dry cracking hooves, any recommendations for hoof oil?

[sophiebailey]

Hi everyone,

Just lately (last week) Bailey's hooves have become quite weak around where the clenchers are, and a few small chunks have fallen away and yesterday I noticed (where the clenchers are) his hoof his beginning to crack at the bottom.

The farrier's been out this morning and said that despite the rain, the ground itself is still quite hard and Bailey's hooves are dry, which means they're becoming brittle. He's suggested soaking them every day for 10 minutes to soften them and encourage growth.

my question; has anyone had a similar experience and is there a hoof oil I can buy to help soften the hooves and promote growth?

Farrier says it's nothing to worry about at the moment, but I want to prevent the problem from getting worse!!!

I'm also going to post this in vet & stable yard

 

[LansdownK310]

Have the same problem with mine - this time of year is worse because of continual wet and drying out. My farrier swears by Kevin Bacon hoof dressing, I've noticed a marked difference since using it as well.

 

[AmyMay]

Think you need water, not oil.

 

[horsemadelsie]

I have found the best to be Net Tex summer hoof- it contains strengthening ingredients as well as moist stuff- its the only thing thats worked on our boys dry feet, lasts a long while as well, they still look moist in the morning if we applied some the night before.

 

[OldNag]

I found a NAF hoof gel the other day in my local tack shop. It's designed to help retain hoof moisture. Was fairly cheap, too (£6 ish? a tub).

Hope this helps.

 

[PolarSkye]

Personally, I think you should be thinking of this more as an inside out problem . . . as in supporting good hoof growth can't just be achieved by applying something topical, but must also be supplemented in the horse's diet. Talk to your farrier about what supplements/feed, etc. he recommends to support healthy horn growth . . . ditto what topical moisturizers he feels would help. I'm with others who have said you want something water-based, rather than oil . . . oil will repell ambient moisture . . .

Can you tell I'm not a fan of hoof oil?

P

 

[Pampered Ponies]

Agree your farrier should be able to help advise you. Mine advised me Formula 4 Feet and the use of Kevin Bacon Hoof Grease in prolonged dry periods.

 

[Kat]

Kevin Bacon is the only thing my farrier will recommend. I have used it and it does make a difference, I also hose my horse's feet during dry spells to put moisture back in. I hose them and get them really wet, leave them to absorb the water then put kevin bacon on so that it is helping to seal in the moisture.

The best thing is muddy puddles round water troughs though.

 

[DifficultMare]

Another vote for Kevin Bacon, it helps to hold in moisture when it's very dry and helps to prevent hooves becoming too wet our current 'damp' climate.

 

[Nocturnal]

Think you need water, not oil.

I agree with amymay .

Also, consider whether your horse's diet is foot-friendly... low sugar, low starch, high fibre, good balance of sufficient minerals...

 

[J&S]

Stand your horse in water/river/pond for as long as you can each day and DO NOT turn out with hoof oil on in the sunshine (what sunshine??). This is the advice from my farrier as we have the same problem due to the extreme wet/dry weather conditions.

 

[chestnut cob]

My farrier recommended Kevin Bacon for my horse whose hooves were very dry and weak last year. He also suggested changing his diet to include seaweed and rosehips, plus I feed magox, brewer's yeast and linseed. Farrier commented at Xmas (nearly 12 months after he started shoeing him) what good, strong hoof was now growing down His feet are still not amazing but they're better. He has to be done every 6 weeks on the dot though, can't go any longer otherwise they become brittle around the clenches and he'll lose shoes.

 

[sophiebailey]

Okay so steer clear of oils, soak his feet every single day for 10 minutes in water (no idea how i'm going to do this as we're no where near a river/pond/stream)

and start looking at feed supplements for hoof growth ......

so should I look into buying seaweed, biotin ...... ??

Farrier didn't really give me any further advice other than stand him in water. His feet have never previously been brittle so this is all new territory for me!

 

[spotty_pony]

Another vote for Kevin Bacon. It very good for horses with feet that crack. Always remember to wash your horse's feet before applying it though as the hoof ointment helps to seal in moisture so by doing this you can make sure it is doing just that - rather than putting it onto dry feet and sealing moisture out!!

 

[Oberon]

Is your horse out at night?

If he is, then the morning dew will already be soaking his hooves nicely.

Otherwise the health must come from the inside.

Lotions and potions will only affect so far into the hoof and serve mainly to clog the wall and trap bacteria. They may make the external wall look more nourished and pretty - but that isn't where the nails are going so it's an illusion.
The horse needs to build more robust tissue. You can do this by ensuring they are getting adequate levels of copper and zinc in the diet.

Moisture balance in the hoof was is often aided by feeding linseed too.

 

[Nocturnal]

Okay so steer clear of oils, soak his feet every single day for 10 minutes in water (no idea how i'm going to do this as we're no where near a river/pond/stream)

and start looking at feed supplements for hoof growth ......

so should I look into buying seaweed, biotin ...... ??

Farrier didn't really give me any further advice other than stand him in water. His feet have never previously been brittle so this is all new territory for me!

It's not usually necessary to provide additional biotin in a horse's diet. Seaweed has often been recommended in the past, but forage analyses done on uk pasture is revealing a tendency towards high iodine. Seaweed is also high iodine, so is not usually a good match, as excesses in iodine (as well as other minerals) can cause a reduction in the absorption of other minerals.

There are some supplements designed specifically to balance the average uk grazing, and they are:

Pro hoof/ pro balance +, available from here http://stores.ebay.co.uk/progressiveearth

Forage Plus summer/winter balancers from here http://shop.forageplus.com/products

Equimins META balance, available to order by phone on +44 (0) 1548 531770.

Alternatively, you could have your own grazing analysed, and a feed plan devised to balance your specific pasture.

 

[LouiseG]

Do not use hoof oil! The sun, if we see it again, will only dry out the hooves even more if you put oil on. Pedimoist is pretty good, I've used that and noticed an immediate difference when my boy's hooves were dry throughout the really warm spell we had last month. But agreed that a supplement or dietary change would be the best first step!

 

[sophiebailey]

Ok thanks guys this is great. So in terms of a dietary change, what kinds of feeds should I be looking at buying?

He's currently on Alpha A & Calm and Condition ...... no linseed though so I may go and buy some.

Any recommendations re feed?

 

[Sheep]

My farrier swears by Horse First Hoof First, a supplement that apparently has double the level of biotin of its counterparts. Have only started using it recently as my new boy has terrible feet.

 

[Oberon]

The sun, if we see it again,

 

[OldNag]

The sun, if we see it again

Sun? What is this thing you talk of. I did notice that today we don't have any of the wet stuff and grey clouds that we seem to have had since last November, but sun? Que?

 

[Oberon]

Ok thanks guys this is great. So in terms of a dietary change, what kinds of feeds should I be looking at buying?

He's currently on Alpha A & Calm and Condition ...... no linseed though so I may go and buy some.

Any recommendations re feed?

I can't remember what is in C&C...but the combined starch and sugar = 18%.

Shouldn't really be feeding anything over 10%.

AlphA has molasses add...which is more sugar.

Added to the unpredictable levels of sugar in the grass....that's a lot a feed and sugar there and little in terms of balanced minerals.

Is your horse working extremely hard?

Otherwise....perhaps one of the above recommended mineral supplements added to an unmolassed fibre base and micronised linseed?

 

[sophiebailey]

Not particularly, he's ridden 6 out of 7 days, schools twice a week and hacks the other four days, we chose a high sugar diet as he struggles to keep weight + condition on due to his age, this seems to be the best comination for helping with that.........

If I replaced c+condition with fast fibre but still kept the alpha A would that be a better option for the old man?

 

[Oberon]

Not particularly, he's ridden 6 out of 7 days, schools twice a week and hacks the other four days, we chose a high sugar diet as he struggles to keep weight + condition on due to his age, this seems to be the best comination for helping with that.........

If I replaced c+condition with fast fibre but still kept the alpha A would that be a better option for the old man?

My old man has poor dentition and needs help to keep his weight but his cushing's and my Barefoot Taliban sensibilities mean I won't feed a high sugar/starch diet . Alfalfa is also out due to the high levels of calcium in my forage.

He gets;

Fast Fibre, speedibeet, unmolassed hay chaff (not necessary but he likes it), balanced minerals (zinc, copper, magnesium, salt), 2000iu Vitamin E, yea-sacc, lysine (for muscle), mixed herbs, turmeric, fenugreek seeds and linseed.

50% of the calorie yield comes from fermenting fibre in the hind gut. This is the safest way to feed for weight gain without having a negative effect on the gut and hooves. High sugar/starch weight gain feeds with molasses and cereals often mean the gut pH gets messed up and means the system doesn't work efficiently...hence them being difficult to keep weight on. It's a revolving circle.

I actually found the balanced minerals made a huge difference to how he maintained condition in winter - despite day turnout without a rug (refuses to wear a rug in the field).

If it came to it that I needed more to keep weight on him - I would use soya oil (although this can be a personal preference) or copra.