Warm wet weather affecting horses feet

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andytiger

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Is anyone else out there having trouble with there horses feet my horses feet are terrible at the minute they are so crumbley hes lost 2 shoes and had to have them put back on and they just seem to be slipping and cracking I have never had such problems before the farrier says its because of this weather from going from hot to cold and wet causes the hoof to expand and contact
He's being reshod tomorrow do you think I should ask for quarter clips on the fronts would this help to hold the shoes in place better
I have also been using Kevin bacons hoof dressing everyday can anyone suggest anything else I can use any hints or tips we'd be greatley appreciated x
 
I had this problem with my boy a few years back - he just couldn't hold shoes because his feet were constantly wet. We tried everything (it took us a while to figure out what was happening).
As soon as my farrier and myself came to the conclusion it was because his feet were getting soft due to the constant damp - think of your finger nails in the bath and how soft they go after a good soak for a comparison -I started to bring him in for half a day every day. Because his feet had the chance to dry out I never had the problem again.

I always bring him in for a few hours a day now if the weather is persistantly wet, as it is at the moment.
 
The warm and wet weather is causing the grass to grow which in turn is causing your horse's feet to grow much faster than normal.

My barefoot boy tends to need more frequent timming at this time of year than over winter. The sugar in the grass also affects the quality of horn.
 
And if you have any mild underlying infection in the hoof then wet-dry weather causes it to show much more - healthy horn can cope with most conditions.
 
As a temporary measure, until the poor hoof wall grows out, try painting the bottom inch of his hooves with a hardener like Keratex which should stop the splitting and help the nails stay in place.
 
Nope :).

My horses have been living out in a bog and their hooves are doing just fine.

When they are healthy, I've found the weather doesn't affect them so much. But I have heard many reports of horses losing shoes or suffering from crumbly walls at the moment.

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In response the advice given is to smother lard (aka Kevin Bacon) on the walls. This is also the advice often given to moisturise the walls when they are too dry :confused:

So according to popular thinking.....one minute the walls are too dry and then they are too wet - are the hooves NEVER happy? :p

Surely the old, "It's the weather" excuse is wearing a little thin for owners? Especially when they is no actual evidence to support it?

It seems more plausible to me that the grass is high in sugar and low in minerals and therefore creating poor quality hoof - it's such a shame these farriers don't even consider this an option :(.

Excuse my ranting - it's a sore point :D. I believe hooves deserve more respect :D
 
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I have only owned my boy for 3 months so still understanding how his hooves work.
I know wet dry is an issue for hooves. I was also told that bedding on shavings dries the hoof out. My boy is out night in by day on straw. Not out 24/7 as has a weight issue.
Stupidly as he is a cob I thought he would be fine I thought it was tbs that lose shoes ho hum it's my grey hair impairing my logical thought process.
 
please dont use keratex hoof hardner it just makes the hooves brittle
i agree maybe it could be down to lack of something in diet, you have not had him long enough to be responsible for that so maybe looking into that a bit more closely would be an idea
i really rate the kevin bacon but when its wet i wait for feet to dry (fully) and apply it once a day to try and prevent them going soggy
in dry weather i apply it twice a day and if poss when hooves have been exposed to moisture (dew for example)
i do this in a bid to try and keep the moisture uptake of the feet as even as poss whatever the weather
 
When the hooves are healthy, keratin is constantly being produced all the way down the hoof wall from the coronet to the ground. This is what allows hooves to expand and change shape - and it's what prevents the hoof from cracking and splitting. Problems with the diet inteferes with the production of ketarin, and can cause the splitting you are experiencing.
 
My lad is in at night all year round for weight issues, but I do feel it helps in wet weather to let his feet and skin dry out for a few hours. I am not a great fan of lotions and potions becuase I am not overly convinced they work. Most problems are down to what is being eaten and that goes for humans aswell as horses.
Hooves are a long term thing that cannot be fixed or improved for a few weeks in the rainy summer.
 
As well as Kevin Bacon, it is good to use a disinfectant into the nail holes and cracks as in this weather lots of bacteria can get into the hooves. I use a mixture of iodine, teatree oil and eucalyptus oil every day and my farrier tells me that it really helps the quality of horn for both my horses. I have a tb with previously grotty feet, and a clydesdale x who has big feet with weak horn and white line disease. To date, I've not lost a shoe this summer! (Fingers crossed!!!!)
 
Horse is shoeless, and hoof itself is holding up well but the coronet bands have been coming in v spongy amd he's developed 1 very small mud fever scab. I've been giving him regular duvet days (he's in at night anyway) which he loves, to give the feet a break.

I'm lucky that I have a big stable and a horse who loves duvet days...hay on tap and a nice dry shavings bed to snore away in...his idea of heaven!
 
Keratex hoof gel is great to waterproof hooves and is still breathable, it will stop the hooves from being affected by the wet weather, fab stuff. We use it at our yard on clay soil and it works a treat.
 
Hi, i use NAF hoof moist in the summer (when its not raining!) on my boy's feet - he's a Shire x TB and his feet are prone to splitting and great chunks come off sometimes. i've been giving him profeet in his feed too and it seems to have made a difference, his hooves aren't breaking as much as they used to. i think feeding to support healthy hooves is more effective than putting applications on as i never know whether to use a moisturiser or a hardener at the moment! x :)
 
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