Hoof care whilst on box rest ?

Z

Zaffy

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One of our boys will be on box rest for the foreseeable future due to a tendon injury.

Can anyone tell me if his hooves are likely to be effected through excess moisture etc ? He is a TB and his feet are not the best to start with.

Any tips would be appreciated ...

Thanks, Z.
 
i would think they would be affected more by the drying out.
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His soles might get thrush if the bed isn't kept clean, I would suggest mucking out in the morning then at least skipping out at night to try and keep the bed dry as possible. Other than that I'd be putting a hoof moisturiser on ever couple of days to keep the moisture balance. As your farrier if you think his feet are starting to deteriorate.
 
Tea tree oil is very good for keeping the thrush at bay or hydrogen peroxide if they are getting very wet. There is a mix you can make that has lavendar and tea tree in it but I can't remember quantities and you have to have a carrier oil as you're not meant to use lavendar neat. I'm sure someone on here will know it, if not I shall try and find my book when I get home. Works very well in my experience
 
So long as the bed is kept clean there should be no problems with thrush.

If the horse is on shavings then pick out and brush clean twice daily and use a good hoof oil - shavings can dry out feet badly.

With straw pick out and brush daily apply good hoof oil at least daily.
 
I've had exactly the same concerns as you - Ronnie's been on 6 months' box rest now, shavings on top of rubber matting, and he's a VERY wet box-walking horse. His bed is always slightly damp despite having two bales of shavings a week. I pick out twice daily, or at least daily, and brush the hooves out with a stiff brush so that air can get into the crevices to stop bacteria breeding.

I also apply Naf hoof and sole once a week or fortnight. So far (touch wood) we've had no thrush problems.
 
There was a thread on competition riders a while ago about using thick household bleach - had been recommended by a good farrier to somebody to help harden the feet. I asked my farrier and he agreed - said that in his opinion the bleach will kill bacteria which get in the feet from standing in muck (unavoidable when they are on box rest) and that this will prevent thrush and the bacteria getting into the white line which he says is the major cause of soft crappy hoof. He recommended painting the soles and the walls twice a week. Have a look and see if you can see the thread - it was about 6-8 weeks ago. Hope this is helpful.
 
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