hoof help..please!

eponafan · 10-16-2009, 08:31 AM

Ok, I'm seeking a lot of advice here, so..

Background: 11 yr old thoroughbred mare. When I bought her she was ridden maybe once a week and was getting barefoot trims. Now, I ride her 5-6 days a week, lots of flat work, up to 3' fences, trail riding, and some cross country schooling, and she is now shod all around because her front feet started flaring out really bad and she has a crack in back left foot. My farrier's goal is to get her back barefoot but she lost a lot of heel when she flared out and she has some white line disease. I cannot explain how much I love this horse and want to do everything I can to help her..but I've never had a horse with hoof issues so I have no experience here.

I have tried epsom salt for getting ride of the white line but I can't really tell if its helped considering the shoe is sitting on top of it. Some one recommended bleach water to me..what do you think? I pick her feet out 2-3 times a day as she did get a little thrush from the wetness down here, which the thrush is now completely gone. I'm wondering if I should put her on supplements to help maintain her hooves..does anyone have any ideas on this, supplements they would recommend, or would it even help at all?

Any good advice is appreciated. Thank you!

BarnBum · 10-16-2009, 08:36 AM

http://www.fivestarfungusfree.com/

horsecrazygal · 10-18-2009, 08:33 PM

Biotin supplementation works great when trying to grow out hooves. It worked so well for my mare that I had to get her hooves done every 4-5 weeks instead of 6-8.

How often are you getting your horses hooves done? Maybe they need to be done more often to keep the flares down.

Have you tried getting a second opinion from another farrier? White Line is very common around here and usually we keep the shoes off to treat it- otherwise it is hard/impossible to get the medicine in it. I use Thrush Buster to treat white line. I use a nail to remove the dirt from the crack in the hoof and then treat it. I have also heard that you can use hydrogen peroxide but I haven't tried that since the Thrush Buster usually takes care of it.

Did your horse have bad flares when you bought her or is this something that has developed since then? If it has developed since then, I would think it is time to get a new farrier. A good farrier should fix the flares when they just start and not wait til they get severe. Pictures also help so we can see what your horses feet look like.

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10-16-2009, 08:31 AM
eponafan Halter broke Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: the woodlands, tx Posts: 185	hoof help..please! Ok, I'm seeking a lot of advice here, so.. Background: 11 yr old thoroughbred mare. When I bought her she was ridden maybe once a week and was getting barefoot trims. Now, I ride her 5-6 days a week, lots of flat work, up to 3' fences, trail riding, and some cross country schooling, and she is now shod all around because her front feet started flaring out really bad and she has a crack in back left foot. My farrier's goal is to get her back barefoot but she lost a lot of heel when she flared out and she has some white line disease. I cannot explain how much I love this horse and want to do everything I can to help her..but I've never had a horse with hoof issues so I have no experience here. I have tried epsom salt for getting ride of the white line but I can't really tell if its helped considering the shoe is sitting on top of it. Some one recommended bleach water to me..what do you think? I pick her feet out 2-3 times a day as she did get a little thrush from the wetness down here, which the thrush is now completely gone. I'm wondering if I should put her on supplements to help maintain her hooves..does anyone have any ideas on this, supplements they would recommend, or would it even help at all? Any good advice is appreciated. Thank you!

10-16-2009, 08:36 AM
BarnBum Kid Safe Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Sunshine State Posts: 5,862	http://www.fivestarfungusfree.com/ __________________ *Life is a coin, you can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once.*

10-18-2009, 08:33 PM
horsecrazygal Newborn Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: FL Posts: 33	Biotin supplementation works great when trying to grow out hooves. It worked so well for my mare that I had to get her hooves done every 4-5 weeks instead of 6-8. How often are you getting your horses hooves done? Maybe they need to be done more often to keep the flares down. Have you tried getting a second opinion from another farrier? White Line is very common around here and usually we keep the shoes off to treat it- otherwise it is hard/impossible to get the medicine in it. I use Thrush Buster to treat white line. I use a nail to remove the dirt from the crack in the hoof and then treat it. I have also heard that you can use hydrogen peroxide but I haven't tried that since the Thrush Buster usually takes care of it. Did your horse have bad flares when you bought her or is this something that has developed since then? If it has developed since then, I would think it is time to get a new farrier. A good farrier should fix the flares when they just start and not wait til they get severe. Pictures also help so we can see what your horses feet look like.