlying metabolic condition. If the correct diet doesn't sort the problem then ask the vet to run bloods.

Keratex contains formaldehyde and is highly toxic.

 

[LynH]

I painted my horses soles with iodine when she first had her shoes off and she transitioned without any problems.

 

[showaddy1]

Watching this thread with interest as my mares have recently had shoes off and a barefoot trim - one mare is fine, the other hobbles over the stones but once on the roads is fine... I'm currently only doing a mile or so, trying to harden naturally.
Can anyone recommend any boots for very large hooves?