Supplement for better hoof horn?

P

pipper

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 June 2009
Messages
430
Location
WILTS
Visit site
Farrier has told me to get a supplement for one of our older ponies as he said the horn is not good and 'spongey' - just about to go shopping online for something but thought I'd ask the knowlegable folk on here what they recommended? He is fed Fast Fibre with added salt and glucosime, all day turn out on grass and ad lib hay.
Thanks
 
That'd last a month, fed at full rate. Pro Balance + is about half the price iirc, but doesn't have the yeast and a few other bits.
 
Unless the pony has gut issues, I'd imagine the Pro Balance would be fine. Certainly better than most of the commercial hoof supplements on the market imho. You may not need to add magnesium, if pony does well on the pro balance.
 
Second the recommendation of Progressive Earth suppliments. I'm using pro-hoof at the moment and I have to say the customer service is second to none and although they aren't cheap you are paying literally just for the crucial minerals as there is no junk in there, no fancy packaging, no huge marketing budget etc etc etc.
 
You should do an as fed analyisis it is about balance of vits and mins, where you have an imbalance (as vits and mins interact with each other - an excess/deficency in one can cause absorbtion issues with another) is when you get issues.

So it pays (and usually works out cheaper) to see what your current feed is providing and then adding the supplement which balances that.

http://nrc88.nas.edu/nrh/ or feed xl are a couple of programs that do it for you or you can sit down with a peice of paper and a calc. Pays to get pasture tested as well to be really accurate.
 
I'd been using a combination of seaweed, brewers yeast & biotin, which had been improving his hooves. However, on advice from here, and a desire to not be fiddling with multiple pots of powder, I've moved him onto Pro Hoof, and am seeing a differerence already. It's expensive, but when compared to everything I was giving before, including fortified feed chaff, it actually works out the same per day, costwise :)
 
My farrier said the same about my horse, I had lots of problems with abcesses and bruises. I started feeding him this: http://www.equineanswers.co.uk/prodpage.asp?ProdID=3. As I'm a big fan of their joint supplement. His hooves have improved enormously and the only time he's been lame since I started with it 6 months ago is when I stopped feeding it for a few weeks (I thought the improvement may have just been coincidental and wanted to try without) and he got a bruised sole again.
 
Where is he spongy, and why?
Diet
Exercise
Management.
I would never again have a horse shod if his feet were bad, to my mind he needs to use his feet!!!!!!!!.... so after 6 weeks of a proper diet and regular exercise I would remove the shoes!!!!!!!!!!!
Diet:
MICRONISED LINSEED : joints [age], skin and hoof and good digestion 80[[pony] -200gms per day. £30 for 200 days = 15p per day.
Minerals and vitamins: FAST FIBRE is pretty good as a base , cheap, and with basic vits and mins cost £9 for 20 Kg, lasts 30-50 days, = 20p per day
Add some PRO HOOF if this is the problem, soft and spongy..... sounds like the sole is too thin? This is the most expensive item...... make sure you know how much you need, a 300kg pony needs half a 600gk horse needs.......... remember he is already getting some vits and mins in his FF and his ML.
After six weeks on his new diet and exercise regime you should see a growth ring [event ring] where the diet has improved the hoof growth.
Remove all molasses [lickits], most bagged chaff, molassed sugar beet nuts, apples, carrots, polos, sugar lumps, treats, licks and so on. The diet must be free of excess sugars, so if in doubt soak haylage.
 
Miss L Toe said:
Where is he spongy, and why?
Diet
Exercise
Management.
I would never again have a horse shod if his feet were bad, to my mind he needs to use his feet!!!!!!!!.... so after 6 weeks of a proper diet and regular exercise I would remove the shoes!!!!!!!!!!!
Diet:
MICRONISED LINSEED : joints [age], skin and hoof and good digestion 80[[pony] -200gms per day. £30 for 200 days = 15p per day.
Minerals and vitamins: FAST FIBRE is pretty good as a base , cheap, and with basic vits and mins cost £9 for 20 Kg, lasts 30-50 days, = 20p per day
Add some PRO HOOF if this is the problem, soft and spongy..... sounds like the sole is too thin? This is the most expensive item...... make sure you know how much you need, a 300kg pony needs half a 600gk horse needs.......... remember he is already getting some vits and mins in his FF and his ML.
After six weeks on his new diet and exercise regime you should see a growth ring [event ring] where the diet has improved the hoof growth.
Remove all molasses [lickits], most bagged chaff, molassed sugar beet nuts, apples, carrots, polos, sugar lumps, treats, licks and so on. The diet must be free of excess sugars, so if in doubt soak haylage.
Click to expand...

Thanks Miss L Toe
I try not to feed any sugar - he only has horse treats (not polos) no lickits or chaff ect.
Yes his soles are thin - he is unable to walk without shoes, his feet are very flat. I am now feeding magesium and will get some pro hoof and hope that he starts to improve. He is sound and exercised most days. He doesnt have haylage - just hay.
Will look out for the growth ring...
thanks
 
pipper said:
Thanks Miss L Toe
I try not to feed any sugar - he only has horse treats (not polos) no lickits or chaff ect.
Yes his soles are thin - he is unable to walk without shoes, his feet are very flat. I am now feeding magesium and will get some pro hoof and hope that he starts to improve. He is sound and exercised most days. He doesnt have haylage - just hay.
Will look out for the growth ring...
thanks
Click to expand...
The problem with shoes is that they treat the symptoms, but not the disease, if a horse loses a shoe it will often be lame, partly due to the trauma of shoe loss, but mostly because it is not used to walking on its own feet, remember it managed fine as a youngster without shoes.
Just think how you would cope if you take your own shoes off, at first you are very sensitive, but with time and usage you can manage more easily, same with horses. and if you want to continue hacking out immediately, you can use front boots [Cavallos are £75 a pair].
Personally I would give it a try, but be prepared to alter your routine dramatically for at least two weeks to allow the hoof to toughen up. With a good diet, including at least 6gms of magnesium per day [12gms MgO] , concavity should improve.
If you get Feet First, a book on feet by Braithwaite, you will learn a lot about feet, the diet advised includes seaweed meal, but this is not balanced for horses, hence the advice to use a formulated feed. or balanced supplement.
Try the m/linseed too, it makes a great difference to the skin and the hoof.
When the shoes are next removed, ask the farrier to rasp lightly round the wall, and check the frog for disease, but again no need to trim hard. Farriers automatically prepare the feet to take a new pairof shoes, so if he is to be tried barefot, the trim should be limited.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top