hoof help needed (please)

lucy974

lucy974

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hello

For the last couple of days my horse's feet have been cracking, but today hes font foot looks really bad there's a big gap missing at the bottom of his hoof , somehow his shoe is still on don't know how lol. He only got done 2 weeks ago everyday i always put effol on but thats not making a differnce at all anymore.

i don't know what to do ,A couple of years ago he used to be on farriers formula but its not cheap and it takes about a year for it to grow all the way down .

please could you help me i have heard kevin bacon's liquid is good, what are you all doing with there feet at the moment with this hot/dry weather

thank you lucy x
 
Water is the only moisture which works! You won't get moisture into the hoof using grease and oil based products. I empty out our water trough a couple of times a week to make a damp patch for them. Though if your chaps feet are so dry that they are cracking like that it may not be enough. I would bring him in each evening and give them a hose for 5 mins or so. That alongside correct nutrition should bring things back to normal. This weather does make things tricky. Is he on any food / vits etc? Alot of feeds now contain hoof supplement, or you can add a powder balancer to make sure he is getting all he needs. Unfortunately there is now quick fix from this side as your horse must just make new healthier hoof.
 
ok thank you i will start doing that from tomorrow , yes his on food he has chaff 1/2 mix 1/4 also he has a min and supp in his feed can't remember the name of it , also little bit of hay twice a day .. so yer thanks for that tip i will start watering his feet :)
 
Kevin Bacon hoof dressing is brilliant - have a search on here for other posts as it's had some really good write ups.

I have the same problem with one of mine and I alternate daily by disinfecting one day and applying Kevin Bacon the other. Good luck!
 
thank you for your replies i think i will get the kevin bacon dressing and start to water them daily, lets hope in couple of weeks i will see a difference, i hate seeing his feet in the condition :(
 
As glosgirl says nutrition is the key ( she must have been talking to my farrier!) so the first step is to make sure your horse is getting everything he needs whether from a decent vit/min supplement or by using a specialist hoof supplement if necessary.

Then to treat the feet externally try to make sure they aren't getting attacked by bacteria by keeping on top of disinfecting them, and try the Kevin Bacon, alongside hosing them if you like. My horses cross a river umpteen times a day and one still suffers with dry cracky feet so the water hasn't made much difference to her but it could be worth a try.

If your farrier says bacteria isn't a real problem I think you can get away with disinfecting them twice a week, I am doing it every other day because we have a problem with bacteria, white line issues, abcesses etc.
 
when our mare had sore heels, the farrier just suggested salt water. Hibi scrub is pretty harsh so isn't really something you would want to be using alot.
 
Keep on top of it cleaning wise try hibi scrubbing every day, sometimes holes like that are a sign of things like white line disease. I've heard Kevin Bacon stuff is very good but never tried it. I found for keeping on top of infections etc red horse products were very good
 
taz's feet are in bad condition at the moment, have been since we tore two shoes of in early july going xc in the space of two fences about four strides apart, since then he has been getting the kevin bacon hoof dressing on every day, cornecresuint on once a week and farriers formula (doublt concentrate) in his feed every day, he never had the best of feet to begin with but his back feet have huge wholes in them, my farriers made a fab job after shoeing him by taking him down a size on the back so that the nails actually have something to grip onto. However because of this he's going to have to get shod every four weeks :S

ETA we also go through the river out on a hack a few times a week to give his feet and legs a good wee clean :)
 
My horse had a problem with seedy toe/white line disease that let to very bad cracked feet. I disinfected them by tubbing and scrubbing them with a baby sterilising fluid such as Milton, seems to work a treat for him.
 
My farrier advised me not to use hibiscrub as a hoof disinfectant as with regular use it can be too drying.

There are many disinfectants out there, I use a combination of ones you soak/scrub the feet with and ones you put on the nail holes/frog area once the feet are clean and dry. Keratex do a wash type one called Hoof Wash or you can try Milton solution as ossy suggested as I have heard of this being used before.

For the nail holes LifeData make one, as do the people who make Farriers Formula (can't remember the name) and Cornucrescine make one which soaks in really well. I'm sure there are loads more but these are the ones I use.

On the days I scrub my horses feet I make sure they are clean first, then scrub them with the Keratex Hoof Wash solution, if I have a particular problem I stand the bad foot in the bucket for a while to make sure it has got under the shoe etc etc, then once the hooves are completely dry and the horses are ready to go out I put on the Kevin Bacon dressing.

On alternate days I scrub the feet with water to get all the mud off then once they are dry I use a nail hole disinfectant in all the old holes, cracks and around the frog.

I know this sounds excessive, and it is hard work, but it has really worked for me. However, if you don't have such a problem I would think you could just choose a method that suits you and do it twice a week. Ask your farrier, he may recommend a system/product that's best for your horse.

My farrier also thinks that changing products every now & then, or using a combination of products seems to produce a better result.
 
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