Help with dry/chipped hooves?

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Jingleballs

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It's not rained here in about a month and has been pretty hot and as a result, C's feet are really dry and after hacking on Sunday I noticed the outer wall is chipped in several places and his feet look very untidy because of it - his soles are fine albeit also drier than usual.

I'm going to get the farrier out to tidy them up but in the meantime is there anything I can use to stop them getting so dry- I rubbed vaseline on them last night but no idea if that will work.

He's been barefoot for over 2 years and his feet are really good but they do seem to chip easily when we've had a really hot dry spell of weather.

Any suggestions welcome!
 
Im having a similar problem, no chipping yet, but reallllyyyy dry especially the sole area. Iv been washing with hibi scrub and using hoof-oil everyday for the last 3 days or so and i am seeing a bit of an improvement. Not all horses feet suit hoof-oil though, cornucresin (<<sorry about the spelling) moisturiser that is in a tube is good imo :)
 
I've started using Kevin Bacon dressing and been pretty impressed with it so far. A friend who owns endurance horses says hers haven't lost a shoe since using it. Other than that I can recommend cornucrescine apart from the mess and the smell!
 
Water! So a good wash/soaking of the hoof will help each day. But definintely don't use anything that will block moisture getting in and out of the hoof so hoof oil is not good and for the same reason vaseline. Kevin Bacon is good as it keeps the hoof flexible so not brittle and therefore less likely to chip.
 
Thanks - I was considering the Kevin Bacon stuff!

I remember the last time this happened the farrier warned me away from things like Keratex but I can't for the life of me remember what he told me to use instead!
 
I have a horse that has the same problem - when I first got him we did well to keep shoes on for two days!!!! he had terrible feet - anyway tried lots of things to discover that putting vaseline on everyday works wonders for him, feet are much better and shoes now stay on between shoeing!!! - AND the best bit is that vaseline is so cheap compared to other options! xx
 
I find feeding ready cooked linseed really helps with dry hooves, it also increases hoof growth and is good for the skin of itchy cobs. Just a 50g scoop with some chaff or whatever and it's poor quality protein so they don't fizz up.
 
Kevin bacon is brilliant, I also use a nail hole disinfectant before applying it. One thing I find this time of year is because the sand school is so dry it tends to sap any moisture out of my boys feet, so I routinely wash him, legs and feet off let them dry then apply disinfectant and kevin Bacon.
 
There are many good lotions and potions on the market but the main thing missing is good old fashioned water.

Hose or soak or tub his feet for a couple of days and see if you notice a difference.

The other thing that is done is to make the patch where the water trough stands wet, so when filling your trough give the ground around it (as long as its not on concrete or hard core etc) a good aosking. this will mimic the natural moisturisation of going to the water hole for a drink
 
ofcourseyoucan said:
effol is good at keeping feet supple and strong
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A farrier once told me this stuff "does exactly what it says on the tin!! F all! " :D Made me laugh....

Joe's feet crack and loose lumps also, it makes me feel awful as I feel compelled to get the farrier out to pretty his feet up - he ends up looking neglected with all the chips!
 
My boy who can suffer from dry brittle feet has his feet washed when he comes in every day and he has Green hoof balm (Effol) painted on them every day as well. He is fed Biotin and Linseed Oil as well.

It's the weather conditions from wet to dry weather and vice versa that can cause the probs!
 
My TB's hooves started to crack a couple of months ago, and the routine which I've been doing since I noticed it, has helped and they are noticibly better for doing this, and my farrier even commented last week that his feet were looking pretty good.

He's out at nigh and in during the day, and when he comes in from the field, I wash his feet down with water and make him stand in the puddle for 10 mins or so, while i groom him.
Then, after I have ridden him, I put Cornucrescine Intensive Moisture cream on, which is a water based, white cream.
 
Generally the drier the feet, the better. People tend to think that if the feet are cracking, they are too dry. The reason feet crack quite often is nutritional.
Low grade laminitis can cause it, or some kind of imbalance. Hoof oils are not the best as they interfere with the hooves own ability to regulate moisture.
Maybe looking at the horses diet may indicate a problem. Sodium, Magnesium and calcium are essential for good hoof quality, so maybe checking that the horse has adaquate of these.
If you look at wild horses in america or Australia, they have very dry and hard hooves because its very dry and hot. They have access to water holes where the feet will get soaked. So some people believe that a soaking every day is essentail.
The problem in our environment is that it goes from very wet to very dry quickly. So waterlogged feet are then dried out quickly, so this can cause problems like cracking.
So its not the dry weather thats the problem, it tends to be the wet weather making the feet waterlogged, then drying out too quickly.
 
TheFarrier said:
There are many good lotions and potions on the market but the main thing missing is good old fashioned water.

Hose or soak or tub his feet for a couple of days and see if you notice a difference.

The other thing that is done is to make the patch where the water trough stands wet, so when filling your trough give the ground around it (as long as its not on concrete or hard core etc) a good aosking. this will mimic the natural moisturisation of going to the water hole for a drink
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Exactly what I was going to post. Don't waste your money on lotions and potions which will either not do anything at all or will make things worse. Soaking in water is absolutely the best and most natural solution and the wet round the water trough thing is simply the best and most efficient way to do it.

Jennyharvey is also correct though in that cracking/chipping feet can also be a symptom of low grade laminitis. What are his white lines like? Is he footy at all? What are his hoof walls like - free from stress rings? Is he overweight/on lots of good grazing?
 
Interesting Jennyharvey!

At present he's fed Naf Slimline which I think contains biotin and magnesium so should help strenghten his feet.
 
i've noticed this recently from moving HRH from a field with a spring so she wet her feet every day to a field with water troughs... good excuse to go for a wonder down to the tay evey other day for a paddle ;)
i'm also going to invest in some kevein bacon stuff - heard great reports about it :)
 
mrdarcy said:
Exactly what I was going to post. Don't waste your money on lotions and potions which will either not do anything at all or will make things worse. Soaking in water is absolutely the best and most natural solution and the wet round the water trough thing is simply the best and most efficient way to do it.

Jennyharvey is also correct though in that cracking/chipping feet can also be a symptom of low grade laminitis. What are his white lines like? Is he footy at all? What are his hoof walls like - free from stress rings? Is he overweight/on lots of good grazing?
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Nope not footy at all even on very stony ground.

He's a tad bigger than I'd like but on very poor grazing to keep his weight under control!

I'll post pictures later of his hooves. Farrier is coming out next week.
 
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