keratex hoof hardner

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shirley123

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hi all
my horse has been on equihoof and has been for 18mths and up and till this spell of dry/hot weather i would have said they had improved the farrier also said they were ok. but they are now really cracked around the nail holes and not looking good. i take good care of his hoofs and he is shod every 4wks in front with heartbars (his foot balance has to be kept correct and he has fast growing feet ), 8wks behind.
four weeks ago i mentioned to my farrier using this hoof hardner as i could see the cracks appearing but he said don't its not good for the hoofs and said use soluntion for feet instead - which i have and its not made a scrap of difference.
so has anyone use the keratex hoof hardner, my understanding of it is that you paint it on and it toughtens up the area around the nail and stops the cracking - am i right ?
does it work?
are there any disadvantages?
thanks x
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please please dont use this on your horse. Hooves need to be moisturised and not hardened. The harder they are the more they will crack and become brittle.
Why not try the Keratex hoof moisturiser instead
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I have had really great results with it on some very dodgy feet over the years, but...
Do only use it minimally, not like a hoof dressing, and combine it with a full care package, from infeed to appropriate dressings for the conditions.

Last year my farrier asked what my secret was, for my horse's wonderful feet!
 
oh
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i have been using 'naf''s hoof moisturiser for the last 4mths and i would say perhaps it has been working, its just the last 4 weeks they have gone really bad. what you've said is exactly what my farrier said!!
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thanks --- is this everyones opinion?
 
[ QUOTE ]
I have had really great results with it on some very dodgy feet over the years, but...
Do only use it minimally, not like a hoof dressing, and combine it with a full care package, from infeed to appropriate dressings for the conditions.

Last year my farrier asked what my secret was, for my horse's wonderful feet!

[/ QUOTE ]
hi thanks that opinion, when you say minimally - how often?
does it put a coating on them that stops water being absorbed, is this why people are slatting it? as hoofs need to be moisturisered?
 
With a horse with bad feet, I have used it once a week, literally around the bottom of the hoof and the nail holes, to reinforce the hoof. But the rest of the week, used either a decent hoof oil, or petroleum jelly, or hoof moist, or left be, depending on the weather and the way the hoof looks/feels. With better feet, usually once or twice a month at most.

Problem is, whacking a nail into weak horn will split it unless you toughen it up, hence the hardener. It won't improve anything long term though except by helping to avoid worse splits/lost shoes.
 
I have been using it for about two weeks now and my TB has just lost a shoe and the bottom of his hoof where the nail holes are have broken away. That has never happened before. Be careful - I thought I was doing the right thing but it just seems to have made his hooves more brittle.
 
hi blythespirit
i have just gone out and bought a bottle! my horse has tb feet and i've been doing all the right things -: correct diet, farrier every 4 wks, good hygenie, hoof moistrisers, hoof disinfentants, and been on a hoof supplement since april 07!!
but i am now sick of not been able to ride him in the week or days before shoeing, cause they are loose, or a couple of nails have pulled through. did you use it has stated on the box or as vhf uses it , which seems sensible to me.?
 
I'd use the moisturiser if I were you - think about moisturised vs hard skin on your hands or feet - they are more likely to crack if unmoisturised.

What feeding suplement are you on and how long have you been on it for?
 
hi naturally
he's been on equihoof since april o7. have to say his feet have been better up until now. they started going bad last shoeing. but we have had some bad weather for hoofs lol ! - dry and hot then very wet and humid. i think i am going to carry on moisturising them, cornucresine masssaged around the coronet band, good diet. and once a week a little hardner around the nail holes. might change his hoof supplement but i 've checked the ingrediants and done comparisons etc and equihoof should be v. good.
 
if used just around the nail holes it strengthens the hooves and if you don't cover the hoof they can absorb moisture nomally. think the plan sounds good. keratex is the only thing that stops our tbs hooves falling off i think!!
 
kevin bacon is wonderful stuff.
i use it every day on my mare.
however, she went very footsore about 3 weeks ago, and i was recommended keratex by a friend who'd used it on her mare when she had become footsore also.
it seems to have done the trick! she no longer hobbles across stones/concrete/harder ground, and doesnt show any signs of lameness whatsoever.
i still use the kevin bacon on the days i dont apply the keratex, but usually only to the outside of the hoof wall, as im not sure whether the kevin bacon would have an adverse affect to the keratex?
anyone offer some advise for that? :P
 
[ QUOTE ]
i still use the kevin bacon on the days i dont apply the keratex, but usually only to the outside of the hoof wall, as im not sure whether the kevin bacon would have an adverse affect to the keratex?
anyone offer some advise for that? :P

[/ QUOTE ]

That's correct. Keratex isn't supposed to be used on hooves that have had an oil based dressing.

However like you, I use both, but mainly Kevin Bacon as it makes the hooves supple but not brittle. I only use Keratex occasionally around the nail holes, and with a day's break from the Kevin Bacon so the hoof doesn't have any kind of barrier to the Keratex.
 
At the end of the day the foot you have got is the foot you have got!

There is no such miracle cure for cracked or brittle hooves. The best thing is a 'GOOD FARRIER'.

Better still try going entirely bare foot and investing in a good pair/set of boots for road work. You'll probably find that you'll hardly ever need them after a while & it will work out alot cheaper than spending a small fortune on all those hoof applications/supplements & shoes plus you will have a happy sound horse with lovely feet!!!

Alternating a hoof moisturiser with a hoof hardener sounds ludicrous. WHY?

A moisturiser is a little help if your horses feet are brittle & crack.

I've tried them all in the past with little effect. I bought a horse with terribly brittle feet & thin walls. Keeping soes on him was virtually impossible. There were some not so bad times but spent more time out of work than in.
This is when I looked into bare feet. When his shoes first came off he could hardly move! Now he has perfect feet, is always sound & works 6 days/wk. All my other horses are bare foot now also.
 
keretex is great for unshod horses or horses with weak/soft soles but i wouldn't use it on the walls of a horse with shoes.

kevin bacon is excellent stuff for the walls of horses with or without shoes
 
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