HELP: Soft hooves

[ChasinStatus]

Hi, I wonder if any one else is or has experienced this or if anyone can give me some advice. My TB 10yr old gelding has really sore feet, the sole of his hooves are very soft especially his white foot and obviously cause him quite alot of discomfort. My farrier has put a frog support, a wedged pad and double clip natural balance shoe on his front feet. I have also had him on limited turnout and he has been having NAF Pro-Feet as a supplement in his dinner since July this year. He also wears overreach boots all the time to help prevent him pulling them off. He is also being shod every 5 weeks!

Can anyone please advise if there is anything else i can do that will help him? my farrier has explained that it will obviously take time to sort this situation out! but i wonder if there is anything else i can do to strengthen his feet.

 

[StormyMoments]

what feed is he on other than pro hoof?

your solution may be in a change of feed

 

[Shysmum]

Yup, Keratex Hoof Hardener ( a contraversial product) works really well. paint it on the soles (avoiding the frogs) and lower half of the hoof wall. You really will see a difference.

 

[ChasinStatus]

Hi,
He is on
Allen & Page Fast Fiber
Mollichaff Calmer
Regular Pony nuts
Garlic
Seaweed
Apple cider vinegar
NAF Pro-feet

He can be quiet fizzy so i try to avoid anything that will spice him up!

Also i cant use the hoof harder as he has pads on his feet so i cant get to the soles of his feet!

 

[thatsmygirl]

What's his diet?

I know what I would do if he was mine but I sound like a broken record.

 

[ChasinStatus]

Diet above!!

What would you do? and I cant take his shoes off!! He cant handle being barefoot! he cant walk withough shoes on!!

 

[Little Claybrooks]

When my part bred TB arrived he had pads on his hinds - awful soft feet underneath, but I was told he was crippled with out them. One day with the guidence of my farrier we decided "sod it" and took off the pad, stuck him on Farriers Forumla and used Keratex. Never looked back.
Remember the saying "no foot, no horse......."

 

[thatsmygirl]

The pads will be half your problem they are dam awful things and yes the foot will be soft under those as well as a breeding ground for bacteria.

 

[StormyMoments]

i would take out the mollichaff and garlic as some horses dont agree with them hoof wise...

is there any particular reason behind how much food he gets like dropping weight or anything?

if not i would change to something like fast fibre and a balancer (eg topspec cool balancer because of the fizzyness ) but then im no expert but it has worked wonders on my horse who had awful feet!

but im sure there will be lots of other people with suggestions

also paint some kevin bacon around the corronet band that should help too

 

[ChasinStatus]

So annoying as its my farrier that suggested to put the pads on!! arrah dont know what to do!!

 

[thatsmygirl]

Yes if he was mine I would take the shoes off and get a decent pair of boots with pads in. No foot no horse is so true and this saved my lad who is a ex racer and had big problems. It's only 3 months on so still early days but we ride in boots and he walks lovely now up to the field over a gravel track.

What's the reason for the pads? In my experience of them they make more problems than solve them.

 

[ChasinStatus]

So you think i should change his feed? to be perfectly honest i hadnt even thought of that! How silly am I!

Ok so should i take him off the fast fibre? He tends to drop weight in the winter but the main reason he is on what he is on, is he is hot headed! so the least sugar a calories the better!

 

[StormyMoments]

no keep him on fast fibre thats fine this is what my ginger horse is fed and he drops right off in the winter and he came through last year not looking like a skeleton! so it seems to keep the weight on them fine to bulk it out you could look at unmolassed chaff but thats just to slow them down really

 

[ChasinStatus]

To be perfectly honest im not entirely sure why he has pads on the farrier advised me to put them on him! im assuming to take the pressure off him! as he said if his feet get any worse theres a chance of his pedal bone dropping!

 

[thatsmygirl]

If your horse had soft soles I really don't see how the farrier thought pads would help. It's not your fault we pay these people a lot of money to do a good job but I don't see his thinking here I'm afraid.

Diet wise fast fibre is good, tbh I would drop the rest and add pro hoof, micro linseed, calmag,salt and brewers yeast, this diet has worked wonders on my lad who wouldn't hold weight and feet wise he was neally pts. ( I feed equimins instead of pro hoof as I get it cheap) but I think pro hoof will have a better copper and zinc levels which u will need.

A lot of pre baged foods are full of sugar:starch and this is what courses a lot off problems these days with horses, either feet or temperment etc. Fast fibre is a safe base to add supplements.

 

[Little Claybrooks]

Pads sometimes "mask" the problem - like someone else has said, they allow bacteria to grow underneath and you cant see whats going on. Difficult if thats what your farrier has recommended. Maybe seek a second opinion? Or consider what you have lost if you try without - you can always go back to them.

Personally I hate them - can you tell?! Only known horses with soft feet and pads to end up with a lot more foot problems. One thing leads to another. Diet is a huge contribution to the condition of their feet (much like us and our hair/nails) - consider what happens if you stick a plaster over your finger nail - it goes all soft underneath - same principle really.

 

[Angua2]

where's the BT when you need them!! They know a fair bit about diet.

If it is any comfort been there & done that with both my TB's.

However, I would also ditch the seaweed and perhaps look to add brewers yeast and linseed in addition to changing the chaff to something without mollassess. Also look towards adding some magnesium in the form of magox, as that will help the feet and may also help with his fizzyness.

Also how much grass is he having, as that can really affect them

Another thought is to keep the nail holes as clean as you can, dilute hydrogen peroxide or keratex nail hole disinfectant. Bear in mind also that the pads will also contribute to soft soles, but this is a problem that needs addressing from the inside (ie from the gut).

 

[thatsmygirl]

Have u got any pics of his feet u could add here? That could help.

My lads pedal bones rotated which was due to very bad shoeing indeed and i really do owe his second chance to members on here such as Oberon. And the backup from others going through the same.

 

[pines of rome]

Diet above!!

What would you do? and I cant take his shoes off!! He cant handle being barefoot! he cant walk withough shoes on!!

I said the same about mine, but I did take them off, he was turned out in boots and pads for nearly 3 months, in at night on a good shavings bed and his horribly thin soles did thicken up and he can walk over concrete, which is something I would never of thought possible!!!!!
Diet wise I would definately lose the mollichaff and garlic/ seaweed!

 

[Angua2]

I said the same about mine, but I did take them off, he was turned out in boots and pads for nearly 3 months, in at night on a good shavings bed and his horribly thin soles did thicken up and he can walk over concrete, which is something I would never of thought possible!!!!!
Diet wise I would definately lose the mollichaff and garlic/ seaweed!

Interestingly I also said the same, now a year later my mare is sounder than some of the natives on my yard over what ever surface we choose!

 

[Oberon]

I've already pm'd the OP

1) Change the diet (suggestions already sent)

2) Avoid painting chemicals or lard (Kevin Bacon) to the hoof.

3) After a month on the new diet - review the hoof and see if the pads are still needed.

The pads are a temporary crux to protect a thin and unhealthy sole. This is fine for now but it is not a permanent solution (your farrier will know that ). Inside the pad, bacteria will be eating away at the sole and frog and making things worse.

When you get the pads off, soak the hooves in a bucket of 50% apple cider vinegar and water and then use Red Horse's Field Paste or Sudocrem to treat bacteria.

Improve the diet and see how you go.

There is no substitution for a healthy hoof and if your horse is crippled without a shoe - then that is NOT a healthy hoof .
You cannot trim or shoe a healthy hoof onto a horse. You can only grow one.

That's why I want you to address the diet first.

When you have started growing a healthy hoof - at some point consider a break from shoes in order to allow some beneficial remodeling and sole stimulation.

It does NOT need to be painful for the horse and we can help you do so gently and safely

 

[thatsmygirl]

Angua2 iv seen these pads come of to be re shod and honest to god the smell turned my stomach and the feet were so soft you could stick a hoof pick through the soles. Nasty nasty things but hey I will stop going on about them your not alone with hating them.

If he was my horse I would get the pads of asap, and prob just put a normal set of shoes on to start with so iv got 6 weeks to start his diet out and treat for thrush while I'm doing this and let his soles breath a bit. After 6 weeks I would take his shoes off via a trimmer who is given to you by recomendation ( pm Oberon ) I know u get bad trimmers and farriers but iv found trimmers to be better ESP for taking shoes off. The farrier would pull the shoe by wrenching on the hoof walls and iv found this courses bruising and your lad having soft feet as well could suffer. Trimmers take shoes off nail by nail and this really has been the difference in one of mine coping bare. ( who's fine now after trimmer removed shoes, every time the farrier removed them he was left with bruising which set us back, well in fact it didn't work so had shoes back on. Since the trimmer he's not had 1 bad day) iv got 5 bare and 1 with fronts only. I'm not for or against shoeing and will still use shoes if I see fit but I think your lad needs time out. Plus trimmer will fit boots/pads to him and use them as much as until he gets more comfy. So in a way he still has shoes just ones which are letting his feet heal.

 

[ChasinStatus]

Thank you all so much, i really appreciate you all taking the time to advise me.

I think I will do as "Oberon" has advised and take it from there! First point of call new feed... so off to the feed store this weekend to get a new lot of feed!!

Fingers crossed that will help... i will also talk to another farrier to get their advise too i think as you never know!!

Thank you again for all your help

 

[Oberon]

Which area of the country are you?

 

[ChasinStatus]

West Sussex, UK

 

[thatsmygirl]

Following oberons advise is always a good way to go

and I found the more I researched the more I understood and could help my boy more. So google is your friend .
Good luck