hoof care

Walkinthewalk: I didnt think it looked like a very good trim either, only after 4 weeks(aug.18, last trim) the one hoof you can see exactly where the farrier trimmed the hoof, and he did file it.
I have been putting hooflex on his hoofs, it is a hoof conditioner for cracks and a antifungul,once a day like it says to do.I will also call the farrier back out.maybe find a new one if that's possible.Does this like like fungus to you? His diet is the same as always, 3 qts. Of grain in morning along with 2 flakes of coastol hay and 2 flakes at night, let out to pasture 24/7. He has also had sandclear once a day for the last 7 days,(he is done with that).I have also been lunging him about three times a week and other ground work,should I hold off on that til his hoofs look better? Thanks for everyone advice. No Koda has never had shoes on.

What is your feed?? What brand what feed??

The feed is called horse sho n go, at our local feed store, they make it all right they themselves, its about 13.00 a bag

How much of it does she get?? And can you tell us the ingredients and the analysis off the tag?? Please

Lots of folks seem to think that hoof dressings are not helpful but I say it depends on the horse and situation. I had a horse that had very bad feet that cracked often. Using hooflex or similar products does work in the right situation. I used it on her and her feet improved greatly. I also think hooflex helps combat thrush. I don't know if I am right but its worked for me.

I spray hoof cracks and their soles with the water/vinegar/clorox mix I mentioned just as a preventative. If Hooflex is ok to use for fungal issues, I would continue to use it as a preventative.

IMHO, I don't think it would hurt to keep doing ground work, just keep an eye on the crack and if it gets bigger before you can get a farrier out, then quit working him.

I would turn him out in pasture for exercise, but I wouldn't ride him :)

Maybe others will have a better idea. It's easy for me to say what I would do because I am my horses' farrier and can fix a chip as soon as I see it. I tend to forget that the majority of folks are totally dependant on someone else for that sort of thing

I would not let amateurs at a feed store design a feed for my horses, then take it home to test on my horses and pay 13 bucks a bag to be a test subject.

Cracks? Ya, ok, but you have a lot of issues here. You need a new farrier. That is, as mentioned, an absolutely unacceptable trim job. Call around. See what you can find. You horse will end up in trouble if you remain with this guy/gal.

As for hoof health beyond the trim, I am in the group that doesn't agree that paint-ons work. What has already grown can not be fixed. You must deal with helping new growth. Biotin added to the diet is great for hooves and hair (both the same cellular structure/growth). Anti-fungal, as was mentioned and keeping them clean -- keep the mud out so thrust can't thrive.

I'm sorry, I'm on dialup and so only looked at one photo entirely, but it really did speak volumes!

P.S. I do my own horses hooves too, and have for years.

Just want to say I have been playing phone tag with this new farrier,his name is Gary Patto, anyone know him? So no he hasn't made it out here yet and the old one still hasn't called me back, so he's out of the picture.
As far as feed the ingredients is this: crude protein min 12%, crude fat min 3%, crude fibermax 6.5% the first few ingredients is cracked corn, whole oats, molasses( cane )soybean meal,dehulled soybean meal,linseed meal.... koda gets 3 qts. A day in morning.
As far as his hoof one small piece that was cracked off to the side a little has broken off its maybe 1/4in. I am out of the hooflex so I will be going to tractor supply tomorrow to pick up something else.
We are not doing anymore ground work intil this gets better, don't want to chance it.


Northernmama: Biotin is that pellets, that I add to his food, if I can't find that what else should I try? I am keeping them clean,once a day I wash his hoofs and pick them out, dry them off and apply hooflex, there is no mud around here, just dry sand, I live in florida. :)


Joe: I don't think they are amateurs at the feed store they have been in business for about 30 +yrs. That's all they do is make cattle and horse feed for all the local farms.

Thanks for posting the info on your grain.

Having one seriously metabolic horse and one trying to head that way (serious hoof issues go along with that), my opinion is to lose that grain and find something without the oats & corn and especially without the molasses :)

I'll bet if you ask them for the NSC (non-structural carbohydrate) percentage, it will be thru the roof and totally unacceptable.

While much more $$ than what you are paying, there are feeds out there that are much healthier for the horse's entire system, both metabolically and structurally. And I have found I don't need to feed nearly as much of better quality feeds, so the money issues are almost a wash.

If you don't have too many options, at the very least I would consider switching to a pelleted & stabilized rice bran, and add a pelleted vitamin/mineral supplement to it.

Rice bran is 20% fat but it is healthy fat. My metabolic horse went from being an air fern to having difficulty holding his weight. He is out on pasture 12-14 hours/day, gets one flake of hay when he comes in at night and was only getting 8 ounces of pelleted rice bran 2X/day to maintain a good weight.

I say WAS because I can't get Equi-Jewel rice bran anymore, so had to switch him to Purina's new WellSolve L/S feed. So far so good.

Having spent this past year learning how bad a high NSC percent is in horse feeds, I tend to get preachy about "losing it".

I also raised a son who was "food sensitive" and tried to keep him on the Feingold diet in his youth. Until I learned he traded his banana in for a Ho-Ho on the school bus one day --- then I had to set his 10 year old bad self down and give him a serious talk

I don't mean to offend anyone and apologize if I have. Maybe others will have a better idea :)