dry cracking hooves, any recommendations for hoof oil?

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sophiebailey

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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 New Lounge & stable yard :)
 
My Farrier recommended the Kevin Bacon hoof dressing a while ago and I do use this, moreso this time of year when its dry. I use the oil type one and its seems to do the trick for their feet.
 
my horse's hooves were cracking so i started giving him 2 lincoln bition tablets daily and i have definitely noticed an improvement! i also use NAF pro feet hoof moist cream. hope this helps :)
 
Look at the diet, that should be your starting point.
Think about adding something like brewers yeast to feeds as that is a very good coat and hoof conditioner; you can also add something like gelatine or oil, they won't do any harm at all.
 
all 5 of the farriers (who are independent of each other) that i deal with recommend kevin bacon hoof dressing applied at least once but ideally twice daily. it works for all the horses i deal with.

its amazing stuff
 
Maesfen said:
Look at the diet, that should be your starting point.
Think about adding something like brewers yeast to feeds as that is a very good coat and hoof conditioner; you can also add something like gelatine or oil, they won't do any harm at all.
Click to expand...

^^

This :)

Look at the amount of sugar going in, this can cause what you're seeing.

And soaking in warm water is a tried and tested way of getting moisture into the hooves...providing your horse will happily stand with its feet in skips :D

I personally would steer away from oil based products, it can act as a barrier so preventing the hoof from absorbing atmospheric (sp.) moisture. That said, I know someone that uses tesco's own brand bio-oil and rubs that in by hand and seems to have helped with overall look of condition, but that could be coincidence.

What ever option you choose, you might not notice a difference to the cracking/issues for a couple of months (at least, probably nearer 6 months), particularly if you change the diet.
 
sophiebailey said:
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 New Lounge & stable yard :)
Click to expand...

How on earth have you managed to have DRY and CRACKING hooves :eek:?

Which country are YOU in :D?

My horses are developing gills :eek:
 
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