Hoof support that you could find at a grocery store

[stangs]

Horse's balancer still hasn't arrived, and it's looking like, even if I order from elsewhere, it also won't arrive anytime soon. Spent the entire day yesterday getting to the closest country store but they didn't have anything suitable.

So thinking outside the box: what would people recommend for a very good doer whose feet are struggling to grow, and that I could buy at a normal human-food or human-herbs store?

I've seen basil, sunflower seeds, blackberries, thyme etc recommended for humans to provide copper and zinc, but would be interested in people's experiences actually feeding them to horses.

 

[cauda equina]

Someone on here feeds jelly cubes, apparently with good results

 

[KittenInTheTree]

Seaweed, rosehip, and linseed.

 

[monte1]

not sure if it helps you, i feed a mug of linseed meal and tablespoon of salt to both of mine and they have excellent coats and hooves, although for a very good doer maybe linseed meal might be to fattening ?

i also feed my homebred 2 year old - formula4feet he had poor hoof quality and several hoof abscesses as a yearling and they are now looking super ( you can order a bag online or Go Outdoors were doing click and collect and i believe it is also a good balancer- at least i use it as one)

 

[TPO]

Linseed and salt? Maybe some veg oil?

I know amazon = boo ? but you can still get next day /2 day delivery on some balancers from there. I've switched mums horses to GWF One Cup and not only are they doing well its £9 odds on subscription and it arrived within 2 days.

I ordered some Global Herbs products on @palo1 recommendation for asthmatic horses and it arrived next day too and cheaper than I could find anywhere else.

ETA I remember someone who no longer posts here used to harp on about feeding horses jelly/gelatine. Just feel the need to point out that horses are herbivores.

I wouldn't feed seaweed either due to iron content. Not what you want to be adding to the diet of a horse with compromised hooves unless there is a huge tested for iron deficiency in the grazing/soil.

 

[Highmileagecob]

The quantities available at the human stores are probably going to work out very expensive when you scale them up to horse quantities. Is the good doer bit contributing to poor hoof growth?....thinking here of EMS type inbalances. Have you tried supporting the hoof during exercise to improve circulation? Even cutting out sole shapes from large sized flip flops and duct taping to the hoof will do the trick! I have spent the past few years battling with low level thrush problems, and have used Farriers Formula and Formula4Feet with no better success than doing a thorough cleaning routine. Getting a barefoot trimmer to start trimming was a game changer, as she explained which bits of the hoof were not being weighted properly, and until the balance was sorted the problems would continue. Twelve months down the line the thrush was largely clear and good growth started to come as the frogs started to work properly. Not a quick fix, but it has lasted.

 

[Barton Bounty]

I was about to say the same as TPO about salt and veg or sunflower oil or rapeseed oil..

Never gelatine ?

 

[sbloom]

Amino acids - Forageplus have written at length on them in diets, have a Google.

 

[nutjob]

I have just ordered from forage plus (winter performance balancer) and it was delivered very quickly. In terms of long term hoof quality being out of a supplement for a couple of days shouldn't make a long term difference.

 

[Birker2020]

Biotin from a health food store.

 

[paddy555]

If you ring equimins for advanced complete now I'm sure they would dispatch today so you should get it tomorrow or Thurs (allowing for Xmas)

If you ring FP no doubt they would do the same.
You should be able to get one of these before Christmas.



I can't see the point of buying something that is not a specific horse supplement when you want it to grow feet.
These 2 products plus Prog Earth are what many BF people use and none are available in country stores.

 

[Roxylola]

They'll dispatch quick enough @paddy555 but with royal mail strikes it likely won't arrive.

 

[sunleychops]

Seaweed, rosehip, and linseed.

This this and this

 

[Birker2020]

Amazon Prime? Sorry for large photo

 

[paddy555]

They'll dispatch quick enough @paddy555 but with royal mail strikes it likely won't arrive.

equimins is a carrier not RM

 

[lynz88]

I usually order from FP and they are always quick but do not know what their Christmas cut-off is. I've just switched to PE to try out the tri amino with zinc/copper as well as their B vitamins as mine needs more B vitamins and just snuck under their Christmas deadline.

 

[nikicb]

They'll dispatch quick enough @paddy555 but with royal mail strikes it likely won't arrive.

I find Equimins usually arrives pretty much the day after I order - usually delivered by DPD if I remember correctly.

 

[Dexter]

Amazon Prime? Sorry for large photo

View attachment 104569

I do wish people would stop recommending biotin as some sort of magic fix for feet. It isn't.

I would definitely get on amazon. Anything with no iron and high levels of copper and zinc will do to tide you over.

 

[stangs]

If you ring equimins for advanced complete now I'm sure they would dispatch today so you should get it tomorrow or Thurs (allowing for Xmas)

If you ring FP no doubt they would do the same.
You should be able to get one of these before Christmas.



I can't see the point of buying something that is not a specific horse supplement when you want it to grow feet.
These 2 products plus Prog Earth are what many BF people use and none are available in country stores.

Will try. Unfortunately, Prog Earth is closed for the holidays now

I would definitely get on amazon. Anything with no iron and high levels of copper and zinc will do to tide you over.

I had a look on Amazon but everything seems to have molasses, manganese or more biotin than I'm comfortable feeding (previous issues with mallanders).

 

[TPO]

Spillers lite & lean is on amazon but delivery is 30 Dec now. It did well for low iron levels and a decent spec iirc

 

[Rowreach]

I do wish people would stop suggesting seaweed as a supplement for horses, it is massively high in iodine and unless you absolutely know that your horse's iodine levels are low, you should not feed it. And you should never ever give it to mares in foal, foals, youngstock. In fact, it's easier just to not feed it at all.

Christmas is a few days away, I'd just order the supplement you want and wait for it to arrive, whenever. If you can order from somewhere that uses a courier and not RM then it will probably be with you before the New Year, and a few days won't make much difference.

You could start feeding salt though, if you don't already. 10g per 100kg of bodyweight daily. Cheap cooking salt available from any supermarket in big bags for pennies.

 

[Melandmary]

Someone suggested on here to me equilateral. It has no biotin in and they do 2 versions of the vit/ mineral supplement . One has salt and linseed already added and the other doesn’t. The price looks very reasonable in comparison to my usual brand and will actually work out cheaper. I also have a pony with ems and mallanders.

 

[Melandmary]

Equinatural….sorry my blimin iPad keeps changing my spellings?

 

[lynz88]

I was going to try equinatural until I read that the zinc/copper was a sulphate and not chelate/bioplex. It does look like their cut off for Christmas orders is today so could possibly sneak in?!

 

[Dexter]

Actually, if you are really stuck I've got a bag of progressive earth, I think its just the 1.8kg pro hoof, but if you can find a way to get it to you before Christmas Im happy to sell it for what it cost.