feeding for good feet (done to death i know)

[Rocky01]

I really truly recommend grand hoof, I use the pellets but that's more out of personal choice than necessarily effectiveness. The ingredients are
Biotin 20 mg
Methionine 3,000 mg
MSM 5,000 mg
DiamondV™ Prebiotic Yeast 400 mg
Lysine 1,500 mg
Zinc 250 mg
Copper 50 mg
Vitamin B-6 20 mg

Hope this helps.

 

[Racergirl]

Thankyou Rocky

 

[Oberon]

I really truly recommend grand hoof, I use the pellets but that's more out of personal choice than necessarily effectiveness. The ingredients are
Biotin 20 mg
Methionine 3,000 mg
MSM 5,000 mg
DiamondV™ Prebiotic Yeast 400 mg
Lysine 1,500 mg
Zinc 250 mg
Copper 50 mg
Vitamin B-6 20 mg

Hope this helps.

Thanks. It looks good.

The Pro Hoof has higher amounts of zinc and copper.

 

[Oberon]

LOL - no need to shout!!

Shes only on the blue one becuse the place my feed supplier order from sent the wrong one and I was almost out - if the green is better thats fine, I can get that for her next time - thankyou for that, I dont even tend to look at starch content, and not being able to give her any sort of chaff is really beggering me about!!

Oberon - its not so much that shes unrestricted per-se its not an enormous field, but the darn stuff wont stop growing !!! Its full of clover and yummy stuff like that, but I really dont know what I can do short of moving her (which while I dont really want to and cant afford to at the moment, could be a possibility in the spring)if I did, would going somewhere with really rubbish grazing be better?? If I had a stable it would be easier,cos she could at least come off the grass for some of the time - but I dont at the moment. She shares with a heavy cob,so its sort of strip grazed,but Id have thought that wouldnt help what I want to achieve with mine becuase of moving every so often onto fresh??
The farmer has said we are going to get a proper gate (weve got a Hampshire gate at the moment so its a nightmare to get them out seperately!) which will make things easier for me to be able to take her for walks - and the lane is lane and a bit rough one way - and directly out of another gate is a quiet road - would they be ok to work her on to help??


You can probably guess from the amount of questions I really dont know what to do to keep her ok - i just want her to be as comfortable as she can and if I can do it without too much fuss, then so much the better.

Thankyou very much for the help so far

If she's out on dairy pasture unrestricted (as in 24/7) and you are also feeding a high sugar feed - it's likely this is the problem. The thin soles (and the bumps she probably has on her hoof walls) are a symptom of this.

What you do about this is obviously dictated by your situation.

If you don't want to change things, then she'll have to manage as she is

 

[Racergirl]

Thats harsh - If I didnt want to change things Id just leave her to it and carry on as I am - I wouldnt be asking for advice!!! I just need to make the best of what I have for the moment until such times as I can change things for the better for her - which is why I was asking about if "bad" pasture would be better? if I manage to move her - its a case of working out what grazing is best for her to go onto, and finding somewhere that has it that is happy to take a broodmare long term!!! The place I have in mind costs twice what i pay at the moment - and I have to consider that as well (as do most people with a horse at livery Im sure) right now.

Its likely to just have to be whatever changes I can make for the moment, and the larger ones at a later date - whilst trying to factor in the month at stud in Feb (they have similar grazing to what I have at the moment - presumably its better for her to wait to move till she has been to stud, then she can just change the once more rather than go from where we are to a new place with not so good grazing,up to good grazing again back to not so good??)

so for the moment, low sugar feed (presumably the low starch R&B is fine? Dont forget anything chaff-like is out of the question) one of the two hoof suppliments mentioned above and walking as much as i can on different surfaces should help at least a bit?? No bumps on her hooves at all - shes got a ridge that coincides (according to my farrier) with the amount of time I have owned her - and infinately better quality hoof above the ridge than below,so presumably Im doing something right!! (oh - and he never trims her sole, just scrapes it clean to check theres nothing there that souldnt be!) he looks at her regually - i prefer little and often to not much and take loads off, I dont know about any special barefoot trim though - will ask him next time hes out and see if he does them??


Its so confusing when there seems to be so many things to do!! with the different surfaces to walk on - is that soft one day,concrete the next, then sandyish then road?? or what??

 

[Tinypony]

I'm missing something. Please can you help me understand?

I can't understand how supplementing to provide excellent nutrition for the horse (which is what the advice on here is aiming towards) can be a bad thing?

How can anyone make feet grow 'too quick'? How can they grow any quicker than they're supposed to?

And what will bacon oil do in your view?

I'm also interested in the answer to this.