Hoof oil?

Persephone

Persephone

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The thread on Show Black made me think!

Does anybody here still use hoof oil on a regular basis?

My farrier told me it's a load of tosh and just has me apply a coat of Kevin Bacon post shoeing. That tub has been going 4 years PMSL

When I was a kid the final touch EVERY day was Carr Day & Martins Hoof Oil, I still love the smell of it, but is there a place for it today?

What do you, or don't you, put on your horses feet?
 
I have to say I think hoof oil looks really smart. I have a pot of Cornucrescine and I use it on the weekends in the summer months if I think her feet are dry. My farrier says you might as well throw a bucket of water on their feet in the summer if you want more moisture.
 
the same as you used to use. is it not down to keeping up grooming standards? when i could still groom, and my hubby does now, oiling hooves was the final touch to a nicely strapped horse.
 
My horse actually has beautiful black hooves. I don't feel a slick of oil would actually make them look any better.


I think Tracey and I have a farrier singing from the same sheet ie water is the only thing that will moisturise hooves.

I have been guilty of putting Kevin Bacon inside my horses hooves in the winter to make picking out easier :p
 
I use Kevin Bacon too however I apply it very regular. This time of year I use it every other day & in winter I apply it 2-3 times per week - my farrier says my lad has great feet & this last time commented they've never been better! He swears by Kevin Bacon tho - doesn't think anything else is worth the money!
Oh, I also apply it to the soles - they dry out too in this sort of weather.
 
On my Farriers advice I rub cornucresine into my boys coronet with a toothbrush to try and encourage growth. I did do this every day at one stage but I now do it just once a week. Any other time to smarten him up I use Effol hoof dressing. I have also used Naf rock hard on his soles to harden them when the ground was really wet. As you might gather my boy has typical dodgy tb feet lol!
 
At the point yard we used good old fashioned hoof oil everyday and the horses feet do improve. Oil is moisturing whatever anybody says. If your horse is 24/7 or on very dry land the hooves would benefit from moisture, if they are out all natural (and the weather isn't to hot and dry) I wouldn't bother with anything. Personal preference I suppose but I am a fan off carr day and martin stuff.
 
I never use hoof oil then one summer a sharer used it a lot on my cob and it was the only time his feet cracked and were in terrible condition! I only use it for a finishing touch in a show ring.

An old friend once used vegetable oil instead of hoof oil - never tried it but would be interested to know whether it was better than using hoof oil.
 
i use oil every other day in the summer months underneath and outside and an anti-fungal alternating with purple spray underneath in wet weather. my boy's feet are in fine condition.
 
I use vegetable oil! Our old farrier said it was much better than normal oil and loads cheaper!! Never had a problem with it apart from stoping the dogs licking it all up but I am a bit lax and only oil feet once in a blue moon..... Guess I have been lucky and have had horses with very good feet......
 
MadisonBelle said:
I use vegetable oil! Our old farrier said it was much better than normal oil and loads cheaper!! Never had a problem with it apart from stoping the dogs licking it all up but I am a bit lax and only oil feet once in a blue moon..... Guess I have been lucky and have had horses with very good feet......
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That's good to know! Thanks! The farrier's coming Saturday I'm going to try and remember to ask his opinion.
 
But healthy feet are more important that appearances.

I never use hoof oil, or any other products with oil in.

I use NAF hoof moist to keep them from drying out in the dry weather, but that's about it :)
 
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No it's not part of grooming for me anymore tbh. If it's not beneficial I don't see the point!

Plus as I said my horse has very smart feet anyway.

I was also always told NOT to use it going in to a showring so the judge can pick up a foot and look.
 
Puppy said:
But healthy feet are more important that appearances.

I never use hoof oil, or any other products with oil in.

I use NAF hoof moist to keep them from drying out in the dry weather, but that's about it :)
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See that's what the sharer used on my cob that summer and his hooves were terrible.

Mind you, don't know what I'm worried about, I don't oil them and they're strong and healthy so I think I will keep on doing what I'm doing!
 
Hmm, that's odd, it certainly shouldn't. In your first post you said the sharer used oil? Are you sure that you don't have your products confused. NAF hoof moist has NO oil in it (unlike Cornucrescine, Effol, etc) and purely hydrates the hooves. My farrier would slap my wrists if I used anything with oil in and says NAF hoof moist is the only topical treatment he ever recommends. It works well for mine :)
 
I think it was hoof moist by NAF - I think it was in a white tub and you could get white and black as she had two tubs, one for his white feet and one for his black (or am I talking complete rubbish - must've been 2/3 years ago now).

I remember because I thought it odd that it dried them out so much when it was called hoof moist!
 
I have the cornucrescine intensive hoof moist. I'll probably get some kevin bacon when this is all used up. My horse has typical rubbish TB feet.

I don't use oil now, although I do miss that smell!
 
No, it is not part of normal routine grooming now, as it is now wel lknown (but obviously not completely accepted) that regular use of hoof oil is actually harmful to the hoof. Occasional us for shows etc is fine.

As someone else said, if the hooves need moisture, the very best thing is a daily ten minute soak in water.
 
Use Cornucrscine oil with tea tree , mare has shocking feet and it does seem to be helping some :)
 
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Sorcerers Apprentice said:
an interesting read to those who believe oil is beneficial, and/or soaking in water is beneficial to horn structure

http://www.keratex.net/keratex_history.htm
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Yup, good info there (but tiny writing :p) and that's why my farrier is not a fan of hosing feet to keep them moisturised, but recommends hoof moist instead.

It's very like how I can't moisturised my face with pure water, and in fact, if I don't put on moisturiser on soon after getting out the shower then my skin quickly feels dry and sore, so I use a proper moisturiser. :)
 
I use hoof heal 2-3 times a week in this dry weather and cornecrescine on any areas (normally flakey near nail holes) that look like they might be getting particularly bad.

tried naf and kevin bacon and didnt like either of them, this seems to work best for us :)

also gets naf profeet feed supp which has been amazing :)
 
This thread has reminded me about our horse’s foot bath that my dad made years ago.

horsesfootbath.jpg


This is my mum standing in front of the horses foot pool, the pic was taken sometime in the 80s.

It was a fenced in cage, with a concreted bowl, that could be filled with water or other 'herbal concoctions' that probably didn't actually do anything, and the horse would stand happily in it with a haynet. We had a string of TBs with very dodgy feet and we would give them a soaking every day in the summer.
 
Puppy said:
It's very like how I can't moisturised my face with pure water, and in fact, if I don't put on moisturiser on soon after getting out the shower then my skin quickly feels dry and sore, so I use a proper moisturiser. :)
Click to expand...

yep, totally agree, my skin feels awful before i use a proper moisturiser, and soaking in water makes my nails soft and bendy.

Persephony, i use a hoof moist
 
I won't use any product with oil in at all. A old farrier said to me years ago and made me think.... Most hoof oils are veg oil based hence why some people put stright veg oil on but the way my farrier explained it to me was, veg oil is used for cooking and if you oil your feet and leave them in the sun they will heat up and crack. ( cooking the feet) always made me think and never forgot that.
What do others think off that???
I use .... Well nothing and all my horses feet are perfect but I believe in a good diet for good feet not oils. Let any goodness come from what you put into your horse
 
OK. Oil - any oil - is not porous. It will not let moisture in and it will not let moisture out, thus preventing the hoof from helping itself by self-regulating it's moisture levels. A moisturisor that is oil based should not be used, for the same reason. An aqueous based hoof moist is fine.
 
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