General supplement and something specifically for hooves

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CBAnglo

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Any recommendations?

I have a retired horse that is no longer being fed the required daily amounts of feed so I was thinking about feeding a general vitamin supplement. He is fed adlib hay and haylage (mixed - different sources) and a handful of hi-fi to mix joint supplement in once a day. He is out on okish grazing everyday but it has been grazed by horses for several years (no cross grazing) and there is very little in hedgerow, other plants etc. Have tried mineral licks etc and he ignores them (he is only interested in those horsylix ones full of molasses!)

Also, he is now barefoot so is there anything to harden up feet and generally make his feet grow faster/better quality horn? They are getting a bit bald (!) but I dont want to put shoes back on because he has arthritis and is just sitting in a field anyway so dont want to have to bute him for shoeing every 6 weeks. He was shod all round before and never had any problems, but his feet seem to be wearing down very quickly now?
 
Don't worry about his feet wearing down - they won't wear off! if he has been shod for a long time then he will have to grow a new hoof capsule for it to be better quality horn - just be patient.

You could do far worse than linseed, brewers yeast, seaweed and rosehips - in an unmollassed beet base. Thuis is a hoof friendly diet - my guys are all barefoot, this is what they get and they look great on it.

As a veteran he will appreciate the beneficial reffect of the linseed on his joints.
 
I was very impressed with The Original “Vit-Min” Cod Liver Oil Condiment by Argo, although my own horse wouldnt touch a feed with it in (smells quite fishy
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) but the big ginger lad was on it and everyone commented on how well he looked, his coat really bloomed and he felt well...perhaps a little too well at times. I always feed biotin, wouldnt be without it.
 
I'd second Biotin - the Welsh C mare I had in my teens had very crumbly white feet and having her shod/keeping her from becoming footsore was a nightmare until we started using Biotin
 
Thanks for all of the suggestions - biotin seems quite popular. I have never fed it - do people use it on its own or in a general supplement?

As for the feet, yes my farrier thinks that they are now getting a bit bald - he has been barefoot for 9 months, made the transition really well. They just seem to be wearing away now, and he has become a bit footy.

Forgot to mention, he has been fed ground linseed and BOSS for the last 2 years and he was completely fine when shod (but was also being fed 3 times a day).

KK - mine wont eat anything "fishy" either!
 
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KK - mine wont eat anything "fishy" either!

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I did actually do a post on here about it and if I recall rightly a few people said that their horses turned their noses up at it, big lad wasnt keen but his eyes are bigger than his belly and he mananged to 'force it down' but Mr M...not a chance, all he did was paw at it, sniff and spread it around his stable and waste the food. Perhaps if you introduce it really gradually, depends how well you can fool your horse
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Mine is usually quite greedy as well, but he wont eat anything fishy. He refused pernamax until I had to individually crush the tablets and mix it with speedi-beet. He will not eat bute under any circumstances (even with apple juice etc).

Will try the biotin. Now to find a general supplement!
 
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