I've noticed several of my lot seem to be getting quite brittle hooves, they so seem very dry which not surprised with this weather.

Apart from using hoof oil (and what type is best.. there are so many different ones!) does anyone have any ideas on trying to keep there hooves in better shape in this dry hot weather?


RIP Halo - 1998 - 2006. Miss you always.

My little horrors darlings.

I can highly recommend Stockholm Tar for dry/cracked hooves. My boy suffered a few years ago and it toughened them right up.

Farriers Formula had made a an incredible difference to Noahs feet,

Hoof oil actually dries the feet out.

Soaking feet in water is best, cornuecresine is aslo good.

Don't use hoof oil - it's purely cosmetic, there are much better products out there, if I've ever used anything it's usually Effol - it still gives the hooves a nice painted look!

Effol as above and maybe a biotin/seaweed supplement or FF??? Helps skin coat and horn growth?

This time of year is a nightmare, spoke to my farrier the other day about this actually. Because of the mud and soil drying out so rapidly, hooves will chip off very easily even with good feet at times. Make sure hooves are well trimmed back (not saying your ponies feet arn't cared for Hawkeye!! I know how well yours are kept!! )

I have this prob with my Sec D he has rubbish feet and although he isnt ridden - he usually has front shoes to stop this. Obviously he is a lot heavier than your minis and you arn't going to want to have all yours shod like this!



repetition.... repetition...... such a boar!!!!.........................

Well i certainly don't want to shoe them... such tiny feet! lol

I've just started using the hoof oil i have in the tack room... and oddly enough.. it is effol i have! lol


RIP Halo - 1998 - 2006. Miss you always.

My little horrors darlings.

HI,
NAF pro-feet hoof rub is brilliant, we are using it on my boy who has cracking white hooves, it soaks in through the day especially on warmer day , rub into coronet band (only living part) and then rub around hoof.
We have also staed using NAF pro-feet liquid in his feed,quite expensive (£25 per month) but seems to be really working, acts on the liver and thing which maintain the horn growth or something and also contain biotin, or just triy adding biotin to feed as its great for mantenance but wont fix cracks only farrier can do that whilst there growing out. Hope this helps

Ikons Daddy

Stand them in stable with wet shavings, feet will then soak up the moisture.

Ours are fed 365 Complete, and the big horses get painted with Kevin Bacon dressing.
None of ours have cracked feet, so something must be working. 365 has everything that they need for healthy feet. My farrier read the ingredients list and told us that it had everything in it that was in the very expensive supplement that he sold to his clients, plus a heck of a lot more.
I clipped Charm today as she was miserable in the heat, and she simply was not moulting out - she never does. Furry till August, summer coat for a month and then woolly by September!! I was amazed to see the shine on her. Day 1 of a clip and she is gleaming, she didn't even get a bath. Has to be the aforesaid supplement, nothing else has changed. They've been on it for over 6 months now, and they all seem really well.

My Girlie had the farrier out last thursday to do her feet and now they are chipped.

Its annoying but i will try some other formula and see is that works

Nikki

Water!

If you can put a water tray (a safe one) into their field that they can soak in, it will help. A natural stream or pond is best - but anywhere they can soak their feet will do them a power of good. Dig them a hollow, as a more permanent option than a water tray, and soak it so it stays squidgy. Every thrown-away bucketful gets chucked in the wallow.

In the absence of any of these options, soak their feet either in a bucket or by hosing at least once a day.

And 365 complete.

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Natural stream/pond would do there feet good... but the hell on my already rubbing sweet-itch ponies i wouldn't cope with! lol

Don't think they'd stand for hose or feet in bucket either... (they are all wimps! lol) but i could put water on there feet y use of a sponge... would that work the same..


RIP Halo - 1998 - 2006. Miss you always.

My little horrors darlings.

It would certainly help, but ideally they could do with 15 - 20 minutes soak once a day, or little-and-often throughout the day.

ETA: Ahaaaa! If you can build an artificial stream, with a solar-powered water pump to drive it around, you could get the water flowing too fast for insects. Not sure how you could line it to make it hoof-proof. Maybe make it in a concrete channel?

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i have made a hoofrub with natural oils and a waterbased moisturiser.

my lot have lovely feet! if you would like some save a plastic pot (the size of a hoof moist pot) and i'll give you some. it is really good for my ponies as one of the oils i put in there is a natural insect repellant and it seems to keep the midges away from their feet and they are not getting so bitten around the pastern.

Any chance of you able to list the recepie - thanks.

Not to mention the cost sea spirit of doing that! lol

Tara can you share the recipe you use?

I got some stockholm tar as well today... remind me never to get it in a pot again... lets just say half of the stuff was over me from opening it!!! Wonder if it comes out of cloth's...?? lol


RIP Halo - 1998 - 2006. Miss you always.

My little horrors darlings.

hi there i had a heavy horse with real brittle hooves and water is by far the best.most hoof treatments just seal the hooves so it prevents moisture getting in.didnt like standing in buckets at 1st but soon got used to it.

kevin bacon , you should be able to get it from your farrier

xxx

Lard and tea tree oil. Works a treat, as recommended by my farrier.


Cut and Shut Pinky, the Frankenstein of the Equine World!!!!

Yup! Freaky's is a good one! Use it after sponging with water, helps to seal the moisture in.

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stockholm tar is in your cloths FOREVER!

I will make you up a pot but i'm not sharing the receipe as i hope to sell it if the trials go well. (hope you dont mind - but you will get a free pot!) i hope to be selling it for £4.50 for 400g

Thanks Tara.

Well i think i'll try a few different ideas and see which one works best for my lot.. certainly the stockholm tar has seemed to make a dramatic improvement in the few i used it for in a very short space of time.. effol is working well but not quite as good (but better for outside of hoof as looks better than stockholm tar! lol)

The only problem with the stuff is it is tending to go everywhere... good thing i never wear decent cloths down the yard! lol


RIP Halo - 1998 - 2006. Miss you always.

My little horrors darlings.

I use hoof and sole on the their hoofs then when it dries coat them with aqueous cream, I find this works well, my 2 have lovely hoofs.

During my tack room clear out yesterday I discovered a can of Stockholm tar spray Jodie, no idea why/when I bought it! I think that would probably be easier to use if your litle ones are ok about aerosols.

I did actually always use to use the can for smell feet problems elaine... but remember from previous experiance of the can always getting clogged and not spraying properly, it didn't coat the hoof very well etc i though (as i shouldn't do! lol) that the stuff in the pot would be a) easier to apply (err wrong! lol) b) not get everywhere else.. (yer thats totally wrong!) and c) would give a better coating to the hoof (the only correct bit! lol)

Lesson learned.. next time.. i'm using the can's! lol


RIP Halo - 1998 - 2006. Miss you always.

My little horrors darlings.

NAF Profeet worked brilliantly on a cob I used to own. Couldn't get shoes on him before in summer as his feet just crumbled to nothing.

I would also recommend the lard and tea trat oil............in fact, just lard would work if there are no other issues other than bits breaking off!!!

Had the farrier out earlier int he week to do ALL the boys as their feet had grown an enormous amount in a really short length of time and as the field is now like concrete and is uneven as it didnt get rolled before it dried out, a couple of the unshod lads had bits broken off

.

PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE try Kevin Bacons Hoof Grease.

It is WONDERFUL.

Well what fun I had tonight with the foot soaking excersise. You'd have thought that the first foot was being put in boiling water. But by the 2nd she took pitty on me huffed and stood with her hooves in the water for 10 minutes.

That's great! They do get used to it quickly, thank Heavens! And even come to appreciate it, which is nice

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Someone told me about using aqeous cream (sp) on dry brittle hoofs as is really cheap and does the job. Plus it's its for the same moisture soaking job that we want it for ourselves I guess

"never lies especially where animals r concerned "

Well today someone commented on how nice Tibby's hoofs are, all thanks to aqueous cream.

My cob has had dry feet and i have started to use the aqueous cream and hopefully it will work.

Nikki

My farrier has always recommended wetting there feet with a hose or sponge, whatever really! Then coating them with sunflower oil whilst there still wet as it helps to seal the moisture in! Really cheap and easy way of doing it and it has always worked for me, all mine have always had lovely feet

Do try Kevin Bacon's grease - aivly do stock it- It is a mixture of plant based oils, looks like lard but isn't!! We find one medium tub at about £14 lasts our 2 foresters a year with daily application to the hoof wall and coronet. When really dry we also, at our farriers recommendation, apply every other day to the sole. In summer it keeps the hoof flexible and in winter helps to expel excess water from the hoof wall. We have had remarkably good feet on our two turned out 24/7 in all weathers when many of our friends were plagues with abscesses etcetera. Also probably worth helping them on with a food supplement such as pro feet. Horn grows in thickness as well as length so grease and targeted feed should protect the new growth. Don't use oil, it just fries the horn.

I have heard of people soaking carpet in water and putting it somewhere where they stand a lot. I think the theory is that it holds the water and the feet absorb it. Don't know how pratical it is if they live out but if they are in, stand in one place to feed/ shelter etc it may be worth a go.

I absolutly swear by the Kevin Bacon hoof dressing. Looks awful when first applied but once dried gives the feet a good shine also. My pony would never keep shoes on and once i started using this we can nnow go the full 8 weeks with both shoes still attached.!!!


Brilliant stuff and try horse health website as i know they sell it if its any easier

i also started using kevin bacon about 2 weeks ago and already see a big difference and my mares feet were getting really bad i would recomend people to use it

Normal oils whether specifically for hooves or not, are ususally not a great idea, because they seal the hooves, so if the hooves are dry, and you oil them, you stop any moisture getting in.  Equally, I suppose you stop them getting more dry, by sealing any moisture in, too, but it won't do anything to moisturise the hooves.

We've always used NAFs Hoof Moist for this job, and it does really well.  I believe Aqueous cream is pretty much similar stuff tho, so would probably do the same job.

How funny - I bought some of that NAF Hoof Moist some years ago and found it totally useless!! Maybe they've improved it now.



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I have been using aqeous cream and i can already see a difference in her feet.

Nikki

We have always used hoof moist, but this year have started using aqueous cream, cheaper and does exactly the same job

Many years ago I had a TB mare with the most dreadful brittle feet. A French vet told me to paint her soles and the hoof wall with cod liver oil on a daily basis. She did used to lick it off her fronts, but even so it made a big difference - my farrier commented on it. The only thing is, it's sticky and dirt sticks to it and you do get a build up on the hooves. But it does work!



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