Shabby Feet

Persephone

Persephone

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A friend's horse has pretty crap feet. They are scaly at the coronary band, very dry and cracked at the shoe. The horse also has a long crack in the wall, from top to bottom as a result of coronary band damage years ago. The feet are soft and thrushy in places and cracked and poor condition everywhere else.

Am I right in thinking that Biotin is the best way to go? I was wondering about Cornuscrescine as well. She is on a limited budget so I have been wracking my brain as to the cheapest, effective way forward.

Said horse also had Thrush which I have now treated. The inside of his hooves look good now, but the outside is dire!

Personally I use Kevin Bacon's hoof grease for my own horse, but is there a cheaper alternative she could try as a day to day dressing?

She is a complete novice and I am trying to help her develop a regime for her horse that will be effective and improve his feet.

Any Advice peeps?

Jo x
 
[ QUOTE ]
stockholm tarr inside
hoof moist out side

[/ QUOTE ]

That's interesting! Why Stockholm Tar inside? Wouldn't that stop it breathing? Would you do that every day or just now and then?

Jo x
 
My farrier uses Effol on his horses feet, I use it every other day on mine. Costs £5.50 a tub, mine is about a year old, will probably last another 4 months.

I feed TopSpec as an allround balancer and my two have fantastic feet.
 
Thanks, that's interesting. I have used Effol and it seems good stuff, but I have never had a horse with feet like this one has.

I think he needs some supplementing personally and I did suggest Formula4Feet but it's the cost issue unfortunately.

Jo x
 
formula 4 feet is great, if you feed this, you wont need another other min/vit supplement. NAF seaweed is also good for hoof quality.

I would recommend cornucrescine as it moisturises the hoof and coronary band and speeds up hoof growth.
 
Cost issue or not, no foot no horse!

We feed Top Spec Anti Lam which at approximately £30 per bag lasts 40 days fed at 500g per day. 75p a day per horse to know they are getting all their vits and mins, biotin for their feet and everything else they need.

Improvement of the horn quality will only come from the inside, although external products like Effol etc help maintain a more constant balance of moisture in the foot, as the constant getting wet and then baking in the sun plays havoc with their feet. It's also breathable unlike a lot of the foot products out there.
 
I agree completely, but if the lady hasn't got the money, she can't buy it. simple!

Hence me trying to work out the lowest cost, effective products for her.

I have more than a suspicion that having the horse shod more regularly would help too, but I really don't think she can afford it.
 
How often is the horse being shod currently? My TB had horrid feet. The difference between being shod at 5 weeks & 6 weeks is huge! if left for 6 they have totally fallen apart. I now have a fantastic remedial farrier who is doing an ace job with his feet. We are currently feeding Top Spec hoof supp which works out at around £20 retail, so much cheaper than formula4feet etc. Maybe worth a try. WOuld also apply naf hoof moist to outside & then effol to inside regularly.
Sadly when it comes to feet you just have to fork out.
 
He is being shod 8 - 10 weeks apparently. The owner is waiting for the farrier to ring her back to make an appointment. I wouldn't be surprised if it's more like 10 weeks at least. They are a real mess.

I certainly don't approve of leaving feet that long, but she is literally trying to keep him on a shoestring and I don't think she knows any better
confused.gif


I am trying to guide her but all the time I need to be aware of cost.

Thanks for your input, sounds a good way forward.

Jo x
 
Hi, Seaweed is fantastic for hoof growth and quality. I feed Simple System pure ocean seaweed (www.simplesystem.co.uk). It costs about £20 for 5kg and I feed 2 tablespoons per day so it lasts forever. They also do a complete range of forage feeds that are natural with no junk added. Worth a look.
 
Cornucrescine rubbed into the coronet band twice a week will help as well as correct nutrition- it may help if your friend speaks to one of the feed companies to make sure that the horse is getting enough nutrients in its feed as this will support the hooves. There is much a Farrier can do to help as well, and to be honest the money for a hoof supp may help but it may be more economical for her to spend it towards the shoeing/trimming bill instead?, if the sandcrack is still noticeable the Farrier may need to stabilise it with clips to pull it together.

Effol green ointment is great and not too expensive as it lasts for ages.

It may also be worth your friend speaking with her Farrier as surely her farrier would have noticed these foot problems? and is in a good position to advise her on the best way forward. He will also be able to recommend if it would be worth feeding a foot supplement such as farriers formula etc.
Good luck!
 
Thanks for your suggestions. I don't know if sandcrack is the correct term. The horse has a LOU because it split the coronary band jumping, hence the crack. The farrier has put a half heart bar on the cracked hoof and a normal shoe on the other one.

The lady who owns the horse knows nothing. She didn't even know what the LOU freezemark was. After 3 years of her owning the horse I have just taught her to tie up properly and pick his feet out. It is that dire. I have had to start totally from the beginning with her. Some may call me a bossy so and so but I felt so sorry for the horse. Anyhow they are both beginning to something out of the relationship now, so things are slowly improving.

I am trying to gently push her in the right direction with regard to his feet.

The shoes at present are horrendously overdue. I have made this very clear to her and the farrier is coming on Wednesday.

The horse is also recovering from laminitis so has only recently started having a handful of Alfa A Lite. So nutritionally he has no support.

On the plus side though, she did ask me today if I would take her to the local saddlers next week to get some supplies. She now realises how bad his feet are and wants to do something about it.
I have had to be quite blunt, but it got through.

I have suggested she sets up 6 weekly appointments in advance. Surely most farriers do that?


She is so eager to learn, and I am quite irritated that the previous liveries at the yard made little attempt to help her with correct info. She is learning something everyday and increasing in confidence which is great.

I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. I don't want to strat subsidising another horse, but it's hard when you see feet like that!

Jo x
 
I have found nothing better than Kevin Bacon hoof grease, and I've tried a few different products, including supplements like Formula4Feet. I didn't think the supplements did anything at all, and they are expensive.

But wouldn't she be better spending the money on getting the farrier more often than 8-10 weeks rather than expensive supplements and treatments? I don't know of many horses that could go that long without their feet suffering.
 
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