Which Foot Supplements actually work?

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K27

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I'm thinking of putting one of my horses back on a foot supplement, I have to say that I've always been a bit sceptical of them (as I remember trying Farriers Formula years and years ago on a horse I used to own and it made no difference and the Farrier I switched too at the time told me that I was wasting my money!)

I've tried one from the Farrier that I now use at 50.00 per tub at TBH it made a small difference to the foot growth, but not fantastic so am now thinking of trying either Vetoquinol Biometh Z, or Farriers Formula or Formula 4 Feet or Newmarket Hoof Supplement- which one do you think is best? or would I be better off trying some sort of feed balancer such as Topspec?, I just want to try something that will help with the growth rate and overall hoof quality.

Many thanks for your info- much appreciated! Any other Suggestions most welcome!

(By the way my horse is on a well balanced diet, is in work and is well shod)
 
My horse has been on Formula 4 Feet for nearly a year now, and her hooves are massively improved. I have to say that changing farrier also made a major difference in our case, obviously you're sorted in that respect. F4F usually gets the thumbs up on here. I have to soak the pellets down to slop and mix them in as my horse is a madam and spits them out otherwise!
 
F4F. KLast week I considered stopping using F4F, but actually have decided that my horses' feet are worth the money. George has been on it since July and it's already making a difference to the growth. It also acts as a balancer so he is glowing all round. I am about to put my new boy on it also.

I would also recommend Kevin Bacon as it will keep the hoof moisture levels consistent whatever the weather.
 
You may have noticed that the people who imported Farriers Formula, now make their own version called Formula 4Feet. I can't tell the difference, except F4F is non GM and slightly cheaper. I have tried both and neither made any difference to my horse.

The only thing that made her feet grow, was being fed Rye Grass Haylage last winter, so I have gone down the Feed Balancer route instead and she is having TopSpec. It is probably cheaper than most foot supplements and means that I can cut down on Hard Feed. It does seem to be making her feet grow.
 
I use the Bacons stuff too but would also recommend Equine America Hoof Power Plus, I feed Falcon Feeds Fibre Care (a great high fibre complete feed) which actually has it in it so saves money!
 
I have tried several expesnive hoof supplements with no effect, then tried equimins Biotin and it has had fantastic results. Each horse is different though and what works for one will be useless on another.
(and before anyone says anything, Biotin supplements such as equimins contain all the other elements required to work with Biotin)
 
The best thing I've found for my lad - & I've tried loads - is Top Spec AntiLam. It's actually a feed, balancer & hoof supplement all in one so I don't think it's bad value for money either. I've been feeding it for 4 months now & the results are impressive - for the first time in his life my horse has gone 6 weeks (as opposed to 4 or 3) on a set of shoes, there's a noticably thicker band of hoof growing down & the hoof isn't flaring as badly possibly because it has more support from above.

If your horse doesn't need to watch his waistline then the comprehensive balancer includes the same hoof supplement.
 
My horse is on Formula 4 Feet. It has made a huge difference to my horse's usually weak, slow-growing feet and my farrier is very impressed with the concrete-like quality of my horse's soles! They are rock solid, crack a lot less and grow a lot more. It's about £1 a day to feed but TBH my horse's feet are worth that and more!
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I have tried all of the above mentioned and none of them worked on my horse.
A friend told me about Seaquim Elite, it has been fantastic. His feet have not split (as he is barefoot), they farrier even comented on how good they were for once!!! It even has acted as a general conditioner for him also, he has never looked as good and his coat is so soft and shiney.
I would definately recommend this to anyone.
It comes in 20kg sacks and one will last all winter.
 
Supplements wise i would say Biotin aswell as cornicrescent (sp) applied daily is much better and far cheaper than the likes of Farriers formula or Formula for feet. The more expensive supplements are not necessarily the best ones.
 
Any horses I have had with poor feet, I use hoofmaker. It is pricey, but IMO it makes the shoes last a couple of weeks longer ( has gone from 4 to 6 weeks) and you don't have the risk of always using shoes, so I think it's worth the money
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Just to say thank you for your replies re the foot supplements!- lots of great ideas- so much choice!

The F4F seems to get great feedback as does Topspec, and I agree that the cheaper supplements may work just as well too. The vetvits supplement may be a good one to start with and also the chaff mentioned with added supplement- what a great idea!,

My horses feet really are looking stronger now he's been reshod and you can barely see the cracks now but I'll defintely start him on a supplement in January so they are strong for the summer!

Thanks very much again for the replies!
 
Have used with success both Farriers Formula and Formula 4 feet. Also use Anti Bacs hoof dressing where his feet crack and it and the Farriers formula seem to be strengthing his feet. LabData Hoof Disinfectant is supposed to be good too
 
Many thanks for the info- I've been looking at the Anti Bac dressing as I've heard gd things about it- I may give it a try! Glad to hear you've had success with Both the FF and F4F!
 
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