Can anyone recommend anything for brittle hooves please??

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Laur

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I just thought i'd ask on here for suggestions... i have a welsh cob who has four white hooves and they have become so brittle in the past 3 years that I have had him. I have tried giving him farriers formula, then tried naf for feet and also i was told to paint keratex hoof hardner on them but they are getting worse not better! Big chunks of them break away leaving the nails of his shoes exposed and then the shoe becomes loose. He is 11 years old, and is fed 1 large scoop of high fibre cubes, and is shod every 6-8 weeks.
Has anyone else had this with their horse and if so, what did you do to rectify the problem?

Thanks
 
Sorry, I haven't had this problem myself but Kevin Bacon hoof cream is supposed to be very good and I know lots of people who have used it and would recommend it. I use Effol, which is also very good. Also, it might be worth looking into feeding a supplement which contains Biotin as this will help to strengthen the hooves and encourage better quality horn growth.
 
mole said:
have you asked your farrier what might be wrong with his hooves? and what would be the best action to take?
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Agree with this. But for what its worth, I use biotin for our elderly exmoor and it seems to have done her the world of good. They were quite flaky (she is unshod) but it does take time to work.
 
I do use the kevin bacon on his feet but i think it ends up coming straight off as soon as he goes back out in the field! The farrier doesnt know why this is happening, he is becoming more difficult to shoe because there is less hoof there to nail into after it has broken away. He is trying his best, we have started to leave him go longer between shoeing because his feet are hardly growing at all so this avoids driving the nails in in more or less the same area they were previously.
 
Strip them off and let them rest. Did my TB lad the world of good as he was idential, over summer they'd chip and break from the clenches down and just were crappy really, whether it was due to the really dry season we had and hard ground who knows.

Anyway....I just gave up and sshoved him barefoot. I was sceptic at first as Tb > wussy > crap feet etc. But 5months on, we do everything we did before still and even his way of going has improved and his feet are completely different in quality and shape.

Give it a go. You never know. If it doesn't work, then stick them back on and try something else.

ETA - Keratex hardens, which isn't necesarily a good thing. Too hard and dry = more brittle. Moisture balance and diet is the key. :)

Let his feet naturally get used to wear and tear again and it should encourage hoof growth and repair itself.

I'm no farrier or anything.....just personal findings :)
 
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BallyshanHorses said:
Apply Turpentine and when dry put on normal hoof oil.Does work wonders.
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Don't put anything on your horse's feet that you wouldn't put on your own hands.

Make sure he has NO molasses in his feed and ideally no cereal either. It sounds as if he could have hoof wall separation, and possibly sub-clinical laminitis. If removing his shoes and getting his feet conditioned isn't an option, the diet is vital.
 
My boy has seaweed added to his feed, and previously kevin bacon hoof dressing applied daily. (I now apply it once or twice a week and some cornucrescine round his coronet band to promote growth at the same time) his feet look fantastic - last year were pretty poor.

If you apply the KB in the evening before bed, it will soak in nicely overnight ;)

I too would personally consider removing his shoes... it will take time but even the wimpiest horses cope and their feet improve dramatically.

Make sure feed is low sugar / starch... by the sounds of it it is, but also feed the correct balance of nutrients (mine is on Equivite too)
 
Laur said:
I just thought i'd ask on here for suggestions... i have a welsh cob who has four white hooves and they have become so brittle in the past 3 years that I have had him. I have tried giving him farriers formula, then tried naf for feet and also i was told to paint keratex hoof hardner on them but they are getting worse not better! Big chunks of them break away leaving the nails of his shoes exposed and then the shoe becomes loose. He is 11 years old, and is fed 1 large scoop of high fibre cubes, and is shod every 6-8 weeks.
Has anyone else had this with their horse and if so, what did you do to rectify the problem?

Thanks
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You can't improve hoof quality with lotions and potions. He needs to grow a better quality hoof from the inside out. He needs to be feed a diet high in vits and mins but low in sugar and starch. This rules out most commercial mixes.

Just improving the diet will help but also giving the feet a break from shoes and allowing the ground to stimulate it into growing will do it much faster. You can still ride the horse without shoes during this process as long as he is comfortable.

Often horses go along with shoes just fine but then develop various problems when they hit their teens (this is my own observation though).

I am suprised your farrier didn't know this.
 
mine has the same problem. The best i've found for him is applying Effol hoof ointment daily and feeding him seaweed. Seem to do the trick for me.
 
When I got my boy, just over 5 years ago, his hooves were pretty crappy. Very little growth and almost crumbly texture.

My farrier suggested Farriers Formula, which he's still on. After about 6 months, the rate of growth hadn't improved (wasn't expecting it to) but the quality of the hoof had improved hugely and he now has rock-solid feet.

As he doesn't grow much foot, I just need to slather on the Kevin Bacon in the summer for extra protection.

Hope you get something to work, OP!
 
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