Keratex vs Kevin Bacon?

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spotty_pony

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Which do you prefer/recommend for a horse with usually good feet but they have started to crack after all of this wet weather we have had?

Have been using Kevin Bacon for about a month now but haven't really noticed much of a difference. (I know a month isn't really long enough to notice much difference) My Appy has had a few problems with loose shoes during the last couple of months - mainly due to the nail holes expanding and contracting from the foot constantly going from wet to dry to wet conditions.

He has just been reshod today and his back feet now have gaps between the shoe and the hoof where the hoof has broken off :( not sure how well the shoes will stay on if we get any wet weather again anytime soon! Am at a loss as to what to do tbh as he has aways had such good feet! I have bought some Keratex and applied it today to try and toughen up the hooves but have read conflicting advice on the product and some people seem to think it makes the hooves more brittle.

I will be hunting him again this season and so am doing everything I can now to improve the quality of his feet ready for the season.

Any advice/recommendations?
 
Hi, I had a very flat footed horse and used Keratex around the nail holes was the only thing that kept him going I used it for years. I also used to stand his feet in buckets of water for as long as poss and then put something like Kevin Bacon on them. Someone told me that if you put hoof dressings on very dry hooves you can stop moisture getting in!
 
I have an appy and my farrier recommended Corneacrescine (spelt wrong!!) wash the hoof and seal the water in with it, only have to put it around the coronet band as that is where the new growth comes from. I used to use the one in the tub that you have to rub on with your hands but now use the one with the brush as his feet are fantastic now. Messy, but works a treat and as my farrier pointed out, it does not rub off as soon as they go out. Give it a go, my boy had terrible feet when i got him, now really good.
 
Do you give any supplements in his feed to help with hoof growth? The quality of the hoof is mainly determined by the nutrional value of what you are feeding.
 
I used KB's a few times, then someone told me it is the fat from under pig's skin .... So I didn't use it again because I am a vegetarian :)
Diet is vital but it will take months to show up in the horse's feet as the hoof horn is constantly growing down from the coronet and anything affected by a new addition of supplement will only take place in the new growth (sometimes you will see a ridge with new hoof above and old hoof below).
If you are looking for something to sort them out straightaway Keretex will do that. We use it on my yard. They do a gel as well which makes the hoofs immune to wet/dry conditions.
 
Kevin Bacon is fab - anything thats around nail holes may break off regardless though because nail holes create damage which create weakness - if feet are particularly dry, run the hose over them before put KB on and also use the natural one not the one with added tar.
 
Thanks everyone :)

No, i am not feeding any hoof supplements as such but he is fed Baileys Lo-Cal Balancer which promotes the growth of healthy feet - he has been fed this for about six years and his feet have been fab up until now so I don't think his diet is anything to do with it. I have only used Keratex once and the hooves already seem drier and harder to me! Might try using it once a week and then Kevin Bacon a few days in between to see if that helps. :)
 
surprised you saw no improvement with KB. I have an appy with white feet and after 3 thick daily applications in a rowof KB paste they feel moisturised.
 
My farrier recommended Keratex to me about 8 weeks ago as my mare went barefoot at the end of last year due to the same problem as you, the hoof crumbling around the nails and the shoes falling off.
Her feet are much better and healthier without the shoes and she was coping fine until all of that rain and then hot weather and then rain, which is when my farrier recommended Keratex.

I used it every day for the first week and now I ony use it once a week on the sole (missing the frogg) and the lower part of the hoof. She now has rock hard feet and I can ride her over anything. Hard ground, gravel, stones, you name it! And she doesn't feel at all uncomfortable :)
 
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