I have got to help my horses hooves

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samp

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OK so my horse (warmblood) has pretty poor feet, well ok appaling feet and TBH I have been lucky having owned for 3 years we've had no lameness from them. My farrier has now told me my horses feet need dire help and has recommended the supplement better 4 hooves. I was always told that feet supps are generally like balancers and she has always been on a balancer but always had poor feet. We have tried sunflower seeds and seaweed with no effect.

Has anyone tried farriers favourite? I am currently out of work so obviously would rather use a cheaper supplement.
Thanks
 
Have you tried Courcoisine (sp) hoof oil? Our boys were already on more than the recomended amount of mix and therefore had plenty of vits and min but due to being shod every 4 weeks in the summer with heavy driving shoes their feet were very badly cracked. We just painted it on once a day, taking a bit of care to rub it into the corronet and it make a world of difference, much more than you'd ever expect something topical to do!
 
The downside to supplements: When you add a supplement it will not improve what is already there you have to wait for new hoof growth so you have to wait a long time to see results.

I am an old fashioned kinda girl and my horse has reasonable feet (considering the sand cracks in the hind feet that have been there since we got her). We have not had any problems with lameness but she is only ever in moderate to light work. So we just feed biotin and use conrnucresene 1-2 a week.

I am sure that there are far more effective supplements available now, but I am old and set in my ways. TBH the summer grass has always been the best thing IMO and regular visits from the farrier. But if your farrier is recommending you need something I would pay attention to him, thats what he gets pad the big bucks for!!
 
i used farriers aid and my farrier has said it definatly improved my thoroughbreds feet though like sit up said it will take about 2 months to notice the difference because of the hoof growth.

good luck and i hope you get them sorted
 
Formula 4 feet, whilst expensive, tends to be the most recommended supplement. It has really helped my horses feet. In summer I also use Kevin Bacon products to stop them cracking.
 
Cornucrescine is good and does work but you must make sure you get it right into the coronet band.

Horses hooves are very much like our nails in that their health and diet is reflected in their appearance.

What are you feeding your horse? I feed both of mine, a TBX and a TB, Baileys no 4, which is a conditioning feed and Dodson and Horrell's Safe and Sound. My farrier is convinced they both have gret feet because of their good diet.

I know Baileys is expensive but there are cheaper alternatives which would do the same job. British Horse feeds do one which is cheaper. If you phone the feed company helplines they will advise what would be best to help and you may not need an extra suppliment.

Good luck.
 
She is fed adlib hayalge. We can not feed concentrates as she had inflammed laminae last year.

Diet is adlin haylage, Dengie Hi-fi lite, spillers healthy hoove, sugar beet and equilbra 500
 
Your horses diet sounds like it should be doing the trick and she should have healthy hooves with this if it's being fed in the correct quantities.

I would try ringing the free helplines to see what they say. All of them are, of course, going to recommend their own feed but you can take enough knowledge away to either come back to us lot for help or make your own informed choice!
 
I am feeding manufacturers amounts on Equlibra (well perhaps a bit more than suggested) and half amount of hihi and happy hoove as similar products so would equate to the right amount (just a bit of variety to fussy feeder)
 
Could it be possible that the feed isn't being absorbed properly? How old is your horse? Trying something like NAF's Pink Powder may help, this will help the gut absorb all the nutrients.

I used to feed biotin to my mare to help her feet but don't have to any longer now I use Safe and Sound. She's also prone to laminitis due to a very bad diet when out on loan but I can feed her no 4 because she does enough work to use the energy.

Since feeding this she's had no sign of laminitis and great feet!
 
I guess that may be a possibility? She is quite stressy (although can also be a donkey/backward thinking to ride).
 
Take her shoes off for a couple of months, give her a biotin supplement, and grease her hooves every 2-3 days. My boys feet were AWFUL. I did exactly that and he has lovely feet now, holds his shoes for ages
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Alternatively, Take her barefoot and buy some hoof boots for riding.
 
I also would sugest taking the shoes of, give the nail holes a chance to grow out, my mares feet were horrible before we took the shoes of, they may be sore for a few weeks, but once she adjusted to it, she was shoeless for a whole year. Hoof boots definitely help to keep them comfortable...

She was a pure TB and her feet really improved after just 2 months. having no shoes also seemed to help her pidgeon toes, as her feet were able to grow to the shape most suitable to balance them.
 
www.horsesupplementsdirect.co.uk
They do very reasonable supplement that works.My boy had terrible feet the hoof condition was very good on this supplement his problem is the shape.
Its delivered free and lasts over 3 months .I have used joint supplement and thats good as well.
 
Top Spec AntiLam has made a huge difference to my lad's feet, much better than anything else I've tried. It isn't just for laminitics!
 
I fed farriers formula for a year and then this last year have fed top spec antilam which is also supposed to have a high spec hoof supplement in it. I am absolutely fed up now as my gelding's feet are worse than ever, really crumbly and he had pulled a shoe off this morning after only 3 weeks since being shod. He is shod regularly, has good foot care and is now on farriers favourite supplement, which is cheaper than the alternatives - you might want to check that out. I dont believe that it will help in Domino's case but Im scared to take him off hoof supplements in case his hooves get loads worse!


So Im of the opinion that supplements are doing nothing and my boy is cursed crap feet
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Im now trying stockholm tar in desperation.

He also gets really foot sore, as he has thin soles, two years ago he started to be shod with a wide webbed shoe, then we tried hoof boots, now we are on pads under a wide webbed shoe but all I can see is a horse whose feet are getting worse. He is kept out of mud and his stable is kept clean too.

My gelding has had laminitis two years running (whilst slim, in February - he has EMS) and I think that this is the reason for his crap feet - and it may be the same for your mare if you say she had inflamed laminae?

If you have any suggestions or solutions please PM me - Im kind of desperate
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Formula 4 Feet has done wonders for my horse's feet. With anything you feed or apply though, it takes as long for you to see a result as it takes your horse's hooves to grow out. It took mine six months to really start showing a difference (harder and her seedy toe cavity grew out). Time, patience, and a correct diet are needed!
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Tried the stuff you've mentioned as was told one of mine needed it for the first time ever in his life! , was ok but a hell of a lot of money extra on the shoeing bill so now haven't bothered with any foot supplement and they are much better strength wise, and he is just on a bog standard vit/min supp and if i were to ever feed a foot supplement in the future I think I would try one of the Equimins ones combined with his Equivite.

If you Google the Equimins people they do have a website.
 
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