Feeding to improve feet

M

Mancha

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 October 2011
Messages
185
Visit site
What can i feed or add to feed to improve hoof quality/encourage growth?! If that's even possible?! Horse is shod in front, barefoot behind. His fronts look fine but the backs look like they are struggling a little with changeable weather, and following on from my last thread they are wearing down quickly to the point i fear he will be footsore soon. For anyone who did not see my last thread my horse has bone spavin and his back feet wear unevenly.

At the moment i'm putting kevin bacon on them. He lives out 24/7 and is fed once a day on hifi, speedi beet and a handful of pony nuts.

(Before anyone suggests it i do not intend to remove front shoes at any point soon)

I will try and get some pictures of them but if anyone has any advice it would be much appreciated :)
 
I would probably first address any thrush - a weak solution of Milton, or I have been using the tcp type stuff from supermarket mixed with water and scrubbing feet out twice a week.

As for a supplement I would probably look at formula 4 feet, equine answers 365 or equilibra for a ready mixed supp - alternatively have grazing analysed and have a specific mineral supplement made or make a mix up - brewers yeast, seaweed, magnesium and linseed are popular basic supps.
 
He doesn't have thrush, he just gets occasional flakiness of his soles which seems to be when the weather changes suddenly, and then they clear up again.
 
With the correct diet and hoof care he will NEVER wear his feet down too much.

The stimulation of ground contact ramps up production.

I've never heard of a bare hoof wearing down to nub (when they have a good diet and trimmer/farrier) ;)

Diet wise you could just go with Speedibeet or Fast Fibre as a base, Pro Hoof and micronised linseed.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PRO-HOOF-...r_Equipment&hash=item415ecd69e0#ht_1466wt_952
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LINSEED-M...r_Equipment&hash=item3f07e4085d#ht_1075wt_952
 
Oberon said:
With the correct diet and hoof care he will NEVER wear his feet down too much.

The stimulation of ground contact ramps up production.

I've never heard of a bare hoof wearing down to nub (when they have a good diet and trimmer/farrier) ;)

Diet wise you could just go with Speedibeet or Fast Fibre as a base, Pro Hoof and micronised linseed.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PRO-HOOF-...r_Equipment&hash=item415ecd69e0#ht_1466wt_952
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LINSEED-M...r_Equipment&hash=item3f07e4085d#ht_1075wt_952
Click to expand...

Hence my thread for advice on diet :confused:
As for the kevin bacon it was recommended by both my farrier and vet when his feet were very dry in the summer and it did improve them alot. No doubt you're about to shoot kevin bacon to pieces though judging by the tone of your post?
 
Tone? What tone?

You asked for thoughts. I gave them. I was TRYING to reassure you.

I don't use Kevin Bacon and I was wondering what you are using it for.

Really no need to be rude or defensive. I have no motive other than trying to help.....

My apologies for replying to your post:(
 
Sorry if i misinterpreted your tone but the wink smiley does have a hint of sarcasm about it!! Maybe i am just not used to the way people talk to each other on this forum, don't apologise though i value everyones responses/advice :)
 
I used to use formula 4 feet with great success but when we moved to a different part of the country it stopped working! I now get my forage analysed and a diet plan done by forageplus. The results are truly incredible and I will now never consider doing anything else. I know I am feeding exactly what my horses need, no more, no less and my tb with soles so thin you could flex them with thumb pressure is now happily barefoot and you wouldn't think her hooves were from the same horse :)
 
In my experience taking stuff away rather than adding has the most dramatic positive affect. That 'stuff' is sugars. If a horse is getting too much sugar, and it is an individual thing to some extent, hooves will only improve so far and things like thrush, long toes, cracks etc. will continue to be intermittent problems.
 
He is currently getting half a scoop of hifi, half a scoop of speedi beet, and a handful of pony nuts, so as far as i'm aware his diet isn't that high in sugar? He is out 24/7 with restricted grazing in the summer so i do not allow him to get fat or have too much rich grass. In the winter he is out in bigger fields with more grass, and additional hay when it's really limited.
 
Oberon said:
With the correct diet and hoof care he will NEVER wear his feet down too much.

The stimulation of ground contact ramps up production.

I've never heard of a bare hoof wearing down to nub (when they have a good diet and trimmer/farrier) ;)

Diet wise you could just go with Speedibeet or Fast Fibre as a base, Pro Hoof and micronised linseed.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PRO-HOOF-...r_Equipment&hash=item415ecd69e0#ht_1466wt_952
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LINSEED-M...r_Equipment&hash=item3f07e4085d#ht_1075wt_952
Click to expand...
I tend to agree with this diet, which covers oil, fibre, and hoof targeted minerals. I feed a mix of Fast fibre, Calm and Condition and / or Quick beet and / or Dengie Hi fibre lo alfa molasses free chaff, so he gets his basic minerals and plenty of fibre from different sources. If I need to up his energy levels he gets up to 400gms per day of Mare and Youngstock. This sounds a bit complex, but I am buying a bag of feedstuffs every month, so adjust his diet dependant on what I have left at the time, and the work he is doing.
Can I hi-jack this thread a bit, as I have the opposite problem: I am also feeding the above diet, and the hooves are fine, but it is very cold [scotland] muddy, and wet [so he is only out 3 -4hours per day], but the front hooves are wearing at the toes, and not growing as fast as they did last year [he was shod but October was warm and dry]
The hind hooves are a growing a bit much if anything as he is not getting enough roadwork partly because of the wear on the front. I am not frightened to lightly rasp the hind hooves if need be, I think it is unfortunate that I let my own farrier rasp the front feet a month ago, as they don't seem to have "recovered" he always like to see them "perfect rather than a s nature intended [horse has very slight twist in his action on one leg]
I got my linseed from equimins s I also purchased Biotin
http://www.equimins-online.com/cgi-...alog/Equimins_Products_Alphabetically.html&WD thes bigger bag should last for 100 days
 
Last edited:
Mancha said:
He doesn't have thrush, he just gets occasional flakiness of his soles which seems to be when the weather changes suddenly, and then they clear up again.
Click to expand...
Flakiness of the soles is one of the "symptoms" of barefoot transitions, so nothing to worry about as far as I can make out, it is just a natural adjustment, I assume your farrier is not trimming off the soles behind when he is shoeing in front, and not over trimming the front feet either [have just seen a farrier do this, I can't work out why they feel a need to do this, but he was removing too much round the walls as well imho.
 
Mancha said:
Hence my thread for advice on diet :confused:
As for the kevin bacon it was recommended by both my farrier and vet when his feet were very dry in the summer and it did improve them alot. No doubt you're about to shoot kevin bacon to pieces though judging by the tone of your post?
Click to expand...
I tend to think that the KB can be cut out in the winter, I assume it was very dry in summer [obviously you are not in Scotland], and the linseed should provide all the oils your hooves need.
In my experience "barefooters" are passionate in their advice, so bear with them, they are poor souls fighting a battle in the face of adversity, not to mention a whole industry built up around conventional farriery.
 
Thanks for that very useful :)
Yes i do get the impression barefooters are very passionate about their beliefs, particularly on this forum! Hence me making my intentions clear from the start as i have been told before i need to remove his front shoes when it was neither what i had asked, or anything to do with my problem!! :p
 
If the mineral advice doesn't help, I hesitate to type this, the grass may well be a factor. It's so difficult I know. I used to have mine out 24/7 for the 'best'. Since I've moved here I've had to make the decision to yard them and feed soaked hay to sort out their hooves. I'm now reintroducing turnout slowly for some.
My yard is very large and varied btw with access to a barn.
 
In which case you may have to e prepared that they won't change much.

I have one who struggles to cope with any grass, and another who could eat it til he popped with no concequences.

That said if he is not foot sore it indicates his feet are probably in good state and perhaps he needs time to adjust to the workload - catch up can take a little - and we are heading for winter so snow and stuff may drop the workload and therefore his foot growth may slow - they grow at a rate demanded of them but they do take. While to catch up :)
 
I don't understand how living out can cause such issues to his feet when horses are designed to live that way? If he was to live in he'd probably stuff himself stupid whenever he was turned out, whereas when he's out he has a much steadier intake of grass. He doesn't ever have an excessive amount of grass, as although he's never been laminitic i care for all my horses as if they could be! I'm not disagreeing with anyone i just don't get how changing to an unnatural method of keeping a horse could be better for their feet?!
 
Mancha said:
and following on from my last thread they are wearing down quickly to the point i fear he will be footsore soon. For anyone who did not see my last thread my horse has bone spavin and his back feet wear unevenly.
Click to expand...
Just to go back to your first post. I see he isn't actually sore at the moment. I wouldn't worry about it unless he actually does start to become sore with the current work load. I suspect his growth on hinds is being worn with use and growth should keep up unless he is newly deshod on hinds. Barefoot hooves tend to look short compared to shod hooves.
 
The backs came off approx 6 months ago now, but it has only been in the last month or 2 that he's been back in work again as he was on field rest for a long time over the summer, so hopefully they're just adjusting to it like you say. It's difficult to say whether he's footsore or not as there is a certain degree of soreness behind due to the ongoing work with the spavins, he isn't any worse though!
 
Mancha said:
I don't understand how living out can cause such issues to his feet when horses are designed to live that way? If he was to live in he'd probably stuff himself stupid whenever he was turned out, whereas when he's out he has a much steadier intake of grass. He doesn't ever have an excessive amount of grass, as although he's never been laminitic i care for all my horses as if they could be! I'm not disagreeing with anyone i just don't get how changing to an unnatural method of keeping a horse could be better for their feet?!
Click to expand...
Horses evolved to graze extensively and would need to keep on the move, covering thirty or more miles every day, they would be eating as they moved, taking wild grasses and herbs,.
These days we breed equines selectively, and put them in paddocks which are grazed intensively, but also seeded with, at worse, single species rye-grass [modern grass species are cultivated for yield], this diet is high in sugars and low in fibres.
Ponies fed on poor old meadow hay which is stalky, are are eating more like their ancestors, if it was survival of the fittest, UK laminitic ponies would only survive on native heath and moorland.
Domestic horses need to be managed, one way or the other as they are expected to "work" rather than survive and replicate al la Darwin.
 
I would remove the pony nuts and perhaps add a good balancer.
I use Pure Balance from Pure Feeds. It contains broad spectrum vits and mins, linseed and yeast.
Its hard to say without seeing pictures,but the 'flakiness' you mentioned could be natural wear of the un-necessary bits of hoof.
Mine live out 24/7 and are barefoot and working,so it can be done.
However all the replies to your post have useful and valid points. MrsD123 in particular has pointed out that any 'keeping' of horses compromises their natural state.As 'keepers' we have to be aware of possible errors in our management and be prepared to alter that management.
From your original post you proved willing and able to whatever is in your power to improve your horses health.
Good luck.
 
I added pure biotin to my tb mares diet and her feet are nearly perfect now, could not keep shoes on as she had no foot just kept crumblin away! You can buy it for around £9 a tub that lasts just over a month, ALOT cheaper than farriers formula. Good luck!
 
when you feed horses supplements they will only use what they need and the rest can be a waste of money . I would start with limestone flour by naf which is cheap but very effective on some horses then if thats not enough you can work your way thru i.e biotin farriers formula etc but start cheap just because things are expensive doesn't mean they will work. Sorry if this has already been suggested i couldnt be bothered to read all the posts!!
 
Mancha said:
I don't understand how living out can cause such issues to his feet when horses are designed to live that way? If he was to live in he'd probably stuff himself stupid whenever he was turned out, whereas when he's out he has a much steadier intake of grass. He doesn't ever have an excessive amount of grass, as although he's never been laminitic i care for all my horses as if they could be! I'm not disagreeing with anyone i just don't get how changing to an unnatural method of keeping a horse could be better for their feet?!
Click to expand...


Grazing grass paddocks is not natural to horses at all Mancha. Genetically they are designed to live on plains and in areas that are mostly dry, not muddy, and have only scrub to eat. That also meant they had to travel a long way for food and got movement. Grazing in the UK means standing in the wet, not moving far, on soft ground all the time in winter because people wouldn't normally turn out in a rocky paddock. Many horses are extremely sensitive to the sugar and carbohydrates in grass, even in a paddock which looks to us to be quite bare. Short grass is stressed grass which contains more sugar. Also it's short because the horses are eating it. If it was left for two days without it being grazed, it would become very obvious just how much the horses are eating.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top