Terrible hooves - help!

[Montyforever]

Honey has the worst hooves ever

Shes currently barefoot, has been effol'd regularly this summer but her feet are terrible
Shes been barefoot for the past 5 years or so as far as i know, isnt ridden and just goes in her stable, field and schooling field and does 4/5 steps on a stony surface a day if that!

Her hooves just chip/crack/split all the time, about a week after the farrier has trimmed her they are a state again People keep telling me she needs shoes, now ive never had any of my horses shod and im very reluctant to put shoes on a 14hh m&m thats not ridden and hasnt had shoes before!

Shes only just started trusting the farrier, so dont want to push her.
So what can i do to strengthen her hooves?

 

[Rose Folly]

We've got the same hoof problem, only with a ridden aged TB who is shod, and has to remain so. Here are some of the remedies we're trying/about to try, some modern & scientific, some horselore. Take your pick!

Biotin (recommended by farrier and has worked on other horses)
Kevin Black's Hoof Dressing (as above. Apply to soles as well as sides)
Keratex (has worked on other horses)
Raw Egg (one a day, mixed into feed)
Gelatine (gelatine contains biotin - a sachet a day in food)
Linseed (home-cooked thoroughly) - has proved very good in past

 

[Cop-Pop]

My TBx mare's were like that - I can't have her shod because her feet don't grow well enough, my farrier says as long as she isn't getting footsore to leave her barefoot (shes never been shod, Ive had her since she was a baby). I tried several hoof supplements but the one thing that really worked was a hoof cream by NAF - I cant remember the name but it was like a white cream and I applied it daily until I used it up and haven't had to buy any since. I also fed black sunflower seeds for a while too - not sure if this helped or not though