Weak hooves - Desperatly need help!!!!!!

Well, I have had my horse not very long, and he is just so perfect and a proper Warmblood, we always wandered why we got him so cheap , we've obviously found out what the reason might be, well he has VERY weak hoof walls and we seem to be getting him shod ever 2 weeks or so its just not good and its very expensive but the hooves seem to crack big lumps come off and i'm really worried we'll have to sell him because we can't afford to keep him, and also we have been feeding him a hoof supplement for about nearly a month and I use hoof ointment every day the ointment makes the hooves look loads better but they are still so week, its not good enough and I really do need help with it! Please reply someone Thanks

Hi,

We have a TB ex racer who had shocking hooves. Always craking and loosing shoes. Very expensive and drives you mad!

We have now been using a hoof oil for about 1 year called 'Worlds Best Hoof Oil'.... its Australias No.1 selling hoof oil and is recommended by farriers and is now sponsoring a top Aussie eventer.
I am a Veterinary Nurse and am normally totally against hoof oil, but I was desperate. We were in the same boat as you, we love our boy to bits, but the farrier was always out and we were always loosing competitions fees from where he would loose a shoe last minute and could not compete.
We have had no problems with him for about 9months now (touch wood!) and the farrier is coming out much less, about every 5-6weeks (which is still more than the others, but affordable!)

We now sell this hoof oil as we are so so pleased with what it has done for our little man. We can not guarantee it will work on your horse, but we are hooked on it!
Our online store link is as follows:
www.equineandcaninesupplies.co.uk

Kind Regards,

Kate

Keep him on the hoof supplement. It might take more than a month to really see a difference. And hey, give that hoof oil a try. If it works for you then great.

Keep the supplements and wait longer for them to take effect as said above. Look into different shoeing and analyze your horse's diet. Good luck.

Just keep going with the hoof supplements and maybe ask your farrier if he has any ideas. Maybe even ask a vet.

You don't mention what supplement you are feeding but farriers formula is very good. Remember it takes 12 months for a hoof to grow out completely so you aren't going to see any difference in a month. There is a product called Cornucrescine that is sold by Bit of Britain (and others) that you rub into the coronary band. That's the band of soft tissue at the top of the hoof that the hoof grows down from. You rub this product into that band daily and it speeds up growth. It really works. We had a horse who foundered and used it and the shoer who worked for the local vet school was amazed by the progress.

Another consideration is how the horse is being shod. Often horses are shod so that their weight is carried by the hoof wall. However this is not how the hoof was designed to work. The wall is not supposed to be a weight bearing surface so if it is and the hoof wall is weak it will break. For some horses with tough feet this isn't an issue. Something to discuss with your farrier and you might need to see if you can locate a good remedial shoer. As there is no regulation on shoers in this country as there are in other countries not all shoers have the same level of education. You may have a shoer who is great with uncomplicated horses but may not have the knowledge on how to deal with problem feet. A good horse vet should know of local shoers who have the expertize to handle your problem.

You may also want to consider having blood work done to get indications on whether the horse has any deficiencies. How is its coat quality?

Have you considered letting your horse go barefoot? There are people who trim horses feet so they are specifically shaped and conditioned for barefoot work. This type of trimming is also good for corrective measures for hooves that have problems. Horses bodies can often help themselves once they are on the right track.
And as TudorRose said it could be the way he is being shod.

He has a very good coat its in superb condition I really would consider going bare foot it's just we live and keep him in a town and I do quite a lot of road work and I need something that works REALLY quick!!!!!! He just looses his shoes that's the only problem, and it's getting extremely expensive the farriers out every 2 weeks and its 62 euro's for shoes!!!!

What about that hoof stuff that you put on the bottoms of the feet and use a dryer and its hardens and is used instead of shoes. I can't remember the name of it..... Anyone else know what I am talking about?

I agree with crackrider--barefoot. If you can't wait until his feet grow out nice and strong consider using boots. With correct trims by a knowledgable barefoot trimmer the hoof will grow out in no time. We have 15 horses of all different breeds and not a one wears shoes. We ride soft ground, rocks, over and around pavement and limestone and never any 'ouchies'. Check out Pete Ramey's website for information on barefoot horses and maybe a practitioner near you. Good luck.