Feeding for healthy hooves

SatansLittleHelper

SatansLittleHelper

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For a horse with large, wide, flat and brittle feet what would be a good way forward nutritionally?
Horse mainly has grass/hay and in the winter has some Calm and Condition with a handful of chaff.
I'm loathe to go nuts over tons of supplements as my farrier is convinced most are of no use but I feel she needs an extra "something" to help.
 
I feed progressive earth supplements. Usually pro hoof, but have fed pro balance when I've been trying to save a bit of money. Feet are great.
 
Whatever is suitable from thunderbrooks or Agrobs (everything else is made up of fillers and molasses or alfalfa, which isn't recommended for feet). Supplement from equimins, pro earth or forage plus. Hay and salt too and try not to graze on rye grass.
 
Micronised linseed might be worth an add. The biggest impact on my Fell has been weight loss; she arrived having been shod in front for a while. Flattish soles, stretched white lines and not great angles in general. I've been trialling giving her no supplements at all bar a handful of linseed and salt as I watched the various pro earth/forage plus etc etc do absolutely nothing to the big lad I lost recently. Anyway long story short, white lines are lovely and tight. Soles nice and concave, and you can see a much better angle of growth coming down. Vet agrees it's the weight loss and consequent metabolic improvement...which does make me start to question our blind faith in the "barefoot" supplements somewhat.
 
I have noticed a massive improvement since last year especially with my barefoot lot
I ditched their balancer and just gave micro linseed, brewers yeast and salt added to grass chaff and nuts
 
Salt is so important! I feed about 10gms per 100kg of bodyweight. As well as linseed. I notice a difference every time I stop the progressive earth balancer as well.

Your farrier is definitely wrong. The right balancer will almost always make a difference. Look for no iron and high copper and zinc. I'd be wondering if there was anything else going on with the feet as well. Has she got any white line disease or thrush? Farriers tend to be pretty poor at mentioning things like that in my experience.
 
PoppyAnderson said:
Whatever is suitable from thunderbrooks or Agrobs (everything else is made up of fillers and molasses or alfalfa, which isn't recommended for feet). Supplement from equimins, pro earth or forage plus. Hay and salt too and try not to graze on rye grass.
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You do not need these expensive feeds. Not everything else is bad.


Bran, beet pulp, oats, plain straw and grass chaff are fine. Alfalfa is fine for most horses. Linseed is expensive but weight and calorie heavy so you don't use a lot.
 
ycbm said:
You do not need these expensive feeds. Not everything else is bad.


Bran, beet pulp, oats, plain straw and grass chaff are fine. Alfalfa is fine for most horses. Linseed is expensive but weight and calorie heavy so you don't use a lot.
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I think these expensive feeds have people a bit confused in how to get the best for their pony.

Sugarbeet pulp actually has very little sugar in it at all, it is the fibrous byproduct after the sugar is extracted. It's tasty to ponies & is a good fibre source. (My source - a course from the Dick College on Equine nutrition)
 
Gloi said:
I feed progressive earth supplements. Usually pro hoof, but have fed pro balance when I've been trying to save a bit of money. Feet are great.
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This.
My mare''s feet were crumbling and struggled to nail shoes on. We tried her barefoot and had to put shoes back on as she was very footsore.
I changed her diet and we've been barefoot 6 years, goes over stony ground and hooves have hardened to where my trimmer compliments her feet now.
Pro Balance, Linseed and Fast Fibre is all I have her on. - I notice a difference if I stop using Pro Balance hence pony being fed through summer.
 
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Dave's Mam said:
I think these expensive feeds have people a bit confused in how to get the best for their pony.

Sugarbeet pulp actually has very little sugar in it at all, it is the fibrous byproduct after the sugar is extracted. It's tasty to ponies & is a good fibre source. (My source - a course from the Dick College on Equine nutrition)
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I’m a big fan of sugar beet, it’s my basic over winter to get supplements into my oldies. They turn their noses up at fast fibre or similar.
Is the old fashioned sugar beet cubes (£2.99 a sack!) as good as the Speedibeet type shreds at £12.99 a bag?
 
Linseed, Honeychop lite, salt, formula 4 feet plus low quality hay and out at night. Small point also, and I'm not starting an argument or discussion, but is it possible your farrier is not giving your horse the correct trim? my horse had flat wide feet when trimmed by a farrier, but once I had taken shoes off both of them I employed a barefoot trimmer for both of them and his feet completely changed shape over the next twelve months. They have stayed this new shape and always had a barefoot trimmer do them, or me. Just a thought? Maybe have a look at some of the trims done on net and see how they compare with yours? :)
 
poiuytrewq said:
I’m a big fan of sugar beet, it’s my basic over winter to get supplements into my oldies. They turn their noses up at fast fibre or similar.
Is the old fashioned sugar beet cubes (£2.99 a sack!) as good as the Speedibeet type shreds at £12.99 a bag?
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Some of the cheaper brands have molasses added back in. I don't know why because my 2 find the unmolassed stuff tasty enough.
 
Leo Walker said:
Salt is so important! I feed about 10gms per 100kg of bodyweight. As well as linseed. I notice a difference every time I stop the progressive earth balancer as well.

Your farrier is definitely wrong. The right balancer will almost always make a difference. Look for no iron and high copper and zinc. I'd be wondering if there was anything else going on with the feet as well. Has she got any white line disease or thrush? Farriers tend to be pretty poor at mentioning things like that in my experience.
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I was taking the advice of the calm and healthy horse website and feeding mine the correct salt for their weight for a month. I changed nothing else in their diet, but in that month one of them went from a cheeky, boisterous pony to a lethargic, I just want to give up, pony. I pulled the salt from his diet and within a few days he had perked up no end. I have also now removed him from the Thunderbrooks Daily Essentials balancer and all other Thunderbrook feeds and I have my pony back, being an obnoxious idiot as usual. I strongly believe having seen it with my own eyes, that there was clearly a massive imbalance in his "balancer" that has now been rectified.
 
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