hoof dressing

4skyhawk · hoof dressing

What hoof dressings do you like and recommend? My horses hooves have gotten very hard on the soles and they are cracked and breaking off. I don't know if it's from the extremely hot weather we had, or the new sand I put in the arena but they are a mess.

I know some people who use the Horse Shoer's secret supplement but I was wondering if something like Rain Maker would be better.

PasoBaby_CarolU

I use RainMaker. Make sure you paint the bottoms of the soles too.

You can also make a mud puddle around the water trough or wet the sand under their hay feeder to help keep the hooves hydrated.

appellativo

hard to say without looking but it's relatively normal to shed a bit of sole. sometimes it likes to stay there longer than it should and then it comes of in sheets. dont worry too much, there's healthy sole under the exfoliating stuff too.

one of the chunks of information that makes sense to me is that 'too dry' is 'bad', too wet is worse, and a fluctuation between wet and dry is the absolute worse condition for hooves. it causes expansion and contraction in the cells resulting in cracking. In all reality, if the horses diet is good and he's getting enough drinking water, a consistently dry environment wreaks the least havoc on hoof horn.

Most hoof care people seem to think, or at least the ones i've heard from, to stay away from most hoof dressings. There are some occasions where people will use various substances to 'harden' the sole to help with sensitivity but it doesn't seem that that's what you're looking for.

bit

This is the short answer, long answer I'll give ya the link. I try to educate myself as much as I can. For now, the long answer is the view of my old trimmer. Don't use them, they can do more harm than good. I try to get a healthy hoof through diet, good trims, and supplements. So far, so good. I don't use hoof dressing. Kelsey determined there was a lot of iron in the well water, changed the supplements, took away the mineral salt, and horses are looking really good. I never would have figured that one out.

This was the articles short answer
Problem Hooves?

What should an owner do to prevent hoof problems from developing or to help treat existing hoof problems?

Keep hooves healthy with regular trimming and shoeing. Practice good management--i.e., don't keep your horse in soiled bedding or in hoof-drying muddy areas.

Adds Sigafoos, "Consult your farrier or veterinarian if you are concerned about your horse's hoof health. Usually if horses have the kind of foot that appears to need hoof dressing, something else is going on. The horse may have brittle feet due to a dietary problem, inadequate shoeing frequency, or excessive toe length."

Long answer
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=3840