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 Worst.Housekeeper.EVER.
   
Location: Missouri | If I'm doing my math right...
The supplement is 240mg/lb. I fed 1 ounce.
The feed is 1.15mg/lb. I fed ~5lb (depending on lots of factors)
So, he was getting a min. of 20mg/day.
Is that enough? Should I change? |
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Expert
Posts: 1207
| I would put him on the Farrier's Hoof Formula. Can get it through Valley Vet. |
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 Swiffer PIcker Upper
Posts: 4015
Location: Four Corners Colorado | SaraJean - 2014-08-22 11:08 PM YIKES! Your farrier is 99% of your problem. Really look at the 2nd picture you posted, the top section of the foot is the angle his hoof "wants" to grow at but the farrier is allowing him to have underrun heels & WAY to much toe. If the trim was correct it would help a ton with the cracking as the way he is trimmed is causing a lot of stress on the hoof wall & causes the cracks. His feet are cracking & chipping in part as their own way of trying to trim themselves to where they need to be. I really don't think your issue is nutrition if his back feet are normal & healthy looking. I drew lines on the one pic to show where his foot should be.....
Listen to this lady!!!!! Feed will help but without a proper trim nothing will get fixed. You can slap shoes on but if they get pulled off and take hoof you'll be a world of hurt. If you can't find a farrier get a stand a hoof rasp. You can trim your own horse! |
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  Potato Soup Queen
Location: Alabama | You've been given some VERY bad advice on this post and some good advice as well. You do need a new farrier. Barefoot is not your problem, the trim IS your problem.
Due to the angle the feet are right now, you have a lack of blood flow and a very shelly cracking hoof. |
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I Need a Xanax!
Posts: 2774
| Great thread, lots of good info from farrierlady as usual. I have a gelding whose hooves looked just like that for 2 years after I got him and I finally started trimming him very short every 3 weeks or so and it helped a lot but his feet were still shelly soft and stayed cracked like this and were thin and flat and he kept central sulcrus thrush on and off pretty bad all the time. I'd get it healed(or so I thought) then it would come right back. Then out of totally unrelated circumstances I started feeding him SafeChoice Original feed and within 2 months I could not believe the difference in his hooves and I totally wasn't expecting that. His central sulcrus thrush went away and the groove nearly completely closed up and his hooves got harder(not chalky anymore) and quit splitting. So all that to say....after you consider that his toe needs to be backed way up...could his nutrition be lacking? I'm not necessarily trying to promote the Safe Choice feed but it DOES have something in it that made a world of difference in my horses hooves in a short amount of time!! |
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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | SaraJean - 2014-08-22 10:08 PM YIKES! Your farrier is 99% of your problem. Really look at the 2nd picture you posted, the top section of the foot is the angle his hoof "wants" to grow at but the farrier is allowing him to have underrun heels & WAY to much toe. If the trim was correct it would help a ton with the cracking as the way he is trimmed is causing a lot of stress on the hoof wall & causes the cracks. His feet are cracking & chipping in part as their own way of trying to trim themselves to where they need to be. I really don't think your issue is nutrition if his back feet are normal & healthy looking. I drew lines on the one pic to show where his foot should be.....
THIS is what my thought was when I saw the pictures. His hoof WANTS to grow down. And the newer growth looks fairly healthy. Someone really needs to get your geldings angles right. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 912
Location: Alabama | I agree with farrierlady 100%. I also don't think any supplement will help. Maybe cut back the sugars in his diet if that is a factor. The only other thing I have to add is that maybe he has a fungal or bacterial infection going on that is creating the cracks and poor outer wall. I had one who cracked up, though not as badly as yours, and a couple anti fungal soaks along with an herbal hoof treatment from tractor supply stopped the cracking. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Sockittoemred - 2014-08-23 11:06 AM
I agree with farrierlady 100%. I also don't think any supplement will help. Maybe cut back the sugars in his diet if that is a factor. The only other thing I have to add is that maybe he has a fungal or bacterial infection going on that is creating the cracks and poor outer wall. I had one who cracked up, though not as badly as yours, and a couple anti fungal soaks along with an herbal hoof treatment from tractor supply stopped the cracking.
I have to disagree with you on supplements not working.
Yes you need to correct the balance, angles, of the feet, but if a horse is not digesting the food properly, or unable to absorb the nutrients needed, or is malnourished, the horses feet will still be dry brittle and shell like and continue to chip off.
One must correct the internal problems AND the external problems. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | cheryl makofka - 2014-08-23 2:34 PM Sockittoemred - 2014-08-23 11:06 AM I agree with farrierlady 100%. I also don't think any supplement will help. Maybe cut back the sugars in his diet if that is a factor. The only other thing I have to add is that maybe he has a fungal or bacterial infection going on that is creating the cracks and poor outer wall. I had one who cracked up, though not as badly as yours, and a couple anti fungal soaks along with an herbal hoof treatment from tractor supply stopped the cracking. I have to disagree with you on supplements not working. Yes you need to correct the balance, angles, of the feet, but if a horse is not digesting the food properly, or unable to absorb the nutrients needed, or is malnourished, the horses feet will still be dry brittle and shell like and continue to chip off. One must correct the internal problems AND the external problems.
I believe in a good diet and good supplements when needed, and I feed supplements, I have found a good joint supplement is also good for hair/coat and hoofs.  |
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 Expert
Posts: 1526
Location: Texas | He has a slight club foot. Pull the toe back and cut off some heel. Bevel the edges and they won't break off so bad. |
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| I'm surprised no one has asked. Where does this horse live?
My husband is a farrier and it appears this foot is experiencing extremes in moisture. Very wet, very dry, very wet, very dry..... Mix that with a horse that probably has TB blood and this seems to be a common result. |
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 Loves to compete
Posts: 5760
Location: Oakdale, CA | the cracks are sand cracks/ grass cracls they don't botther me as much as the angle of his feet.
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 Night Chat Leader
Posts: 13150
Location: Home....Smiling M Farms | just4fun - 2014-08-23 12:23 AM If I'm doing my math right...
The supplement is 240mg/lb. I fed 1 ounce.
The feed is 1.15mg/lb. I fed ~5lb (depending on lots of factors)
So, he was getting a min. of 20mg/day.
Is that enough? Should I change? I feed mine 50 mg once a day and a thing of Knox gelatin. Makes all the difference in the world.
Edited by Leo 2014-08-24 4:05 AM
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 Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | I have very wet conditions and that is what is happening to my horses. I found that rain maker has improved that problem. The long toe needs to be corrected in order to help the hoof and stress. In order for biotin to work in the system it needs his partner D-L Methionine or biotin will not work. D-L Methionine by it self with produce hoof growth and with biotin will produce a healthy hoof. If you use 100% pure D-L Methionine and required amount of biotin the hoof will become rubber like that a hoof nipper can not cut within six months time. Creating a healthy solid hoof. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Cinchy girl - 2014-08-23 4:06 PM
I'm surprised no one has asked. Where does this horse live?
My husband is a farrier and it appears this foot is experiencing extremes in moisture. Very wet, very dry, very wet, very dry..... Mix that with a horse that probably has TB blood and this seems to be a common result.
Not necessarily true, I have 20 horses and they see wet and dry conditions, none of their feet are cracked.
Mine do get their feet done when they need it, are all on pasture with a good mineral free choice.
Also most of my horses if you look far enough into their pedigree are practically all thoroughbred
It all comes down to maintenance, caring for the feet, and ensuring they are getting a balanced diet fulfilling all their requirements. |
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Worst.Housekeeper.EVER.
Location: Missouri | cheryl makofka - 2014-08-24 11:38 AM Cinchy girl - 2014-08-23 4:06 PM I'm surprised no one has asked. Where does this horse live? My husband is a farrier and it appears this foot is experiencing extremes in moisture. Very wet, very dry, very wet, very dry..... Mix that with a horse that probably has TB blood and this seems to be a common result. Not necessarily true, I have 20 horses and they see wet and dry conditions, none of their feet are cracked. Mine do get their feet done when they need it, are all on pasture with a good mineral free choice. Also most of my horses if you look far enough into their pedigree are practically all thoroughbred It all comes down to maintenance, caring for the feet, and ensuring they are getting a balanced diet fulfilling all their requirements.
Would like to clarify that I also have other horses, ranging from 3 months to 32 years old. None have issues like this. I do care for their feet regularly and feed a balanced diet, including free choice minerals.
Cinchy girl~ his pasture conditions do vary. At home, he shares a small turnout (~2 acres) with one other horse. It is overgrazed, so a lot of dirt and short grass (mud in the spring). When he's "turned out" he is out on ~30 acres of grass with one other horse. The grass is very thick, but was baled earlier so is less that a foot tall. It gets heavy morning dew. His water source there is a pond (so he stands in water to drink).
He does have a lot of TB in his pedigree.
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| We have nine horses on pasture. We irrigate here and pull the horses off for a few days after we irrigate. If you look at a shod horse five days or so after they've been standing in water and their feet have dried out, the clinches have loosened just a bit from the foot expanding then contracting. We have a 20 year old paint horse that without shoes and left on the irrigated pasture would have the same cracking and would be sore.
I agree with the others that your horse will benefit from proper angles. It's nice to give your farrier something to work with though. I would try and control the moisture, proper trimming, and a healthy diet. It's not going to fix the joint issues but maybe clear up his feet to make him comfortable. My 6year old mare had the IRAP done and it didn't help due to the small amount of space in the joints. She had her whole barrel racing future ahead of her. Not sure it's worth the money to spend on a 20 year old gelding. JMO! Good luck.
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