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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 460
 
| Hey there everyone!! I have a horse who I am just starting to teach barrels to, but he has pretty bad feet. I know he has had glue on shoes in the past, but I'm not sure I know much about those. Has anyone else had a horse with tender feet? What would you guys suggest to hold feet together while running barrels? Maybe a special shoe, pads, glue on shoe, or even a training boot of some kind? Thanks a ton! |
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 Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | Define "bad"... if it is thin. shelly walls, Biotin in the diet will thicken the new walls growing out but be ready to wait a year to be able to use that new wall..
Edited by komet. 2014-12-08 7:38 PM
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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
 
Location: Kansas | My gray horse has pretty poor feet, mainly because they are small and his pasterns are pretty straight/steep so the feet really take a beating. He's been to multiple vets this year and what we have determined keeps him at the top of his game is shoeing with a little too big of shoes and pour-in Equipack pads on the front, resetting his shoes more frequently in the summer when his feet are growing (we can't let them get very long or he'll be sore), coffin joint injections as needed (so far we have done them twice....we did three feet in May and his front feet again in mid-August), magnetic bell boots 24/7 and Soft Ride boots whenever hauling, stalled or standing tied. I swear the Soft Ride boots are what kept him going in 2012 when a shoer put too small shoes on him and I didn't realize it for a couple weeks. I also feed him THE Equine Edge's Laminitis/Blood Flow formula with some extra aspirin added.
I don't think there are cut & dried answers to maintaining one with bad feet because each horse is an individual. My first stop would be a good vet to figure out exactly what is bad about his feet and how you can fix that or manage it. |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | Pro poly podiatry. Holds the foot together and helps foundered horses. Check on youtube. Neat stuff. |
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 Hog Tie My Mojo
Posts: 4847
Location: Opelousas, LA | I would find a vet who has a lot of knowledge in equine podiatry, even many of the top lameness vets are not up to speed on what is available for a bad footed horse. Pictures would help along with exactly why this horse has foot problems. I am assuming that you have an OTT horse that used to race in glue on shoes. Do you know why they had to use glue ons and what was used? Also, nutrition and environment at the racetrack are not usually helpful in improving problem feet. Now that you have many more options for this horses diet and lifestyle it is completely possible you may be able to grow a much better foot than was possible in the racetrack environment. |
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
| My OTT colt had really tender feet when I got him. Shavings to moist track and back. Never had to grow sole. I used durasole daily and fixed it. But it's going to take a year to really make them strong. |
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Veteran
Posts: 127
Location: Kansas | I haven't read the other posts yet but I would love to get information on bad feet I have mare that is a 3 year old green broke and her right front has a bad crack on it like half way up her hoof. She is lame on it. She has never had shoes but has been trimmed. Would a shoe help to prevent the crack getting worse? What would be a good supplement to try? |
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Veteran
Posts: 294
| I like Equipiride if you can get your horse to eat it. |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | mcdaniel14 - 2014-12-10 8:56 AM I haven't read the other posts yet but I would love to get information on bad feet I have mare that is a 3 year old green broke and her right front has a bad crack on it like half way up her hoof. She is lame on it. She has never had shoes but has been trimmed. Would a shoe help to prevent the crack getting worse? What would be a good supplement to try?
any farrier worth a lick of salt will know how to fix this.....
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1028
| Barnmom - 2014-12-08 11:09 PM I would find a vet who has a lot of knowledge in equine podiatry, even many of the top lameness vets are not up to speed on what is available for a bad footed horse. Pictures would help along with exactly why this horse has foot problems. I am assuming that you have an OTT horse that used to race in glue on shoes. Do you know why they had to use glue ons and what was used? Also, nutrition and environment at the racetrack are not usually helpful in improving problem feet. Now that you have many more options for this horses diet and lifestyle it is completely possible you may be able to grow a much better foot than was possible in the racetrack environment.
I second this! I am lucky that my vet happens to be one of the top equine podiatrists in the country, so he catches and prevents potential problems before they happen. I've seen him bring back horses that couldn't even stand on their own, to being sound riding horses again. So, I'd do some searching to see if there is a vet that specializes in podiatry in your area.
Also, all of my riding horses are on NANRIC Biotin 100. You wouldn't believe the difference the extra strength biotin makes in the quality of their feet.
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 460
| Thank you so much everyone for your feedback!! I'm really glad so many of you gave your advice to me. I am really interested in those pour in pads. I also galloped him for a year at the track, and he has some rotation in his feet (not sure the percent). Hopefully just getting him in an arena and paddock will improve some. Thanks for the recommendation with supplements too, that Biotin sounds like a worth it product to me as well. |
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 Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | There are a lot of topicals for poor feet and several feed throughs. I have only tried THE Hoof Growth for a feed through with a horse who's feet were chipping bad due to hot dry weather. My farrier noticed his growth and we were able to get him fixed up before they got too bad. I have a couple of customers that use it to grow out really bad cracks. I have a broodmare now with a terrible hind crack. My plan is to shoe her and feed her the Hoof Growth until the crack grows out and see if she will carry out later without shoes. THE has money back guarantees on their supplements so no risk to give it a try. |
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Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | Katielovestbs - 2014-12-09 5:41 PM Thank you so much everyone for your feedback!! I'm really glad so many of you gave your advice to me. I am really interested in those pour in pads. I also galloped him for a year at the track, and he has some rotation in his feet (not sure the percent). Hopefully just getting him in an arena and paddock will improve some. Thanks for the recommendation with supplements too, that Biotin sounds like a worth it product to me as well.
Equipak or Equipack is the brand that my farrier uses on Chance. Valleyvet.com sells it. Pricey stuff but its good. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Katielovestbs - 2014-12-09 5:41 PM
Thank you so much everyone for your feedback!! I'm really glad so many of you gave your advice to me. I am really interested in those pour in pads. I also galloped him for a year at the track, and he has some rotation in his feet (not sure the percent). Hopefully just getting him in an arena and paddock will improve some. Thanks for the recommendation with supplements too, that Biotin sounds like a worth it product to me as well.
If your horse has a coffin bone rotation he has foundered.
Now you have to treat your horse as a foundered horse as any horse who has rotation is more prone to founder again.
If you can try and trim or shoe with the X-ray every 6 months as you have to trim to where the coffin bone is not the slope of the shoulder or pastern you need to trim to the coffin bone. This can only be done by X-ray.
Most of the time you need to pull back the toe sometimes you actually have to drop the heels (do not do this without xrays) you also need to trim or reset every 4 weeks not 6 due to the foundered hoof growth and actually more experts are saying this is the way to go. I have noticed on all my horses their feet are much healthier trimming every. 4 weeks.
Also look into circulation supplements ani med has remission, the has one honestly never noticed one being better then the other I have a chronic foundered mare.
Also you will need to restrict sugars no spring time grass, limit alfalfa, no sweet feed, as the high sugars can cause inflammation in the feet.
In time with a proper nutrition and proper trimming you may not need shoes. If you choose to not shoe now I suggest purchasing hoof boots, my favorite are old macs they stay on don't rub and last forever my chronic founder lives in them during the winter as we have snow and ice my oldest pair is 7 yrs old and still in good shape. This will actually be cheaper in the long run versus shoes.
To harden up the soles I use iodine I buy nursing pads soak them apply to the feet vet wrap and change every 3 days. The feet will be hard in a month you will notice a difference in 1-2 weeks. You need to firm up the sole as a horse with a rotated coffin bone has a compromised vascular system and are prone to abscesses. Restricting sugars will also help prevent abscesses.
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| mcdaniel14 - 2014-12-09 9:56 AM
I haven't read the other posts yet but I would love to get information on bad feet I have mare that is a 3 year old green broke and her right front has a bad crack on it like half way up her hoof. She is lame on it. She has never had shoes but has been trimmed. Would a shoe help to prevent the crack getting worse? What would be a good supplement to try?
A hoof crack causing lamness is a serious crack.
I suggest taking your horse to the vet having an X-ray done to see if the lamania is damaged as it may be cracked as well.
Also the horse may have developed an infection in the crack causing the lamness.
Yes shoes can help the crack getting worse, but I would be getting to the bottom of why the horse is lame before trying anything otherwise you may be wasting your money.
I had one horse abscesses at the cornet band when it came out she had a quarter size hole in the hoof wall at the cornet band. After it blew she wasn't lame till it was half way grown out. She did need shoes on for 12 weeks till it grew out enough now she is fine |
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 Ms Bling Bling Sleeze Kitty
Posts: 20917
Location: LouLouVille, OK | A sound horse starts at his hooves... and nutrition plays a huge part in that as well..
Biotin... at least 50 mgs a day, and keep shoes on... it will take a good 6 months to really reep the benefits... Hooves are not a over night fix...
I had the best luck with this http://www.jefferspet.com/products/biotin-800-z
Edited by cindyt 2014-12-10 10:52 AM
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"Heck's Coming With Me"
Posts: 10797
Location: Kansas | cindyt - 2014-12-10 10:48 AM A sound horse starts at his hooves... and nutrition plays a huge part in that as well..
Biotin... at least 50 mgs a day, and keep shoes on... it will take a good 6 months to really reep the benefits... Hooves are not a over night fix...
I had the best luck with this http://www.jefferspet.com/products/biotin-800-z
....and just the Pro Ranch hoof supplement from Atwoods did wonders for my husband's little heel horse.
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | Years ago I formulated and manufactured the original Hooflex+ product for Absorbine. In the development of that product, our trials proved the same thing that Cornell University trials on supplementing biotin later did. A horse with a fully functioning digestive system, with a healthy hind gut, will produce all the biotin that they need by themselves. In other words, fix the gut, and added biotin is of little value to the healthy horse. Unfortunately, most horses that are fed high amounts of concentrate do not have a normally functioning hind gut and are therefore deficient in biotin production. That is a case where adding more may eventually make a difference. Our studies showed that supporting the system with additional Lysine, Methionine, and Zinc had a greater effect on the feet of horses if they had a diet that better fit their digestive system. I have been known as the guy that does not put fillers in any formulation I do just to make it look like the customer is getting more in the tub. I varied from that when I added biotin to that hoof product. This was simply because people will not buy one that does not have it. When Absorbine launched the product, I was asked if it had any fillers in it. I replied," yes, it has 40mg per day of Biotin." Most quality hoof supplements today are also excellent sources of Lysine, Methionine and Zinc. I strongly believe that is what makes a difference when those products are fed to horses that have a proper diet. Some horses have genetically poor feet. In this case well formulated hoof supplements make sense, but, even with those horses, you may get by feeding less hoof products by fixing the diet first. Remember, "we feed horses into trouble, then try to supplement them out of it".
Edited by winwillows 2014-12-10 5:09 PM
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| winwillows - 2014-12-10 4:59 PM
Years ago I formulated and manufactured the original Hooflex+ product for Absorbine. In the development of that product, our trials proved the same thing that Cornell University trials on supplementing biotin later did. A horse with a fully functioning digestive system, with a healthy hind gut, will produce all the biotin that they need by themselves. In other words, fix the gut, and added biotin is of little value to the healthy horse. Unfortunately, most horses that are fed high amounts of concentrate do not have a normally functioning hind gut and are therefore deficient in biotin production. That is a case where adding more may eventually make a difference. Our studies showed that supporting the system with additional Lysine, Methionine, and Zinc had a greater effect on the feet of horses if they had a diet that better fit their digestive system. I have been known as the guy that does not put fillers in any formulation I do just to make it look like the customer is getting more in the tub. I varied from that when I added biotin to that hoof product. This was simply because people will not buy one that does not have it. When Absorbine launched the product, I was asked if it had any fillers in it. I replied," yes, it has 40mg per day of Biotin." Most quality hoof supplements today are also excellent sources of Lysine, Methionine and Zinc. I strongly believe that is what makes a difference when those products are fed to horses that have a proper diet. Some horses have genetically poor feet. In this case well formulated hoof supplements make sense, but, even with those horses, you may get by feeding less hoof products by fixing the diet first. Remember, "we feed horses into trouble, then try to supplement them out of it".
I also heard silica is important to feet what are your views on this? |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | Cheryl
I had this involved response to your silica question and my internet connection fell off and I lost it. I am not up to trying to do it over on my cell phone. So here is the short version. (Perhaps better). Silica is everywhere. Out west there can be a problem of too much in Alfalfa hay. Since it is not well absorbed, it can be very hard to supplement. There are some studies that point to improved bone density and ligement strength when it is supplemented to horses that are truely deficient, but I don't think many are. I am not supplementing silica at this time. Happy to discuss this on the phone if you have more questions. 530-518-8254.
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