Question:
How do i improve my horses hoof strength?
corrie
2009-04-14 17:20:46 UTC
i have a six year old quarter horse and she had a crack in her left hoof and one that was just starting on her right hoof. Our farrier told me that she has soft hooves and something about her hoof wall and second lamini and they won't stay together???? not quite sure exactly what he said. But anyway i race barrels with her so she is in sand a lot of the time and we are worried about sand cracks. Our farrier said to put shoes on her- which i will- but are there any good supplements i can give her to strengthen her hooves? i no biotin (? is that what its called?) is good for hooves but what are some supplements that contain that and WORK. i will put shoes on her i'd just also like something to strengthen her hooves and help them in the long run. Thanks!!!
Thirteen answers:
Barefoottrimmer
2009-04-15 14:16:36 UTC
Quality of hoof material is basically originated in good balanced nutrition and proper exercise (and therefore hoof stimulation). There are no hoof dressings or topicals that will "fix it". You can feed biotin by the bucket and if you do not have proper lysine in your horse's diet, it will not be helpful. Lysine is a limiting amino acid that is required in recommended minimum daily amount (23 g) to allow many other normal processes to occur, including proper utilization of proteins. Hoof health requires lysine, biotin, methionine and zinc. Check your feed source and make sure it is balanced. All in all, the percent of protein in your feed (say 12%) doesn't really mean too much. 12% feeds DO NOT have 12% crude protein (maybe about 8-10% only in reality). You need to know the grams of crude protein, not the percentage. Horses need digestible protein (.60 g) and crude protein (1.26 g) per kg of total weight/day. Crude protein in feed is directly related to the nitrogen content and labeling which sometimes has to meet a standard (not too many standards required for animal feeds unfortunately), they are usually incorrect as far as "meaning what they say". Sorry, didn't mean to go all chemical. Anyway, when correcting a nutritional problem, it will take 8-12 months to see results. There is no quick solution.



I would be curious as to why your horse has a crack? Are her hoof walls uniform in thickness all the way around? Has she been barefoot for a long time? I would be curious as to how she is trimmed. A proper barefoot trim can withstand almost anything, especially if the horse is getting consistent exercise. If the secondary or primary lamina is separating, the walls are too long - she is tearing them with her movement, plain and simple (if she is otherwise healthy). Until this mechnical problem is corrected, she will not be able to grow in a new connected wall. I would just make sure she is trimmed properly. I would not put shoes on her. Shoes will cause more damage and unnatural stress and pain. Not to be disparaging about your farrier, OK. Also, you didn't say where the cracks are ? quarters, toe? With proper trimming, she should be fine in sand or any other terrain (relative to wall cracks). Putting shoes on her will weaken her feet and they will never be as healthy as they could be.



In the long run, nutrition is the key. Good nutrition does not require supplements. With balanced nutrition, supplements create an imbalance and the problems that come with them. It will take time. Hope you can be patient for her sake. Get her properly trimmed and let her grow in a new connected wall. It can be scary to remove old damaged wall if you are unsure of what and how to do it and too often shoes are thought to be the ideal solution. It isn't. Maybe consult with a good barefoot person is you can find one in your area. Best of luck to you with your horse.



Just wanted to add one more idea. Dependent upon the condition of her walls and the amount of separation present, again-someone has to make a definitive call here, if the separated wall is trimmed as well as it can be (and a lot of damaged wall should be removed to prevent additional damage and remove the stress from the separating wall - but without making the horse sore or lame - it can be done), I would cast her front feet if you want to still get some work done with her. It will just protect her and allow her to work at some level. The casts will have to be replaced every two weeks to keep the walls properly maintained until new connected wall grows in. Again, you will need someone who is knowledgeable in this technique and it is not inexpensive, especially at twice monthly. But I think it is worth it if the case is appropriate. Again, wish you the best.
Alpha Mare
2009-04-14 17:56:17 UTC
I've had success with Horseshoer's Secret and Farriers Friend (or Formula- whatever they call it now). Supplements take a LONG time to take effect. You have to wait for new hoof growth to see the effects- so you're talking 6 months or so to even know if it's working and at $40 to $60 a bucket, you're shelling out for not-so-guaranteed results.



Oils and dressings don't help much anyway, especially if the problem is with the hoof structure and make-up.



If the farrier says shoes, I say get a second opinion. Shoes don't help make hoof walls stronger- they actually affect the integrity of the hoof and make them weaker. The shoes themselves will keep the hoof from cracking any more (by protecting her hoof from the rocks and ground and keeping her hoof from expanding too much with concussion), but you'll have to have her in shoes for the rest of her career if they don't get stronger on their own. In other words, if you try to take the shoes off and still work her as you are now, her hooves will be even worse than they are now. Your farrier may have a very good reason for the shoes, so don't discount him on my word. Some horses just have terrible genetics for hooves- certain QHs and TBs are notorious- so your horse may just need shoes period to carry on with the strenuousness of barrels and work, even if she gets everything she needs to build nice hoof.



I'd suggest taking a look at your mare's diet, ensuring that she gets plenty of 'building blocks' for her hooves (a high quality grain and hay, vitamins and minerals available), supplement with a biotin supplement to help in the distant future (make sure it's got zinc and copper in it too, so the horse can absorb and process said Biotin), hold off on the shoes until you've gotten another farrier to check out the problem, make sure she gets her hooves trimmed often and correctly so they can't get long enough (or out of proportion enough) to cause the cracks, and consider giving her a rest from the harshness of barrels and such until her hooves can get stronger.



Here are some links to the ones I mentioned:

http://www.horseshoerssecret.com/hss_original.htm

http://www.smartpakequine.com/ProductClass.aspx?ProductClassId=4882





This is a fantastic link I just found- compares the supplements ingredients:

http://www.smartpakequine.com/Charts/HoofCompare.html
Broken zipper
2009-04-14 21:47:17 UTC
I used HORSESHOER'S SECRET with great success with my filly that had crappy hooves. She has a crack in hers too.



When I got her the crack ran from top to bottom...completely and on both fronts. After 6 months of Horseshoer's Secret my farrier was pleased and said her feet were so much better.



I then put her on OMEGATIN. She's been on that for about 6 months.

The crack is almost entirely gone. Two more trimmings and she'll be solid. Her hoof wall is thicker and her hooves are not cracking and chipping.

Our ground here in Eastern North Carolina is mostly sand so you can imagine how damaging it is to their hooves.



I don't grain so they need the supplements and it has made 100% difference in their feet!



During the summer I muddy up the area around the water tank so that they have to stand in the mud to drink. This helps moisturize the hoof too.

I also use a hoof oil every day in the summer.
Devilsadvocaat22
2009-04-15 04:54:27 UTC
Try Farrier's Formula

http://www.lifedatalabs.com/



It's quite expensive but you don't need to use a lot of it. It does work very well ( much better than standard Biotin).

You need to use it for a month or so before you really see the results because it takes time for the new hoof to grow down.

In the meantime you can use a hoof dressing such as Keratex to minimise the damage to the old hoof as much as possible.
Greg B
2009-04-15 10:46:59 UTC
Biotin is good for hoof strength. I have used it before with positive results. My current horse does not need a hoof supplement, but my buddy that does use hoof supplement has used Farrier's Formula with success.
2009-04-14 18:04:19 UTC
If you want your horses hooves to get stronger, improve her nutrition.



Healthy hoof growth depends on balanced nutrition. As to good supplements, READ the labels and compare ingredients %'s.



All the nutrients and supplements in town is not a quick fix. It takes about one year to grow out a hoof from coronet to ground. You have to stick with it.
laura
2009-04-15 08:32:46 UTC
Don't use usual hoof dressings-- a wet hoof is not a healthy hoof. Try Keratex Hoof Hardener (http://www.keratex.net/) which is a topical formula that will harden the hoof wall. It is a rather hard-to-find and not well-known product, and it's terribly expensive, but it works very well.
Emma
2009-04-14 17:29:34 UTC
Try putting on some Hoof Dressing. Put it on before you ride and after you ride. You can put it on the frog of the hoof and the top of it. Make sure his hoofs are trimmed far enough and consider getting shoes. Talk to your farrier for more info.
acreatureofhope
2009-04-14 17:44:47 UTC
Well, the thing that will strengthen and fix her feet the most is being ridden. There is a thoroughbred who is a lesson horse at my barn that I ride sometimes if my horse is missing a shoe or something who has cracked pancake feet. What he needs is to be ridden harder.
♥pony grl♥
2009-04-14 17:32:49 UTC
i use hoof heal you just paint a little bit on her hooves right after you ride her or groom her.
?
2016-05-17 12:24:01 UTC
Usually people quit their diets before they see any important benefits and in virtually each single case it is because the diet regime is just poorly laid out, if you are one of this persons and you need to lose some weight
Sunshine <3
2009-04-14 18:45:10 UTC
Use bioton :) It can be found in your local tack shop!
gallop
2009-04-15 21:15:25 UTC
I hope you will take Barefoot's advice......good luck with this.


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
Loading...