Hood Problems (inc pics)

pottamus

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I have always had trouble with cracking hooves around the nail holes at this time of year, which my farrier does not seem too worried about despite them looking a mess:
hoof1.jpg


But recently he has developed problems at the toe that I am concerned about as it looks just like it did after recovery from laminitis a couple of years ago. He has not had laminitis in a few years and is and has in no way been lame. Just wondered what the thoughts were as my farrier has not mentioned anything but I am worried it will progress and get worse. It may just be dry hooves as he suggests...

His diet is sparse paddock in day and in at night on soaked hay. He has an all round supplement in two handfuls of dengie and is ridden 6 days a week. He is a welshie D.

Hoof2.jpg


Hoof3.jpg
 

galaxy

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I would put him on Biotin (although will take good 6 months for the new hoof to grow through) and put either Kevin Bacons or Effol on his feet once a day.
 

asmp

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Looks like seedy toe to me. My horse suffers from it. The farrier needs to trim it out and sometimes fills it. Also advised once to spray it with iodine (hope I've got that right).
 

tallyho!

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That hoof is very similar to my boys. FArriers always said it was seedy toe -but real seedy toe is really smelly rotting hoof wall. You seem to have a seperated white line. Although your farrier is unconcerned, that first photo shows flare which means the hoof wall is growing away from the capsule. I wouldn't be surprised if the heel was contracted. The wall itself looks thin, all the farrier has done is rasp the wall to make it the same angle but in reality, the growth angle is wrong which is why you are getting that toe. See my pics below:

photo0114-1-1.jpg


You can see mine was more extreme and I felt bad I let it go on. The second pic is a few months later and and it is even better now which is almost a year later.

My advice is to speak to vet regarding remedial farriery or try barefoot for 6 months but do your research both ways. There are success stories with either. Barefoot worked for us where remedial didn't (we tried remedial for over a year).
 

niagaraduval

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Had a list of hoof problems when I bought my boy. The only thing that has totally solved them (he has had beautiful feet for years now!) was to let him go barefoot for 6 months whilst putting him on a biotin hoof supplement. Also, take care of your horses' feet. When the ground is very dry make sure to grease (not oil) his hooves every single day. This doesn't take very long and stops them from cracking.

When his hooves are wet and dirty (in the winter) use hoof tar once a week, this will kill any bacteria and keep his frog looking nice.

If you school in a sand school, make sure to hose his hooves after each ride and lighty oil them if needed.

Also, if his toes are still ok and the shoes not worn when you finally get his feet back don't call the farrier to re shoe until they are worn or his hooves are long. Mines feet don't grow very quickly (his shoes are worn through before getting new ones mostly after 6 weeks anyway) so unless his shoes are worn I don't replace them. It just gives the hooves a little more time to harden before the next lot of nails go in.

It's hard work and a pain sometimes but once his feet are better you will just need to grease them well if the ground is very dry, which only takes a few mins.

This is the only thing that has worked for my boy. Including the 6 months barefoot it took about a year to get his feet perfect, although I could see a difference in about 6 weeks.
 

LucyPriory

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Had a list of hoof problems when I bought my boy. The only thing that has totally solved them (he has had beautiful feet for years now!) was to let him go barefoot for 6 months whilst putting him on a biotin hoof supplement. Also, take care of your horses' feet. When the ground is very dry make sure to grease (not oil) his hooves every single day. This doesn't take very long and stops them from cracking.

When his hooves are wet and dirty (in the winter) use hoof tar once a week, this will kill any bacteria and keep his frog looking nice.

If you school in a sand school, make sure to hose his hooves after each ride and lighty oil them if needed.

Also, if his toes are still ok and the shoes not worn when you finally get his feet back don't call the farrier to re shoe until they are worn or his hooves are long. Mines feet don't grow very quickly (his shoes are worn through before getting new ones mostly after 6 weeks anyway) so unless his shoes are worn I don't replace them. It just gives the hooves a little more time to harden before the next lot of nails go in.

It's hard work and a pain sometimes but once his feet are better you will just need to grease them well if the ground is very dry, which only takes a few mins.

This is the only thing that has worked for my boy. Including the 6 months barefoot it took about a year to get his feet perfect, although I could see a difference in about 6 weeks.

And be very careful about getting advice from a forum - I disagree with most of this post and who is to judge which of us is right?
 

HairyFaerie

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Do you work your horse much in a sand or sand/rubber mix surface? One of my horses used to have this problem & my farrier now makes her shoes with quarter clips (which she needs otherwise she twists get shoes) & a larger centre toe clip which stops the wear on the toe from the sand, so three clips in all & it's completely eliminated the problem.
 

niagaraduval

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And be very careful about getting advice from a forum - I disagree with most of this post and who is to judge which of us is right?


I'm just telling OP what I did with my boy to get his feet in good shape as his were awful when I got him. Also it was my farrier that advised me on what to do. It must of done some good as his feet are lovely now.
 

LucyPriory

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pottamus - the photos aren't the best but.....

your horse has several very significant event lines. The hoof walls have been heavily rasped - probably because they were running forwards. This has weakened the walls and probably removed further event line evidence.

The white line is probably stretched (anything wider than the edge of a credit card or two) and opportunistic bacteria have used this and the added protection of the shoe to set up home and have a good munch.

Sort the dietary (or whatever) issue that is driving the stretched white line and the event lines, remove the shoe and institute a barefoot rehab programme and this will grow out nicely. If you can't sort the causal factor, whether it be diet or something else then this will continue to be an on-going problem which will never be fixed by topical treatments. The best they will do is 'manage' it.

niagaraduval - your horse had poor feet when you got him/her. No doubt it was the change in management that did the real trick with him. In the UK we are universally short of zinc, copper and magnesium which are essential for good horse health and therefore hoof health. A biotin supplement on it's own for a diet which is short of other vital nutrients won't help. Biotin is just a B vitamin.

Hoof oils can inhibit the hoof's natural ability to regulate it's own moisture level and can cause more harm than good.

I am concerned about the concept of hooves hardening between shoeings because of the time interval. Hooves change texture all the time, the length of time between shoeings has very little to do with it. Diet, exercise, shod/barefoot, climate, environment are all much more significant.

A slow growing hoof is not a healthy hoof and is a sign that you need to change something. Most 'slow' hooves that I have deshod have been anything but in reality. The one horse I do which is noticeably slower than the rest has very indifferent health and inappropriate management of that health.

Lots of examples of good to bad and back again on the blog.

www.barefoothorseblog.blogspot.com
 

Zuzan

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Just to add to Lucy's post Biotin is manufactured by the good bacteria in the horses gut.. so feed the bacteria / ensure they have a healthy environment.
 

sonjafoers

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I'm no expert but I'd say you need to have a look at your horses diet and then have a proper chat to your farrier - is the foot balanced properly in terms of from toe to heel? It's hard to see from the pics but is the heel underrun?

I don't agree that leaving it as long as possible between shoeings is the best way forward, in fact I'd say the opposite but speak to your farrier about this. It would also be a good idea to ask your vet to recommend a remedial farrier and just get a 2nd opinion.
 

tallyho!

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Agree with diet.

Before the photo he was on fastfibre, formula for feet & happyhoof. Way too rich in excess vits, mins and starch not to mention sugar.

now on speedibeet & herbs with some alfalfa.
 
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