Poultice to soften feet

[SEL]

Farrier here Tues pm. When he sweated through my 2 big one's rock hard hooves 5 weeks ago I don't think either of us thought we'd barely have a drop of rain between visits, but we're parched.

Both now have feet like iron with a tonne of retained sole. My older one is sore because he usually self trims and nothing is cracking off. The Appy is rock crunching over the worst stones but I worry about her angles because of her other issues.

Would 24 hours with a wet nappy poultice help or is that just going to cause me a bad back for no benefit?!

And if everyone can please do their best rain dance I'd appreciate it ?

 

[tallyho!]

I hear you on the rock hard feet! I too thought wetting them would be a good idea… will you let us know if it worked?

 

[Tiddlypom]

Would they let you tub them all round? Say 10 mins each foot twice a day?

I could do that to two of my three, but the third one - nope .

ETA I cheat by using Shires poultice boots for the tubbing, with horse tied up to haynet.

 

[SEL]

Would they let you tub them all round? Say 10 mins each foot twice a day?

I could do that to two of my three, but the third one - nope .

ETA I cheat by using Shires poultice boots for the tubbing, with horse tied up to haynet.

My feet would get wet!! I'm not even sure I'll be able to get a poultice on the big guy but tubbing is definitely out of the question. I've got a poultice boot somewhere but I think the reason it's shoved in a box is it was too small for the Appy (& nothing is Ardennes sized). She does have boots though so perhaps wet foam in them ?

I tried wetting the area around the troughs but it dried too quickly.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I've been using Kevin bacon twice a day all summer on my boys. Farrier was very pleased he didn't have to sweat doing their feet! I would say it's a little late in the day to try and soften them now. Perhaps water or something like Kevin bacon twice a day from now til Tues may help a little.

 

[ycbm]

Got a decent stream anywhere nearby? A livery place I knew used to tie them up in the stream and leave them there.
.

 

[JBM]

What boots do you have? If you cover the ventilation and put some water in them
If you leave them on for awhile then take them off should help

 

[millikins]

All mine were just about o.k. when they saw the farrier this week but he said that his son's Shetland is now on stilts because he cannot get anything through the hoof and he intends to try a wet poultice overnight. My poor goat needs a trim badly but his hooves are like iron but he fights so you have to be quick and has sharp pointy bits on his head if you aren't so I am considering trying it with him.

 

[alibali]

Can you stand them on a big piece of soaking wet carpet while you feed some hay? Won't do much for the walls but may help loosen the false sole

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Usually a good soak right before the trim even helps (15 - 20 min). I have to do this with my horse.

Otherwise you could make your own water station/foot spa, for soaking all four hooves. You just need a "frame" which is a rectangle made from wood, throw a tarp over it and fill with water. Then you have a horse length sized water obstacle/soaking place. You can set it up wherever and hang a hay net. It's very easy to create this, but getting the horse to go into/onto it and stay there, might not be so easy at first, it depends on the horse, but is a good training exercise Mine initially asked questions but then was fine. It's basically a homemade Liverpool (for jumping), almost.

Like this:



It's actually quite inexpensive and simple. It was originally part of a trail course but then I thought that there could be another use for it ? instead of trying to stick hooves in a soaking tub individually.

 

[windand rain]

I daily overflow the water buckets daily so their feet get soaked when they come for a drink. They still have rock hard feet but are shedding their soles now

 

[PapaverFollis]

I don't see why a wet poultice wouldn't work. Do an experimental foot or pair of feet on one of them now. And see how it is in the morning.

Even if it doesn't massively soften them it will make a bit if a difference for the farrier, surely?

 

[whirlwind]

I would think it would help, otherwise we ride down to the river with hoof boots and then trim after they’ve ridden back, definitely softer. One of the fells is hard to trim at the best of times, never mind atm!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I just put water on mine everyday in this weather after I have ridden the left over wash down water in the bucket gets tipped on the feet.

 

[Shooting Star]

I’m out on grass livery with no hose to be able to dampen feet but I’ve got a rubber poultice boot & have taken to putting it on each foot in turn filled with water, just 5-10 mins per foot a few times each this week has really helped to start loosening the retained sole.

 

[SEL]

Got a decent stream anywhere nearby? A livery place I knew used to tie them up in the stream and leave them there.
.

Stream dried up completely a fortnight ago - getting a bit worried about our well now.

I'm going to try for the poultice. We're nervous about water so I don't want to be filling trugs only to find they're being thrown across the barn! No point in wetting the ground by the troughs because that's dry within 30 minutes.

What boots do you have? If you cover the ventilation and put some water in them
If you leave them on for awhile then take them off should help

Scoots - so completely unhelpful as a soaking boot!

I like the idea of a water tray and if this weather becomes our normal summer then I'll build one and try and train feet soaking. Our farmer neighbour has just laid limestone down on his track and that would shift a bit of hoof.

Like some of you have said a poultice can only help. I'm dreading Tuesday. It's going to be over 30, I struggle for shade at that time of day, the flies are horrendous and my Appy must be 2 inches taller with all her hoof right now. I keep hand walking her up the road but her feet aren't even chipping.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I was riding on the road yesterday and told my (German) friend that I didn't feel like I was getting my money's worth with the council trims anymore. She didn't get it at first so my bad joke was a bit lost ? but yeah, this weather is making for some hard and dry hooves.

 

[GinaGeo]

I know a few people who have an old rug or bit of carpet that they wet and stand the horse on for 20 mins prior to a trim ?

 

[SEL]

I was riding on the road yesterday and told my (German) friend that I didn't feel like I was getting my money's worth with the council trims anymore. She didn't get it at first so my bad joke was a bit lost ? but yeah, this weather is making for some hard and dry hooves.

I'm wearing through boot leather so it's getting a bit pricey!!