[Gidget]

I was cleaning out my horses feet before riding and I noticed white chalky stuff when I picked her feet and it looks like something scraped the underneath hard and then I went to see if more would come off and a chunk did..I put some antibactrial stuff on it. It's a smalls spot...it's not by the frog.

Anyone ever seen that happen?

 

[Honeysuga]

Sounds like sole shedding to me...

 

[Gidget]

is the bad?

 

[Thatgirlsacowboy]

Does it smell? It could be thrush... It's hard to tell by your description. Could you get a picture?

 

[Honeysuga]

sole shedding isn't bad, thrush is bad

 

[Thatgirlsacowboy]

-shrugs- I wouldn't worry too much about thrush. It's not the worst thing that can happen to your horses feet. Horses get thrush, you take care of it and it's over. If it is thrush, get some Kopertox and your problem will be solved. Not a big deal.

 

[Gidget]

It doesn't smell.
I will take a picture to show you. Hope it's not thrush. I doubt it is.
It's white and chalky..size of a dime. I will get a picture.

 

[Thatgirlsacowboy]

At least it isn't stinky! If it was thrush, you'd smell it =)

I'll go with what Honeysuga said then. It's probably just her sole shedding out.

 

[luvs2ride1979]

Thrush is usually black and smells bad.

The white chalky stuff is just shedding sole. It usually means she's not shedding it on her own, which is common in wet weather or soft pastures. Just mention it to your farrier next time he/she is out. You'll want all of the dead sole removed so the farrier can see how much hoof wall he/she can really take off.

It also doesn't hurt to scrape it out yourself. Use your hoof pick or the blunt side of a hoof knife. Quit scraping when you run in to a "waxy" type material that doesn't scrape off well. That's the "live sole".

 

[Gidget]

thank you very much.
I wasn't sure if it was some type of bacteria since she was out in a field and it's been wet and muddy out.

I will scrape it tomorrow.

Thank you.

 

[Honeysuga]

Is she shod or barefoot? If she is barefoot leave it alone, it is there for a reason and will shed off at its own speed.

 

[luvs2ride1979]

Even barefoot you want it gone. "Dead sole" can build up and impact, which isn't good for barefoot horses either. It can change how the horse is trimmed, which can alter the angles, and create intermittent lameness. Scraping off dead sole exposes the live sole, which needs stimulation from the ground to grow more healthy sole, bar, and frog material, which is essential for a barefoot horse.

The sole callus should not be removed. A sole callus will not be chalky and flaky. It will be hard and will not scrape out with a hoof knife.

 

[Gidget]

Alright...she is shod and it's only slight. I will work on it and I will also have my farrier come out and tell him about it.

 

[Appyt]

It's just dead sole flaking off, don't worry about it. When your farrier comes on his regular appointment he will scrape it out if that is his normal trimming style. It's really no big deal. The wet footing has simply allowed it to loosen up.