Hoof wall seperatuon

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Char1995

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My horse is currently suffering from a bit of hoof wall separation, it’s worse on his front feet but farrier also noticed it starting in his back feet.
Farrier recommended changing from top spec lite balancer to forage plus hoof & skin balancer.
Just wondering if anyone has seen a difference after feeding this balancer or any other suggestions would be nice! Unsure what to do for best!
 
Gloi said:
The weather this year in some parts hasn't been good for hooves.
Pro Hoof from Progressive Earth is a good hoof supplement.
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Thank you! Will defo have a look into this. It’s just hard knowing whether it’s the weather or if he’s lacking certain nutrients with being on a track system and having a primarily hay only diet, minus the little bits of grass which grows and bushes/leaves from trees
 
Char1995 said:
Thank you! Will defo have a look into this. It’s just hard knowing whether it’s the weather or if he’s lacking certain nutrients with being on a track system and having a primarily hay only diet, minus the little bits of grass which grows and bushes/leaves from trees
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If he's only on hay a good supplement is useful.

I use hoof armour on my barefoot horse and find it really good for protecting the hooves.
 
Char1995 said:
Thank you! Will defo have a look into this. It’s just hard knowing whether it’s the weather or if he’s lacking certain nutrients with being on a track system and having a primarily hay only diet, minus the little bits of grass which grows and bushes/leaves from trees
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No personal experience of horse tracks, but know one person and have heard about another two (on different yards/ tracks, so not environment-specific) whose horses started with hoof issues after joining, c. 18 months ago, including wall separation.
Ironic, because the owners chose tracks precisely to foster good hooves and bodily well-being.
One of these horses is a laminitic and is still on his track, owner (with vet, farrier, nutritionist) experimenting with the diet;
the other two are now back into normal fields / stables livery, and apparently their hooves have improved recently, altho this year’s grass growth has been unreliable.
It doesn’t seem to suit some horses, so maybe requires regular analysis of the hay available, with more vitamin / mineral supplementation than usual?
(the owner I was discussing with also said her horse just seemed permanently ‘tired’ on the track, and she has owned him for many years comparison)
 
Forage Plus’s added biotin, methionine, and zinc can boost keratin production, which helps reconnect the hoof wall. Ensure you follow the label dose consistently for at least four months, hoof growth is slow, so you won’t see changes overnight.
 
Exasperated said:
No personal experience of horse tracks, but know one person and have heard about another two (on different yards/ tracks, so not environment-specific) whose horses started with hoof issues after joining, c. 18 months ago, including wall separation.
Ironic, because the owners chose tracks precisely to foster good hooves and bodily well-being.
One of these horses is a laminitic and is still on his track, owner (with vet, farrier, nutritionist) experimenting with the diet;
the other two are now back into normal fields / stables livery, and apparently their hooves have improved recently, altho this year’s grass growth has been unreliable.
It doesn’t seem to suit some horses, so maybe requires regular analysis of the hay available, with more vitamin / mineral supplementation than usual?
(the owner I was discussing with also said her horse just seemed permanently ‘tired’ on the track, and she has owned him for many years comparison)
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The tracks been the best thing for him minus his feet as he’s no longer stressed and so much happier. He didn’t cope well with the traditional stable and field situation. Just a shame his hooves have gone like this! Does make me think it’s nutritional so may give the forage plus winter balancer a go as this supplements all the vits and mins they need for a hay only diet from what I’ve seen 🤔
 
You need to keep the hooves tight, so the wall flare does not tend to pull away from the sole and create gaps through the white line, lots of trimming0

And pick out a lot to keep out grit and stones, allow the feet to dry out if poss
 
tristars said:
You need to keep the hooves tight, so the wall flare does not tend to pull away from the sole and create gaps through the white line, lots of trimming0

And pick out a lot to keep out grit and stones, allow the feet to dry out if poss
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Feet are picked out daily and the gaps are packed now with antibacterial clay as recommended to stop anything getting in there so hoping this helps 🤞
 
Char1995 said:
The tracks been the best thing for him minus his feet as he’s no longer stressed and so much happier. He didn’t cope well with the traditional stable and field situation. Just a shame his hooves have gone like this! Does make me think it’s nutritional so may give the forage plus winter balancer a go as this supplements all the vits and mins they need for a hay only diet from what I’ve seen 🤔
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Sounds like analysing your hay regularly, and really good supplementation should do the trick, then, good luck!
 
I just looked at vit e between the 2 balancers which would be lacking in horses fed only hay.

TS has 1000iu per kg for on recommended of 500g per day would be 500iu. Bearing in mind that vit e in balancers will be synthetic and probably the cheapest they can find.

FP has 2000g per 100g is the recommended feed for around 15hh. so considerably more even if synthetic which I understand FP is.

It would be worth comparing each item between the 2 brands to consider if TS is sufficient and if you would gain by changing. I suspect you may well do.

I know little about BF horses kept on off grass tracks footwise so it would be interesting to learn if foot problems such as WLS are more frequent on this type of surface.
 
paddy555 said:
I just looked at vit e between the 2 balancers which would be lacking in horses fed only hay.

TS has 1000iu per kg for on recommended of 500g per day would be 500iu. Bearing in mind that vit e in balancers will be synthetic and probably the cheapest they can find.

FP has 2000g per 100g is the recommended feed for around 15hh. so considerably more even if synthetic which I understand FP is.

It would be worth comparing each item between the 2 brands to consider if TS is sufficient and if you would gain by changing. I suspect you may well do.

I know little about BF horses kept on off grass tracks footwise so it would be interesting to learn if foot problems such as WLS are more frequent on this type of surface.
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Will defo compare the 2, FP does seem more beneficial from what I’ve read up but the price is obviously a lot more but if it’s something that will help then obvious willing to pay that bit extra
 
You need to be supplementing extra vitamin e and protein almost certainly on top of the FP balancer as a hay only diet will be massively lacking.
 
I'm Dun said:
You need to be supplementing extra vitamin e and protein almost certainly on top of the FP balancer as a hay only diet will be massively lacking.
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Do think I’ll defo give forage plus a go. They recommended feeding their essential amino acids along side too
 
Char1995 said:
Do think I’ll defo give forage plus a go. They recommended feeding their essential amino acids along side too
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That because of protein, which is just chains of amino acids. Its definitely worth feeding both when you have them on a limited diet. I always think its more expensive to feed horses prone to weight gain compared to those prone to weight loss.
 
I'm Dun said:
That because of protein, which is just chains of amino acids. It’s definitely worth feeding both when you have them on a limited diet. I always think it’s more expensive to feed horses prone to weight gain compared to those prone to weight loss.
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Is there anything else you’d recommend also? I wouldn’t say he’s prone to weight gain, he tends to hold his weight quite well now he’s not stressing
 
If hes doing well and its just his feet that are showing issues, you should be fine with that. He sounds like whatever you are doing is working for him and you just need some tweaks to his diet.
 
I'm Dun said:
If hes doing well and its just his feet that are showing issues, you should be fine with that. He sounds like whatever you are doing is working for him and you just need some tweaks to his diet.
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Really appreciate the help thank you, will defo get some forage plus ordered :)
 
Char1995 said:
The tracks been the best thing for him minus his feet as he’s no longer stressed and so much happier. He didn’t cope well with the traditional stable and field situation. Just a shame his hooves have gone like this! Does make me think it’s nutritional so may give the forage plus winter balancer a go as this supplements all the vits and mins they need for a hay only diet from what I’ve seen 🤔
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If you do buy the FP, unless he's had it before, try the smallest pack you can to make sure your horse will eat it. Mine will not touch it, even in tiny amounts in his feed, so I have just wasted £££ on a 5kg bag.
 
Surbie said:
If you do buy the FP, unless he's had it before, try the smallest pack you can to make sure your horse will eat it. Mine will not touch it, even in tiny amounts in his feed, so I have just wasted £££ on a 5kg bag.
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I’ve ordered the 5kg as thankfully have people at my yard who will happily buy it off me if my boy refuses to eat it
 
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