Definitely NOT Another Barefoot Thread! ;)

I have a tb who used to have very weak feet and agree with everything that's been said about diet.

But happy to share my experience of potions if you just want to look at that aspect.

I tried lots of lotions in the past including Keratex and Kevin Bacon and didn't find they helped at all. Some of them are still sitting on my shelf under the failed experiment section, unused and neglected.

My experience is that the only time I need to do anything is during very dry spells and then I just use water and and give the feet good soak. This is not really the issue during our current 'drought', in fact horsey keeps sinking in the drought.
 
it wasn't stated that grass isn't a source of fibre but weight for weight it does follow that hay has more fibre than grass and that it is also probably a healthier way of delivering said fibre.

fwiw I have used kevin bacon, made not a job of difference although my pony did like to eat it.

People are just trying to indicate to you the possible root of the problem, in order that you can best resolve it and not waste your money on other things. It is a shame that you don't seem to want to listen.
 
Thanks v much criso, that's v helpful. We havent had too much rain here and the fields are bone dry, sods law!

Miss L Toe, I think you are just out to stir things up and cause trouble. So I'm not going to bother justifying why I shoe my horse to you.
 
Ester - thanks v much for that.

Its not that I don't want to listen to people, but if they had read the opening post then they would realise that this is slightly different to your bog standard cracking hooves. It is trauma to the foot (clenches etc) that have caused the problem.
I only asked for recommendations about lotions, not to be pulled apart and blamed for feeding my horse on grass.
 
If you already know all the answers - why bother asking a question?

I have to say I am rather offended that people have been trying to give you the benefit of their experience of having horses with no shoes on, and every suggestion has been thrown back.

Good luck with your horse.

I won't bother to reply again.
 
It's strange how no one got the fact that he went 3 weeks over due, of course horsey is going to have long hooves and the shoes will come of easliy, that happened to my wb when she went a week over, over reached and pulled a bit of hoove of with the shoe and had a crack for a while even tho her hooves are rock hard it was just surface....both farrier and vet are impressed with them.

My advice, once your farrier has trimmed him up get a rasp and keep him ticking over as he will get adapt to the no shoes over time and just keep an eye on how his hooves ware and just look at a vit/min supplement/ some of the b/f diet for future reference as a just in case he needs it.....my sisters old pony and a few friends are all barefoot and are on just grass and they sj/event/distance ride with theres no problem...it all Depends on the horse.

Hope that made sense, recovering from a migraine :'( (really shouldn't be on here after spending the last 8 hours in a darkened room swimming in pain but i was board :o )

X
 
Oberon - I am sorry that you feel that way.

If you read back, you will see that I have thanked people for their advice.

However, I am hardly going to agree that my horse has a crap diet and is in poor condition, when he doesn't and he isn't!

If people had bothered to read the OP then they may see that this down to his feet breaking because of the shoes coming off. Not because I needed to be unfairly criticised and blamed for feeding my horse grass.

All I was asking for was peoples experiences of the various hoof products on the market. This was ignored by most, and instead certain posters decided to just have a go at me.

Again, I thank people for their advice. But I am not going to agree that it is down to diet, my fault for feeding him grass, or that he is in poor condition when he is not, just to keep the peace.

Once again - his feet cracked after chunks were pulled off them from the shoes coming off and his feet being too long. Farrier issues. I only wanted to know what peoples experiences of hoof products were, or how to get moisture back into his feet.

This clearly was where I went wrong.
 
I don't think you were being criticised for feeding your horse grass as such, just thinking that it is a 'good' or perfect diet for horses when in fact it is not ;)
If your horse is managing fine on a purely grass diet then good for you.

I find it quite funny how you say this isn't a barefoot thread, but yet your horse is current;y barefoot ;) what you got against barefooters?? I would keep his shoes off now they are off and you have some time to adapt him. Then you won't have any issue with cracks in the future!

Good luck with whatever you decide to do :)
 
Hey

I skipped through most of the posts so not sure if someone has already mentioned this, but the majority of the posts I read seem to be pretty "anti" lotions and potions.

I used to loan a TB with TERRIBLE feet. They cracked, they split, and frequently chunks came off with his shoes. I began rubbing a small amount of Cornucrescine into his coronet bands three times a week, and definitely noticed a marked improvement. This was in winter so moisture was not an issue, in fact I had to hose the mud off his feet to actually put the stuff on!

Everyone has different opinions, and all horses are different, just thought I'd throw in a slight curveball ;)
 
patterdale said:
SlightlyConfused - thank you so much! :D beginning to thunk I was writing in some foreign language! ;)
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If it's any help: I get exactly what you've been saying, and I think you've been very polite.

Feelings on this issue clearly run very high - that's the main thing I've learnt!

Sorry, no help on the lotions.

On the water/oil issue:

An acquaintance has a horse which isn't shod, and she said the farrier once told her that she (the mare) obviously goes off to stand in the stream in her field whenever she needs to, as her feet were in fantastic condition.

However, I rub oil on my nails, as repeated contact with water seems to dry them out. It helps.

<g>
 
I don't really understand why such angst and misunderstanding here.

OP's farrier, for whatever reason, didn't see her shod horse until a few weeks after the horse was due. Horse's feet got too long, shoes got loose, shoes came off and took chunks of foot with them.

Farrier has now seen horse and tidied up, but can't put shoes back on until more horn has grown.

OP was asking for opinion on hoof moisturisers - and many people on here don't rate them, but do rate wetting the horse's feet.

OP, don't forget that the bizarre weather we have been having won't help. I think horses' hooves can cope with very wet or very dry weather or anything in between, as long as its consistent. All this "its summer" "No no its still winter" "its spring!" "Its hailing!" business is traditionally associated with worse quality horn. Topical lotions might help - I don't really know.
 
Naturally and teacup / thanks v much :)

I really don't understand it either!

Think what I will do is go to the shop, get whatever has the best packet and whack it on ;)

Can't hurt and I might as well do something as nothing!

I agree about the weather - it's been nuts. The only water I can stand him in is the sea so think I'll give that one a miss :D common sense tells me salt and sand probably don't do much to moisturise!

They will probably get better as they grow out. He doesn't seem to mind anyway :D

Thanks again!
 
Hi patterdale, if any help we have brood mares so they are never shod. Believe me their diet is carefully considered due to their very special job. All the vits and mins they need along with top quality haylage and grazing. 2 of them are TB's and their feet are never quite as good as the other mares. We use aqueous cream from the chemist. Cheap and I can definitely say it helps more than any fancy expensive tub you can by in the horse range. Daughter and I both use it on our own skin and horses feet. Give it a try. Nothing to lose.
Sorry you've been hounded. Strange place this forum.
 
Hi,
My horse is unshod, as he was when I got him last November. He arrived with very sore feet, quite worn down. As it was winter we decided to give him time to let his hoof grow, however my farrier recommended Kevin Bacon Hoof Dressing to try. I also added biotin to his feed but since doing some research on here I have tried ProHoof and now am using Equimins Hoof Mender and Advance Concentrate to supplement his diet of forage. I did email Equimins for advice and i do have to say I would thoroughly recommend them their customer service is exceptional.
He did develop a crack in his hoof but low down so it was the old growth from before the supplements,it has not got any worse in two months and is nearly at the bottom of the hoof wall now. His feet look much better now. I still use the Kevin Bacon a few times a week but to be honest I don't think it makes as much difference as the dietary supplements. It certainly would not repair the damage to your horses hoof but it won't do any harm either. I think it is supposed to have antibacterial properties so it may stop any nasties from taking hold?
I do stand to be corrected on this as I admit I am a complete novice and learning on the way. Best of luck sorting out your horses feet.
 
Naturally said:
I don't really understand why such angst and misunderstanding here.

OP's farrier, for whatever reason, didn't see her shod horse until a few weeks after the horse was due. Horse's feet got too long, shoes got loose, shoes came off and took chunks of foot with them.

Farrier has now seen horse and tidied up, but can't put shoes back on until more horn has grown.

OP was asking for opinion on hoof moisturisers - and many people on here don't rate them, but do rate wetting the horse's feet.

OP, don't forget that the bizarre weather we have been having won't help. I think horses' hooves can cope with very wet or very dry weather or anything in between, as long as its consistent. All this "its summer" "No no its still winter" "its spring!" "Its hailing!" business is traditionally associated with worse quality horn. Topical lotions might help - I don't really know.
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Well said!
 
Ribbons - thanks very much :) it can be a very strange place!

Do you mean like E45 cream? Was wondering about that but I couldn't find anyone who had ever tried it.
FWIW I still think that hooves tend to grow more with the spring grass so hopefully this will help too and I can get them sorted.

So annoying but there was nothing I could do!

Except I have decided that my baby is going to be trained up as a farrier to shoe all my horses and thus avoid further problems :D
 
OP - I have a barefoot TB. About a year ago I would have been in total agreement with you - I wanted nothing more than a liush, grassy field for my horses. I fed high starch and sugar conditioning feeds, used Keratex and had TBs with crap feet. It's only after lameness problems and other issues that I had to look to other's experiences in an attempt to find other options. I now have a horse on pretty rubbish pasture out for the daytime and in at night, I use no hoof moisturisers or dressings whatsoever and have a sound horse with great feet.
I know you want to find something to put on the feet - I was exactly the same as you, but I tried a few different moisturisers and they did nothing. I might as well have put the cash down the drain.
I think what people are saying is that if you want to keep your horse unshod, then it might be worth thinking about a low sugar, high fibre diet to keep the feet as strong as they can be for the future. Good luck.
 
Thanks HH :)

I don't want to keep him unshod though, he wouldn't cope. He's only got his shoes off because there wasn't enough left to nail to :(

I hate seeing the cracks and I'm worried about them getting worse, that's why I was wondering about putting something on them.

He's not on the best pasture at the moment because the lambs are still all over the good stuff (and they are like royalty here!).

I'm just going to wait and see. At least I don't need to work him. :)
 
I have unshod horses and rate Kevin Bacon, its pretty good on the frogs and walls. I've also used Naf ProFeet Rock Hard on the soles, I was a bit sceptical but tried it after my farrier recommended using Rock Hard and Kevin Bacon and I was really surprised with the results.

Another thing you might like to consider making up some Sugardene. Its great for thrushy frogs, around the white line and outgrowing nail holes to prevent infection in newly de-shod hooves.
 
Miss L Toe said:
OK, well, buy a rasp from Dave Wilson, double ended is quite good, round off the edges as much as you can. You will find it quite easy once you are a bit more confident.
Try micronised linseed meal, non molassed sugar beet or Fast Fibre and and Equimins Hoof mender supplement.
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Miss L Toe said:
If you are in a remote area and will have this problem again, I suggest you get a full set of farrier tools so that you can remove the shoes and carry out running repairs.
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patterdale said:
Naturally and teacup / thanks v much :)

I really don't understand it either!

Think what I will do is go to the shop, get whatever has the best packet and whack it on ;)

Can't hurt and I might as well do something as nothing!

I agree about the weather - it's been nuts. The only water I can stand him in is the sea so think I'll give that one a miss :D common sense tells me salt and sand probably don't do much to moisturise!

They will probably get better as they grow out. He doesn't seem to mind anyway :D

Thanks again!
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Good heavens, salt water is the best thing for feet! psml
 
Hi, r u based down.south at all patterdale?
Don't waste money on moistuisers. Only use breathable products on hoof, it is a one way membrane so all the moisture comes from within, but if u seal it with a non breathable product it will damage the horn. Red horse and keratex products r breathable, but think u will just need to wait for the damaged horn to grow out I'm afraid. Milton diluted with 10 parts water if good for keeping bacteria and thrush out of any cracks tho. Soak weekly or spray every other day.
X
 
Thanks WM

Miss L Toe thanks for the laugh but I'm not a moron, I know salt water is good for feet.

However in this instance, it would NOT be the best thing. Salt water, as in SEA water and sand, (something I have incidentally lived right next to for quite some time now) is quite different to making up a normal saline solution.
If you think that putting something which is already dry and cracked on the BEACH, and standing it in the SEA will help, then I am 'pmsl' at you.

Quite why you feel the need to be so obtuse and combative I'm not quite sure. If you've nothing constructive or nice to say, then try not saying anything.
Or go and stir up something else. I'm really not interested in your petty comments.


Thanks to the other posters who have given some really useful and interesting advice/tips. Hopefully I can try and do the same for you some time :)
 
If u r down south and decide to try barefoot I happy to take a look for u. Not touting for business, as I work.full.time, but happy to help if I can. X
Ps I am not a berefoot farrier/shoing tho I afraid! Lol!!
 
I would think soaking with diluted milton would help if you are at all concerned about infections too, and aqueous cream is so cheap (you can get it in massive tubs in asda etc for about £4 or something if not cheaper), I really don't think it would do any harm!

Everyone has a 'failed experiments section' for horse products I think, maybe that's why this thread got a bit heated :-/ the bitterness looking at those unused tubs of hoof balm!

I think you can get supplements for better horn growth (like you get skin hair and nails supplements for humans) and that might help the horn to be replaced with good strong horn at a slightly faster rate to grow out the cracks?
 
Hi
When its summer time here, and pretty hot and dry, I rub aqueous cream into the hoof, nice and cheap.
I haven't tried the kevin bacon, we cant get it here, but I've tried the cornesecrine (spell? ) stuff, and so far I'm impressed and the farrier said my tb's hoof condition is improving.
Kx
 
Kevin Bacon was recommended by my farrier, it seemed to make a difference to my pony's unshod hooves but I'm too lazy/forgetful to put it on as often as I should! ;)
 
Ok, I'm not an unshod expert but you are saying his feet were cracking from the length of time they went without being done. Obviously that was going to happen. Please note not assigning blame. His feet are quite short now from them being cleaned up.

As others have said moisturisers do nothing. What you can do is the area around the water trough wet. In those rare times we go through dry spells, it's what I do. A horse's foot is designed to cope with very dry conditions.

The grass. Well many horses do have issues with grass. Maybe your TB does not but even so grass does not contain enough of important vits and mins. So find a lick bucket very low in sugar but gives him more of what he needs in the way of nutrition. If his feet are still breaking up now as they grow he is missing something. The old cracks he had when his feet went too long will take a little time. You may need to get your blacksmith out again to tidy up his feet before next scheduled trim. But once the proper nutrition is there they will grow out just fine. Nothing will happen overnight and in a few weeks.

Terri
 
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