Has anybody used Equicast? Experiences please!

[roz84]

My mare has very poor feet at the moment. I have only had her for a couple of months so I suspect previous owners weren't putting enough goodness in and they are now falling apart! She had a few weeks off due to me having an operation, during that time she pulled a front and a back shoe and a good lot of horn with it. One of the shoes had only been put back on after falling off a week or so before so you can imagine the state of them! She has just been reshod but a front shoe is already loose - there just isn't enough to nail into but she becomes very sore if shoes are off completely for any length of time. I have now started to feed her a vit/min supplement with chaff (apart from restricted grazing thats all she gets as she is F.A.T!) which will hopefully ensure healthy hoof growth for the future but obviously if she keeps pulling shoes she will pull off more wall and we will never get anywhere.

This brings me to my question, after googling away this evening I have come across Equicast and wondered if anyone has used it before? As I still can't ride after my op I was thinking of putting some on over her loose shoe for now so that it can grow until farrier comes again (she'll only be out in field) and then get him to put some on underneath her shoes when it is time to shoe again - does this sound feasible and would it give her feet a chance to grow? Is it pretty breathable? How long does it last? Can you apply hoof oil over the top of it??

Any experiences welcomed!

 

[Spottyappy]

I have used it for over a year with a horse with very weak feet, so weak, you could chip them with your fingernails!
My farrier put it on, it sets like a human plaster cast. He then nailed the shoe into the equicast rather than the foot.
The hoof had grown back well after 12 months, but sadly as the horse was on loan, the owner wanted him back so I do not know how things progressed then.
It's not that easy to apply, and I don't think you would easily be able to put it on yourself. Not sure it would work over a shoe either. It's very hard to get off, the farrier had to remove with his tools.
But, it does sound like it would help in your case too.
It's not cheap when the farrier does it, mind!
No, you can't apply hoof oil over it. I would say it's not breathable, we had to constantly treat horse as if he had thrush, so everytime was shod, farrier applied anti thrush stuff.

 

[Graeme Burt farrier]

Hi
I use Equicast as a last resort for horses that need extra help with weak feet. I have used it on an occasional basis over the past few years.

From experience, I would not bother putting it over the shoes as it will wear through very quickly and you will be back in the same position with loose shoes within a few days.
If I were in your position I would ask your farrier back early and get him to use it beneath the shoes. In addition I would use a little polyurethane adhesive NOT ACRYLIC when you apply the casts, especially around the dorsal (toe) wall. Poly is a very good adhesive to use with casts but you must take the following precautions, you MUST wear rubber gloves and it has to be in a well ventilated area.

If casts are applied properly they will last a long time with shoes and they will stay stable. Because most horses that I use casts on have an extreme shortage of wall, I will leave casts and shoes on for anything up to 10 to 12 weeks to allow for a fair bit of growth to allow the damaged horn to be replaced at the following shoeing, to avoid the necessity for casting again. I have kept shoes with casts on for periods like this and come back to find everything firm and stable afterwards. I would avoid using casts constantly as after a protracted period of time the feet can contract.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

She has just been reshod but a front shoe is already loose - there just isn't enough to nail into but she becomes very sore if shoes are off completely for any length of time. I have now started to feed her a vit/min supplement with chaff (apart from restricted grazing thats all she gets as she is F.A.T!) which will hopefully ensure healthy hoof growth for the future but obviously if she keeps pulling shoes she will pull off more wall and we will never get anywhere.



Any experiences welcomed!

No experience of this personally, but I would be very wary of trying to put something over a loose shoe, esp is it sets hard, how are you going to remove it, what will be happening inside the cast? Its going to make her un-level, so straining joints/muscles.
Farrier would probably be non too happy if you tried to sort it without his advice.
If possible I would remove both fronts and this brings me to the reason for my post, you say that she becomes very sore if shoes are removed for any length of time, this is contrary to normal experience, I would have thought that she would be most footy at first, and that this is most noticeable when one shoe is lost.
Try micronised linseed [50gms for fatty], I always recommend Pro Hoof from Pro Earth for feet badly compromised, the supplements from pro earth are for general use and include a summer and a winter balancer Make sure chaff has NO molasses/moglo and add some salt.
Be very attentive to diet, there are so many "marketing" supplements out there, and we all tend to be rather gullible.

 

[roz84]

No experience of this personally, but I would be very wary of trying to put something over a loose shoe, esp is it sets hard, how are you going to remove it, what will be happening inside the cast? Its going to make her un-level, so straining joints/muscles.
Farrier would probably be non too happy if you tried to sort it without his advice.
If possible I would remove both fronts and this brings me to the reason for my post, you say that she becomes very sore if shoes are removed for any length of time, this is contrary to normal experience, I would have thought that she would be most footy at first, and that this is most noticeable when one shoe is lost.
Try micronised linseed [50gms for fatty], I always recommend Pro Hoof from Pro Earth for feet badly compromised, the supplements from pro earth are for general use and include a summer and a winter balancer Make sure chaff has NO molasses/moglo and add some salt.
Be very attentive to diet, there are so many "marketing" supplements out there, and we all tend to be rather gullible.

Thanks for that! I think putting it on top of a loose shoe is only meant to be a short term solution until farrier comes to remedy, I would be looking to have it put on underneath shoes afterwards. Removal of shoes not really an option, she gets footsore with no improvement and the state her feet are in at the moment she would just take more horn off and make things worse which happened when she lost shoe before. She has honey chop chaff which I believe is unmollassed with just a scoop of limestone flour and a scoop of vitamin and mineral supplement. I'd probably avoid the linseed, she is a haflinger and might just explode especially since not doing any work at the moment., she's already fat and I don't think it helps the foot situation

 

[roz84]

Thanks very much for your reply. I will get farrier back early I think. My plan was only to use it until enough hoof had grown to no longer need it and what you do with leaving it on for ten weeks sounds ideal. Did you get any problems with thrush in the foot or anything? May sound daft but is it safe to leave it on for so long?

 

[Auslander]

Thanks for that! I think putting it on top of a loose shoe is only meant to be a short term solution until farrier comes to remedy, I would be looking to have it put on underneath shoes afterwards. Removal of shoes not really an option, she gets footsore with no improvement and the state her feet are in at the moment she would just take more horn off and make things worse which happened when she lost shoe before. She has honey chop chaff which I believe is unmollassed with just a scoop of limestone flour and a scoop of vitamin and mineral supplement. I'd probably avoid the linseed, she is a haflinger and might just explode especially since not doing any work at the moment., she's already fat and I don't think it helps the foot situation

Honeychop is molassed! Can you not boot her instead of trying and failing to keep shoes on her - it'd probably work out cheaper in the long run than constantly putting shoes back on her - and it would be better for her feet.

I agree with Mrs D re linseed. 50g isn't going to affect her weight, but will provide sufficient nutrition to help her feet start to mend. It's all very well her being on starvation rations for her weight, but it won't help her grow a decent foot. Booting her would allow you to work the weight off her, rather than restricting her feed so much - and moving more sill stimulate blood flow and encourage those feet to sort themselves out.

 

[roz84]

Honeychop is molassed! Can you not boot her instead of trying and failing to keep shoes on her - it'd probably work out cheaper in the long run than constantly putting shoes back on her - and it would be better for her feet.

I agree with Mrs D re linseed. 50g isn't going to affect her weight, but will provide sufficient nutrition to help her feet start to mend. It's all very well her being on starvation rations for her weight, but it won't help her grow a decent foot. Booting her would allow you to work the weight off her, rather than restricting her feed so much - and moving more sill stimulate blood flow and encourage those feet to sort themselves out.

In my defence I have had surgery recently so am unable to work the weight off her. I have looked into boots but my understanding is they are not suitable for 24/7 turnout and can cause rubs etc, am not going to turn her out with nothing as she would be too uncomfortable. The equicast looks like a viable option in an otherwise crappy situation therefore was looking for replies from people who had actually used it!

 

[Auslander]

In my defence I have had surgery recently so am unable to work the weight off her. I have looked into boots but my understanding is they are not suitable for 24/7 turnout and can cause rubs etc, am not going to turn her out with nothing as she would be too uncomfortable. The equicast looks like a viable option in an otherwise crappy situation therefore was looking for replies from people who had actually used it!

You don't need to "defend" yourself - it was just a suggestion. Not sure if you meant your reply to sound snotty...

I've spoken at length with farriers about it, as I've been considering it as an option for one of mine. He has a twisted leg, and is lame on that leg in shoes, but sound when barefoot. He is very footy over stones, and i considered trying it as he is a trippy sort who can't get his head round the concept of boots - he face plants when wearing them. The people I spoke to all voiced the same concern - that casting tape, which sets rock hard is preventing the hoof underneath from functioning normally, and thus making the situation worse in the longer term.

You know you need to address diet and management to sort out the issues from the source - and it's clear you're doing your best.

 

[Kelpie]

couldn't you try glue-on shoes instead? Check out the "soundhorse" website - I've used theirs before and was very pleased with the growth......

 

[Graeme Burt farrier]

Thanks very much for your reply. I will get farrier back early I think. My plan was only to use it until enough hoof had grown to no longer need it and what you do with leaving it on for ten weeks sounds ideal. Did you get any problems with thrush in the foot or anything? May sound daft but is it safe to leave it on for so long?

Its important when using anything like this that you thoroughly clean and dry the foot as part of the preparation. If you're worried about thrush you can use a little Oxytetracycline spray from your vet, or Iodine or copper sulphate around the frog. I dont find thrush a particular problem but Equicast does cover the frog and liquid mud can get in. Its a question of weighing up the gain that you will get from allowing the wall to grow against the drawback of not being able to clean underneath. Its always better to allow aeration but if you have problems with wall destruction this can equally cause lameness.
As far as the length of time is concerned, the likelihood is that if you cannot keep the shoes stable, the wall is damaged to a considerable height. The only way horn can heal is to replace itself, and to grow enough to replace the damaged area will take longer than the normal shoeing period in most cases. Your farrier will know how quickly your horses feet grow and the likely conformation problems, so from this you can gauge the most appropriate period of time to replace the damage while keeping things stable and in balance.
Its my experience that the majority of horses that suffer horn destruction problems are slower at replacing horn so the destructive forces damage the foot at a faster rate than it grows, which is why they deteriorate. If you can slow the rate of destruction to below the rate of growth, they will improve.

 

[roz84]

You don't need to "defend" yourself - it was just a suggestion. Not sure if you meant your reply to sound snotty...

I've spoken at length with farriers about it, as I've been considering it as an option for one of mine. He has a twisted leg, and is lame on that leg in shoes, but sound when barefoot. He is very footy over stones, and i considered trying it as he is a trippy sort who can't get his head round the concept of boots - he face plants when wearing them. The people I spoke to all voiced the same concern - that casting tape, which sets rock hard is preventing the hoof underneath from functioning normally, and thus making the situation worse in the longer term.

You know you need to address diet and management to sort out the issues from the source - and it's clear you're doing your best.

Hi, sorry just re read my reply and it does sound a bit off! My mare has a wonky front leg too but as far as I'm aware from previous owners has never had any problems with soundness on it before. I think I was hoping that i would be able to use it fairly short term just until some hoof has regrown and go from there. In my mind something like that will stop the hoof from breathing, expanding and contracting naturally, which obviously isn't good, but like a big plaster may help to prevent and more horn from falling off! I don't know, clutching at straws really. I suppose you have to weigh up the pros and cons. As you say diet and management are the key, but its a long time to wait with a very sore horse for healthier foot to grow. I think I will give my farrier a ring today and research further. He did put some glue stuff all over one of her back shoes to try to hold it on a bit but it is coming off already (the glue I mean). Grow feet, grow!

 

[Nick kilner farrier]

Please be aware that this product is being mis-sold. Under the farriers registration act (1975) It is illegal in the UK for anyone other than a vet or registered farrier to apply equicast or any similar product. Quite apart from which it can cause serious lameness due to the way in which it restricts the natural expansion of the hoof during weight bearing.

http://www.farrier-reg.gov.uk/horse...-councils-policy-to-modern-shoeing-materials/