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  Discussion on Hoof questions
Author Message
Member:
Christos

Posted on Saturday, Apr 3, 2004 - 3:27 pm:

I am facing a little problem with one of our mares. The outer shell of her front hooves, the outmost 1,5-2mm, is extremely hard, to the extend that it has become irritatingly brittle.
Driving the point of a nail out is almost sure to split this outer shell horribly, and sometimes delaminate it from the wall.
During the last trim I had to use the nail cutters to nip through this shell.
These were minor annoyances until I naively decided to let her work barefoot for a week or so. Though the footing was soft, this hard outer shell chipped so badly, taking a couple of chunks of wall with it, that I'm afraid I'll have to use a filling compound in order to fit and nail a shoe on. I was too lazy to round the edges when I let her barefoot, but still the chips were too much.
Is there anything I can do to soften this outer shell without affecting the rest of the wall? Her hoof walls are on the soft side, I could pare them with the knife if it was not for this outer shell, so I wouldn't like them any softer.
Any ideas?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Apr 3, 2004 - 5:41 pm:

You could try hoof wall moisturizers that contain water and alcohols as part of their components. Usually they also contain emulsifiers like propylene glycol. The trick is not to put so much on that you soften the whole wall.
DrO
Member:
Kthorse

Posted on Saturday, Apr 3, 2004 - 5:52 pm:

I have heard this but do not know if it works. They use it in barefoot trims to soften hoof (make it more pliable)before trimming. Dont take my word on it though as I have not had the reason to try it. Make a mixture of 1/4 cider vinigar and 3/4 water and spray hoof as often as possible. Usually you do this before filing or trimming a very hard hoof. If you do try it let us know if it helps.
Member:
Kthorse

Posted on Saturday, Apr 3, 2004 - 5:53 pm:

Forgot to say in your case just the area that needs softening.
Katrina
Member:
Christos

Posted on Sunday, Apr 4, 2004 - 1:44 am:

DrO and Katrina,thanks for your replies,

I'll try some handcream first, I see that their ingredients fit DrO's suggestion and I think it will do until I get my hands on a dedicated hoof moisturiser.

Katrina, I'll be trimming a mare with very hard hoofs next week. She won't need these steel hooves of hers for some time, as she's due to foal in 20 days, so I can give myself a break and try some softening for a change. I'll let you know how the recipe works.

Many thanks,
Christos
Member:
Letizia

Posted on Sunday, Oct 3, 2004 - 10:45 pm:

I have the same problem with my mare. But I am confused as to why you would recommend a hoof moisturizer that contains water and alcohol. Wouldn't these dry the hoof even more? Wouldn't an oil based product be better? Thanks.
Member:
Pones

Posted on Monday, Oct 4, 2004 - 2:43 am:

Oil based products 'block' the hoof wall and do not allow it to breathe, so although they keep moisture in, they also do not let excess moisture out of the hoof.

Something like Keratex Hoof gel (which is water based and contains alcohol) is formulated to act like breathable goretex - form a waterproof barrier, whilst allowing the hoof to breathe.

(_)(_)
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Oct 4, 2004 - 6:47 am:

Letizia, if the purpose were to protect and improve horn hydration you would be exactly right. Christos above described a situation where he wanted too soften this outer most layer while not increasing hydration inside. Now I admit, I have never seen a situation exactly like he describes above and, in retrospect, am not sure he would not have been better with a oil based product: he may have increased moisture outside while maintaining proper moisture inside. If Christos is listening can you report back?
DrO
Member:
Christos

Posted on Monday, Oct 4, 2004 - 8:46 am:

Hi, Doctor,
I tried hand cream, applied daily for a week, and it didn't work. Another week with hoof moisturiser (water based) didn't make a difference either.
Now twice a day may do the trick, but the people who own her and the people who ride her can not be bothered, so why should I ?
However, I still shoe her as a favour to the barn owner. To avoid chips (this hard shell chips with just one barefoot stomp) and splits from the nails, I just soak them in water for two hours (it does take that long), finish the job and let them dry again.
It is remarkable, I believe, that this hard layer never cracked or chipped when shod, so softening it is not such a necessity.
I am actually a bit hesitant to experiment, as she's a strong 4 1/2 yo, 1200 lbs, 16hh horse who's frequently cantered on stone packed roads. There's actually nothing to improve in her hoove's performance.

Christos
Member:
Christos

Posted on Monday, Oct 4, 2004 - 8:55 am:

I haven't tried Katrina's recipe on this other mare, as I was too occupied with her little colt.
Unfortunately, we lost this mare to colitis X on July 5, so the trial is postponed until the next chance.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 5, 2004 - 7:19 am:

My condolences on the colitis death. Thank you for the update Christos and bummer about the two hours soak. I know how hard it can be to get a horse to stand in water. How do you manage this?
DrO
Member:
Christos

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 5, 2004 - 1:54 pm:

Thanks, Doctor.

For soaking hooves I cut squares out of tractor's inner tube. 50X50cm or so. Put the hoof in the middle, fold the sides up the leg, then secure it by taping tightly around the pastern.
Kind of a rubber bag around the hoof, if you get the picture. You fill it up with water and you turn them out for a couple of hours.
Surprisingly enough, horses don't seem to mind these awkward water clogs and the sounds they produce. Even the ones that are very funny with boots, never complained.

Hope it works for you too.
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