Thin soles

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JoandGuy

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My horse has extremely thin soles in both fore feet following surgery to remove keratomas. The surgery was 7 years ago. For various reasons which I won’t go into but have been discussed in depth with farriers and vets, pads with shoes or barefoot with boots aren’t an option. I have recently moved to an area of the country with miles of beautiful off road hacking most of which I can’t use as it’s very stony. Has anyone had any experience or knowledge of a product like putty or gel that I can put over the soles of his feet for riding to give some cushioning. I realise that it would be very short term and probably won’t last a whole ride but anything better than nothing ! Sorry for long post!
 
You could try Hoof Armour and / or Red Horse Strong Horn. They won't help every horse but migjt be worth trialling. They're also more to help a horse cope with their thin soles, not to actively ride over difficult terrain, like stones.

I would look into boots with pads again. They will protect the whole sole, unlike shoes. Most will also offer a degree of flexibility which would be better over stones. A rigid steel shoe would be more likely to cause a strain or twist over stony, uneven ground I would imagine.
 
Have you considered the new flexible plastic-type glue-on shoes? Some of them are able to be fitted with pads/or a soft epoxy infill for sole comfort.
 
PurBee said:
Have you considered the new flexible plastic-type glue-on shoes? Some of them are able to be fitted with pads/or a soft epoxy infill for sole comfort.
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I did have good success building sole depth (confirmed with rads) with shoes and a pour in fill of sorts. Not sure if it's an option with this horse, but I was able to build the depth, transition to unshod, and horse did well from there.
 
I have tried Hoof Armour on my thin soled horse. It is like a very tough layer of PVA glue on the bottom of thier feet. My horse was instantly more comfortable with it but I dont think it lasts all that long, needing to be applied weekly to maintain its effectiveness. You'd go through 1/3 tube a week so it is quite pricey.

The other thing that can be good is magic cushion, leather based putty to go in the hoof, but about £80 a tub

The cheapest thing is mud, or horse poo, or a mixture of the two (I know, gross) but you could make a poo and mud mix and pack it into his feet before riding, covering the top of it in shavings or sand to help keep it in (assuming he wears shoes) and that will avoid direct contact with the stones and protect his sole.

You will struggle to find anything that stays in the entire ride unless you have pads.

Also, using a wire brush on his soles will encourage new growth, and never let your farrier trim his soles
 
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