What Hoof Oil - For dry hoofs which are chipping

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Nicola28

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Hi All,

I wonder if you can help, I need to buy some hoof oil for my horse Rupert, his feet are very dry in this weather and are chipping away.

A good hoof oil was suggested so I would like to get him some :)

The farrier has been and checked and there isnt anything he can really do etc.

Does anyone else has a similar problem and did the oil help or any other suggestions?

The fields are very dry too so he's not getting any moisture from them either, poor boy!

Any advice is gratefully received.

x
 
Keratex - start off applying it twice a week just for a couple of weeks, then just apply once a week. Do not let it reach the coronet band it is strictly for hoof surface only and if you want to apply it to the soles of the feet do not let it touch the frog.
 
Oil based products tend to interfere with the foots' own ability to regulate moisture. Hooves naturally exfoliate themselves by allowing excess horn to chip away. As long as your horses feet are regularly trimmed and properly balanced I would try not to worry about it.
 
Thanks for your messages, I definatly need to get something for his feet, he is trimmed and shoed regular but need extra help.

He is a TB with quite boxy feet and had problems before so he deifnatly needs some help.

Thanks for your advice all :)

x
 
I use NAF Hoof Moist. The only time I would ever uses oil would be for a showing class, it tends to make feet even drier in my opinion. I have also used Kevin Bacon dressing before but it's not easy to get hold of round here!
 
My farrier recommends Kevin Bacon hoof dressing, which I have used for all my horses....he also advises to wet the hoof first and then apply the dressing as it helps add more moisture to the hoof.
So far in this dry weather, my horse has not had any issues with cracked feet.
I know that Derby House stock it (you may be able to buy online) and I am sure more local horse shops may have it or order in for you?? It may also be sold on Ebay??
 
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a lot of people hate hoof oil as it prevents moisture other than the oil going into the hoof. I was of this opinion for a long time, never used the stuff unless at a show but the horse i have now never really gets moisture from anything other than what i put on her feet and iv tried i few different things and for her feet, i think hoof oil works best ( twice a day everyday, feet scrubbed with anti bacterial 1st mind. and i apply it to everywhere, the sole frog and then the wall.

However my pony doesnt suit it, so he gets the cornucresin, daily hoof dressing. ( oops i cant spell) lol
Now iv found what products suit my horses they dont have any problems even in this dry weather. This this with hoof oil, even if it suits your horse you have to use it everyday or not at all. My mares back hoofs used to chip and split quite a bit and they dont now and my pony would loose his front shoes quite a bit and he hasnt lost one for over 12 months :D *touches wood*
 
i have a tb x, with the potential to have quite poor feet. At this time of year (dry) they do require help.

Firstly at the first sign of flakyness around the nail holes I use hoof master spray to ensure no seedy toe or thrush can set in, then carry on using that 2 or 3 times a week. My farrier recommended vaseline for his hoofs, which works well. Apply generously on a daily or thereabouts basis. I am using Effol Ointment at the moment which is a bit thicker and his hoofs are looking good just now. Kevin Bacon dressing also comes highly recommended although is expensive.
Keratex is a good strengther. one you have got some moisture into the hoofs, this is excellent for keeping them strong, only use a couple of times a week before you moisterise the hoofs. (blacksmith told a story of someone misinterpreting instructions and using twice a day instead of twice a week and after 6 weeks, he couldn't get nails in as they kept bending!) sounds like good stuff!.
 
I first hose the legs for a few minutes - mine have a lot of feather so this holds the water and drips it on the hooves. I then apply Kevin Bacon - this stops the hoof getting too wet when the ground is soaked, but also keeps moisture in when it is dry. Good stuff and my farrier recommends it.

Keratex is good, but not at this time of year (again according to my farrier) as it can dry out the feet. However, I have used it when it is not so dry on my TBs, and it really does help get the feet tough.

Avoid oil based products as they stop moisture getting in, fine in wet weather, not good in dry weather.
 
lucygunson said:
I use Kevin Bacon twice a day for my TB's feet and it works wonders on his feet, I use this at the recomendation of my farrier

good luck
Click to expand...

i second this. my TB's feet are looking very healthy in all this dry weather after using Kevin Bacon daily! also recommended by my farrier.
 
Forget all the lotions and potions - unless you like spending money! Horses hooves evolved to cope with a much drier climate than ours - the wild horses self soak their feet everyday at the water holes. So all you need to do is mimic that - soak your horses feet either standing in a bucket, even better a stream or pond or better still create a muddy waterhole round your water trough so every time he goes to drink he has to stand in water/mud.

If you're getting a huge amount of cracking then that suggests a problem with his diet - try and cut out all the molassed feeds, and stick to things that are very low sugar/starch. Try to make sure he is also out on the poorest possible grazing.

All those things will help his feet stay naturally healthy.
 
Hoof oil dries the foot out so dont use any i use effle (sp) in the green tub another tip is if you can leave your water in the field running over for it to flood in dry weather then when the horses drink they stand in the mud. Farrier and vet has told me that and seems to work.
 
I have exactly the same problem and I am using aqueous cream, available as a 500g pot from local pharamcies at £1.66! Im a pharmacist and my farrier recommended this and have now been using it for 2 months and its working fantastically and on the plus side you get nice soft hands too :D
 
Either Kevin Bacon or Effol, both recommended by my farrier. Only trouble with the Kevin Bacon is it's animal fat based and the dogs at the yard kept trying to lick it! lol I just buy whichever is on offer of these two.
 
I'm a recent Kevin Bacon convert...I was using NAF hoof moist but it wasn't doing anything for my lad but I've been using Kevin Bacon hoof moist (not oil) after recommendations off people on this site and it's fantastic stuff.

Farrier even noticed the difference and is trying to take the credit saying he's been recommending it to people for years!!!

It's not the cheapest moist on the market but i apply twice a day, everyday and my tub has lasted me over a month.
 
My farrier recommended Effol (green tub), and - touch wood - Dylan's feet have been great so far, and they're normally really bad in summer. The only thing is, he says not to use it on very hot days, as it'll 'bake' the feet.
 
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