soft hooves :/

liss1987

liss1987

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The farrier has said my gelding has soft hooves (something he said is common amongst TBs) and recommended i use NAF hoof hardener which i have started doing the last few days.
Is there anything i could be adding to his feed which will improve the quality of his hooves too? he suffers terribly and literally hobbles over everything, he gets abscesses and lame quite often too :(
 
Pro balance plus or pro hoof from Progressive Earth on ebay, micronised linseed will help with all over condition. Some people swear by Equimins hoof supplement but I am a Pro Earth girl :)
 
You are absolutely right to think about diet with regards to the hooves.

Lotions and potions may give the appearance of strength - but true hoof health comes from within and the diet is the way to address that.

I've sent you a pm with some standard feeding advice that barefooters have found helpful over the years.

If your horse is hobbling over surfaces then it suggests the soles are not just soft but they are too thin and there is not enough padding over the coffin bone.

Hardening up the sole won't make it thicker or protect the internal structures.

Do you have any pics of the hooves (side view from the ground and sole views)? If you are shy about posting them on the forum, you can pm them and I'll put a fresh pair of eyes on them :).
 
Hi, i dont have any photos but can take some tomorrow. they look fine when you look at them, but if you push against them you can feel them kind of bend in slightly.

thank you for the pm :)
 
liss1987 said:
Hi, i dont have any photos but can take some tomorrow. they look fine when you look at them, but if you push against them you can feel them kind of bend in slightly.

thank you for the pm :)
Click to expand...

That'll be thin soles then :(

Really look hard at the diet and stay away from sugar and starch as much as possible.

Make sure your farrier isn't being too enthusiastic with the paring when shoeing (although I am sure he isn't).

If you manage to crack the diet and he builds up a little sole - consider giving him a break from shoes for a while (over the winter is best) and let him build up some sole by using ground stimulation (which is the only reliable way to build up sole properly).
But that isn't something I would recommend currently with when his hooves are so sick, the soles bend with your finger :eek: and you'd need to be prepared to invest in some boots and pads in the beginning to help him.

Diet Diet Diet :D
 
When I used to hang out with Long Distance riders they always used Biotin in the feed, and Keratex as a hoof sole hardener.

One of my livery horse's feet were absolute rubbish this summer - the part of pasture we were using turned into a water meadow. The farrier recommended Biotin (the vet then advised doubling the recommended dose). Ned (he's a TB) has Keratex painted onto his soles every day, and Cornucrescene rubbed in round the coronary bands. Five weeks on, and his feet have improved so much already - I'm gobsmacked.

And it's rather refreshing that old, tried methods are still working. When the horse goes onto his winter feed regime he will be having home-cooked linseed as well, another great hoof restorer.

Hope your horse's hooves respond soon.
 
Feed micronised linseed, I also had great results feeding gelatine powder to my TB with horrible feet, before I found the micronised linseed.
TBH now I would just use the linseed, just for the sugar aspect, but there's no disputing the benefits gelatine had and it's very cheap, my farrier was amazed at the difference and asked what I was using, deep cracks were visibly improved.
Also, the wet weather won't help, if you could bring in through the day, it will help, I'm lucky I have a barn ours can mooch in, without being confined to a stable, all summer mine have been in through the day, because their feet were beginning to smell, without it being thrush, my farrier advised purple spraying the frog and sole, which has worked
 
Diet is key.

It bothers me slightly that farriers who are supposed to be experts in hoofcare never recommend a change in diet.
 
they dont bend easily, its not like they a really flimsy, but if you push hard enough you can feel them give. iv had him 6 months and they have not improved (he was a rescue and in bad condition when i got him so i thought lots of love and proper care would improve them on his own)
hes not shoed at the moment, im using cavallo boots on him as he was getting lame and abscesses so often that i felt cruel riding him, even though he has plenty to give and enjoys being worked. the cavallo boots seem to be working and he hasnt been lame since using them.
i am going to change his diet slightly now too, so hopefully this will help the problem!

however i currently use speedibeet as the main part of his diet due to it being high in calories and being a typical TB and 20 years old he doesnt keep weight on that well. is there something else i can use as the main staple of the diet that is similar to beet but not so sugary? i really need to keep his weight on him. he is also given dodson and horrel conditioning cubes and top spec feed balancer with some premierflex for his joints. i have also just purchased some pro balance which i hope will give him the added nutrients to help his feet! (he has a better diet than me!)
 
At his age I would recommend a Cushings test. My vets are doing them for free at the moment, I don't know why :confused: Cushings will often cause weak feet and thin soles and many horses are easily controlled with a small dose of pergolide.
 
OP - my TB had soles like yours - if you pushed your thumb they would bend in slightly. She is now completely barefoot and there is no give in the sole at all. I changed the diet, and now have her on Pure Easy, micronised linseed, Pro Hoof (from Progressive Earth) and she is doing great..... I do use Red Horse Field Paste on her soles twice a week, especially in this wet weather, to try and prevent any thrush. Good luck with your horse.
 
I would also recommend avoiding conditioning mixes. Speedibeet is a super fibre. Ferments well in hind gut which is what you want. Delivers quite a lot of calories but slowly, low in sugar and starch. Micronised linseed very high in calories but low in sugar and starch. Good source of Omega 3 and 6 and essential amino acids including lysiene. I'd also second the cushings test. Liphook are running a study in conjunction with a sponsor co hence the freebie tests. If you can depress the sole with manual pressure this is not a good sign. Boots and prob decent set of pads will do far more good than shoes and/or artificial hoof hardeners, many of which contain formaldehyde. Here's hoping you can help your horse.
 
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