Growing a new hoof capsule!

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jessieblue

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Any advice on trying to get horse to grow some new and shiny hooves> Having posted about my suspect navicular horse, I am in need of any advice on diet, barefoot and rehab that I can do myself at my livery yard. I cannot sent my boy to Rockley for a number of reasons but want to do the best job possible to recreate that at home. I need to get the right help and advice so any ideas will be very welcome.
 
Diet is the big issue; low sugar and starch with minerals balanced to forage would be the ideal, along with plenty of work on varying surfaces.

I'm not in a position to get forage analysed, so go with a low sugar and starch diet with added linseed and magnesium/salt. Phoenixhorse forum is probably your best bet for advice. :)
 
It's both what they eat and what they don't eat ;)

You need to work out how much (and what kind of) grass they can handle - some do fine turned out on good grazing, some need it restricted, some need as little as possible.

Ideally, you could also get your grass tested and then feed minerals balanced to it - that means they get an ideal intake of vitamins and minerals, and then you just need to work out how many calories they're taking in and what kind of carbs and protein balance there is (i.e. again, how much grass they can manage).

In an ideal world, they'd be on grass that had a consistent carb content, and had an ideal mineral profile. Then you wouldn't need to feed anything else and hooves would be perfect :D

In the real world, my big lad has restricted grazing over summer so he doesn't balloon, gets as much exercise as I can manage (if I can't ride on a particular day, I whip him out for a 20 minute in hand walk), and gets ForagePlus balancer that seems to help balance out the problems with our grazing (too much iron).
 
Hmmm thank you for replies. That is very complicated, I feel quite ignorant as this is all very new and mystifying. My yard has its hay and haylage analysed but I dont think they have their grass done. I can really only hope I can work out a good balance that will help a bit. Its not the quality of hooves I need to improve just the shape. Need to grow heel and quickly. Anything that will increase growth may help to speed up the process I guess. I have heard micronised linseed is excellent, but then others have said not as you cant get the right concentration or something? Thank you though all gives me information to work through.
 
jessieblue said:
Hmmm thank you for replies. That is very complicated, I feel quite ignorant as this is all very new and mystifying. My yard has its hay and haylage analysed but I dont think they have their grass done. I can really only hope I can work out a good balance that will help a bit. Its not the quality of hooves I need to improve just the shape. Need to grow heel and quickly. Anything that will increase growth may help to speed up the process I guess. I have heard micronised linseed is excellent, but then others have said not as you cant get the right concentration or something? Thank you though all gives me information to work through.
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The best thing for quick growth is stimulation, so lots and lots of exercise on a surface the horse is comfortable on, preferably and usually Tarmac.
 
To keep it simple, cut any molassed feed and swap to a low sugar/high fibre feed. Then add a good supplement (this one seems popular on here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PRO-HOOF-...t=UK_Horse_Wear_Equipment&hash=item3f215af8a0) and walk your horse out (in hand to start with) on any surface that the horse is comfortable on.

Move onto different surfaces when the horse becomes happy on them. Slowly build up the distance that he walks and when you feel he is ready, start to ride in walk. Again go by how the horse is coping, but progress to trotting etc... when he is ready.
 
I don't think its as complex as you think, once you actually are doing it. :)

My mare has almost got her new feet, just a fraction still to wear off, this has taken from Nov last year. She hasn't had much work the last month, and I think if she had, she would have got her new feet in completely ;).
 
jessieblue said:
Thanks guys. Really helpful. Do we all agree it can only be done barefoot and not with remedial farriery??
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I may have completely misread your earlier post

jessieblue said:
Its not the quality of hooves I need to improve just the shape. Need to grow heel and quickly.
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Heel height ideally comes not from height in the wall of the heel, which should be low, but from bulk in the heel bulb. This is soft tissue and comes with appropriate exercise.

Heel bulbs should be rounded and 'cheeky', not as common a sight as it should be.

There are decent heel bulbs in shod horses, but it is so much easier to get them barefoot. IME heel bulbs often atrophy when the horse is shod.

Look at the first two photos on this entry http://barefoothorseblog.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/heel bulbs

Same foot, before and after judicious exercise programme. Can you see how the heel height from wall has gone, but the heels are much better and it's all from the bulb.
 
I found the book "Feet First" of interest, as well as info on here which was very helpful. I do believe diet has been the key to my horse now being sound and in fact I think my vet is quite surprised he is indeed sound. He did come in with injuries that weren't obvious until the next day and i thought his suspensories were playing up!

I do recommend pro hoof by progressive earth, mine also has linseed mixed into fast fibre and hay and is on restricted grazing.

I take photo's of mine, useful for checking stance and also to compare as you go, I check movement and for any tight muscles in the back, also for normal behavior.

Listen to what your horse is telling you, I have made the decisions with regard to remedial shoeing progressing to barefoot. It's doable on a livery yard, it just takes time.
 
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