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  Discussion on Hoof Armor
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Member:
Lsweeney

Posted on Friday, Jun 23, 2006 - 12:33 pm:

Also, has anyone had any experience with this product:

https://www.pegasusforge.com/
https://www.pegasusforge.com/founder.htm
Member:
Ajudson1

Posted on Friday, Jun 23, 2006 - 1:28 pm:

Laurie,

Never heard of it, looks interesting. Any idea on the cost? I am finding my horses all have very tender feet these days. Too much leisure time.
Member:
Lsweeney

Posted on Friday, Jun 23, 2006 - 7:54 pm:

I don't know. I have a foundered mare that I use EZ boots on. I thought this was interesting.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Jun 25, 2006 - 8:37 am:

Hello All,
For our recommendations on hoof conditioners see, Care for Horses » Hoof Care » Care of the Hoof: an Overview.
DrO
Member:
Lsweeney

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 27, 2006 - 2:00 am:

I'm not seeing anything in this article that talks about this type of application? It is not a traditional hoof conditioner. It is like they are creating an artificial hard coating on the bottom of the hoof.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 27, 2006 - 6:24 am:

Can you list the ingredients and application recommendations Laurie?
DrO
Member:
Yitto

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 27, 2006 - 9:48 am:

I have used Hoof Armor for several years now, it is an awesome starter to barefoot riding. It can be a little messy while learning to apply it, and requires that you teach your horse to let you use a blow dryer on his foot. The product keeps the hoof from breaking and chipping and provides a nice barrier like a shoe would.

I mainly do mountain trail riding where losing a shoe was a big problem. I have not shod my horses in 3 years once I started using this product. I do not use any other products to toughen the hoof. The cost is about $8.00 per horse once you master application. It will stay useful on the hoof for 6 to 8 weeks.
Member:
Lsweeney

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 28, 2006 - 5:05 am:

Q: What is HoofArmor?

A: HoofArmor is a thin, flexible protective coating used in place of horseshoes. Applied to the sole and hoof wall bottom edge, it simply protects against wear and chipping. Because it is flexible, it doesn’t restrict the natural expansion of the hoof.

Q: How many hooves will it do?

A: On saddle horses (quarter horses, thoroughbreds, Arabs, etc) one 50 ml cartridge should protect 8 hooves; applying a coating to everything but the frog on the bottom of the hoof.

Q: How long does it last?

A: On typical use (trail riding, ring riding) it lasts from trim to trim, or about six weeks. Then it is trimmed off with the excess hoof and reapplied. However, riders have successfully completed 50 and 100 mile endurance rides over all terrains and 50 mile wagon train over roads.

Q: Does it protect against stone bruising?

A: HoofArmor will protect against any penetration but, being flexible, will not completely prevent bruising. The key to stone protection is a thicker sole; more thickness between the stones and the sensitive sole. HoofArmor is used to protect the sole from wear while it grows thicker and tougher.

Q: How is HoofArmor applied?

A: HoofArmor comes in a two part dispenser and is pre-mixed as it comes out the nozzle. HoofArmor is spread with the spatula in a thin coating and cured with a heat gun.

Q: What is it made with? Is it toxic?

A: HoofArmor’s 9 ingredients are a trade secret, but it is essentially an epoxy base (one of the least toxic adhesives) with a lot of Kevlar®, the bulletproofing material. As a coating it is against the hoof, not in the hoof. Once cured, it is inert against the hoof.

Q: Does it seal the hoof from breathing?

A: Contrary to popular belief the hoof below the live coronary, from which it grows, doesn’t breathe. The hoof is nourished from within. Recent U of P studies showed that the cells of the outer hoof are denser to seal it. The hoof itself makes a varnish coating as the hoof grows out that maintains the moisture level (about 25%) in the hoof wall. HoofArmor just does the same on the bottom. HoofArmor is not applied to the frog, which is a different consistency; more of a cushion and seldom bruised.

OLD NEWS: Pegasus Forge, Inc. has been awarded U.S. Patent Number 6,231,972 for their Adhesive Abrasive-Resistant Hoof Protection tradenamed Hoof Armor®. We have also been awarded U.S. Patent Number 6,283,219 for our Founder / Laminitis Treatment.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 28, 2006 - 7:29 am:

Interesting stuff with which I have no personal experience Laurie. My one concern other than it may not perform as advertised is that sealing the outside wall often results in softening. Apparently Darbie has not seen this problem and feels it does a good job however. Has anyone else used this product?
DrO
Member:
Lsweeney

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 28, 2006 - 10:41 pm:

Darbie - What about the winter? I find my foundered horse is always more vulnerable in the winter when her feet soften up. What does it look like in mud?
Member:
Yitto

Posted on Thursday, Jun 29, 2006 - 12:24 am:

Hi Laurie, I haven't personally used it in the winter. I do know that it holds up to our very wet springs and the hooves stay strong when they would normally be soft.

My farrier, where I first learned of the product was using it on foundered horses. He swore by it, but then again I am not sure if he used it in the winter or not. But did claim it helps prevent thrush.

I might add that it doesn't work for all horses. My older gelding has thin hoof walls and doesn't retain metal shoes for more than a week. The hoof armor helps to maintain the hoof but he requires boots to ride in the gravel.
Member:
Kthorse

Posted on Thursday, Jun 29, 2006 - 7:35 am:

My Barefoot trimmer uses it. He had mentioned when he first took my horses shoes off if he was very ouchy he would put it on. We didnt need it. He is coming out this Monday. I will ask him about his experiences with it.
Katrina
Member:
Tangoh

Posted on Thursday, Jun 29, 2006 - 5:49 pm:

Also found it on the Parelli site as a product they advocate.
https://www.parellicollection.com/

There is another product that is similar. This is a post from a member at another message board I belong to:

"There is a product that my farrier recommends and it really works great. I knew it was going to be very rocky in Mo so I applied it for 3 days (before we left) to the sole and hoof edge just above the nail holes and it did wonderful."

"It is different from HoofArmor in that it penetrates the hoof and actually hardens it. It's not cheap - $35 dollars for a little bottle but it really goes a long way. I used it on a colt I got that had a little thrush and an abscess. After carving out the abscess I applied it to the area for several days. It all cleared up really well and I noticed that the sole gotten harder and the outer horn of the hoof, and toughened up the frog too. if you have a horse with crumbly hoof edges the first thing is to look at diet and make sure he is getting a good balance of feed then this can help until he starts growing some healthier horn"
chris

https://www.deltahoofcare.com/html/crossapol.html
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Jun 30, 2006 - 7:12 am:

Hello Sherri,
This product works in a identical manner as formaldehyde by toughening horn (see Treatments and Medications for Horses » Alphabetical Index of Drugs » Formaldehyde but does have several advantages and one disadvantage over formaldehyde. The advantages is that this is less volatile, less caustic, and less toxic. In the same vein however I would not expect it to be as fast acting and effective, do to less protein binding.

The Hoof Armor above creates a new physical barrier and makes them different particularly if the horn is thin.
DrO
Member:
Ajudson1

Posted on Friday, Jun 30, 2006 - 7:33 am:

Sherri,

How long does it take to see results? Weeks, months?

Any idea if a person would use one bottle per horse til the bottle is gone? Or one bottle on more than one horse and get results?

DrO,

Do the hooves stay tougher after this, or do I have to keep applying this for life?

3 of my horses are just "ouchy" on gravel (the 4th can go all day) but one is very tender and soft.

Thanks.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Jul 1, 2006 - 7:00 am:

If you don't change something the feet will return to where they were when the hardened horn wears off Angie. Some folks find after a few days of daily application then applying once a week works for them.
DrO
Member:
Kathleen

Posted on Saturday, Jul 1, 2006 - 1:33 pm:

Hi all,
Is there anything like Hoof Armor for dogs. We have a Border Collie who runs around and around and around the swimming pool when we are in it, until she wears her pads raw. She doesn't even feel it until she finally stops for a while. Then she is very sore for a few days. She did this on a 4 hour trail ride (she traveled at least 4 times as far as we did, being a Border Collie). We had to carry her home on one of the horses. Border Collies don't know when to stop. Our only alternative is to put her in the house. Would love to find something for her feet. Anybody know of anything?
Kathleen
Member:
Paul303

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 1:28 am:

Boy, do I know what you mean. I had a Border Collie that did the same thing. She was a "substitute"
sibling for my "only child" son....and she actually did a darn good job - she played catcher and fielder when he was in little league, a basketball team mate, soccer buddy, rollerblade tag-along, etc....and she'd go until her feet were bloody. She was also chief squirrel chaser ( keeping the bird feeders safe ).

Nope, sorry, Kathleen - I can't think of a single thing......and you KNOW locking her in the house will be agony for her.....she's going to know what you're doing. And she will punish you with a never-ending guilt trip if you leave her home.

I've lost my girl, sadly. She was such an integral piece of our family. But I've decided that, in the future, I will try to never again own a dog that is smarter that I am.
Member:
Hwood

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 1:37 am:

. . . so . . . you have a Golden Retriever now, huh?
Member:
Paul303

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 1:57 am:

Hey, sounds like a plan! I need a dog like Garfield's Odie!
Member:
Christos

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 8:44 am:

Kahtleen, I have seen people apply tar on the dog's feet in preparation for hunting on rocky terrain.

I asked a good friend who is a very reliable source of information for hunting dogs (he has fantastic pointers) and he says yes, he's seen this and it works but he's never done it, he says keeping the dogs on gravel is all that's needed.

He has a big doghouse with a gravel yard, some 1-2 inches of gravel on concrete.
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 9:33 am:

How about those dog booties to protect his paw pads?
Member:
Corinne

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 10:46 am:

What about New Skin (after the skin has healed so it doens't burn....to give an additional layer of protection)?
Member:
Kathleen

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 11:10 am:

Thanks everyone
Sara, we tried to put a rain sheet on her when my husband takes her running in the rain. She hated it an sulked all day.
Christos, she is out most days just minding the horses, but it is mostly grass and rocks. She was a rescue and would not go outside without one of us for at least a year when we got her. She would die if we put her in an enclosure. Would the tar be sticky? Where would you get it?
Lee, you are right, I've never seen a smarter dog (my daughter said if she had opposable thumbs, she wouldn't need us) .And because of the abuse she suffered the first nine months of her life (being kenneled 15-20 hours a day in a portable dog kennel, while the other dogs ran free, abuse like kicking her when she was out) she is on anti-anxiety meds that keep her fairly level. When we got her she thought Maggie (her name) was an admonishment and reacted with fear. She has overcome her fear of men now, but still is very sensitive.
Corinne, I think I will try the New Skin. The area surrounding our pool is a pebbley surface and is probably pretty abrasive. Maybe have to redo the pool - ha, don't have that kind of money.
Thanks all
Kathleen
Member:
Christos

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 1:34 pm:

I do not think it's sticky, Kathleen. They make it themselves, mixing road tar with something else. I'll ask for details and let you know tomorrow.
New Member:
Annaspop

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 4:01 pm:

Kathleen
try https://www.uglydoghunting.com/protective.html or https://www.lcsupply.com/Product/Medicine-Shelf-p0/
They have boots and pad toughners.
Margy
Member:
Kathleen

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 5:02 pm:

Margy,
Thanks, I checked out the websites and Lion Country Supply has a padcoat product. I'll check it out some more, but it looks like it might work. It says its meant for toughening up sore or wounded pads, but it might work to keep them from getting sore.
Kathleen
Member:
Canter

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 9:25 pm:

For my dog, we've used vet wrap to protect her pads. You'd probably have to wrap fairly thickly (at least at the bottom) or you'll have to re-do it quite frequently, but it works like a charm. The doggie boots were a disaster...we spent a small fortune trying to find a pair to fit correctly and to find a pair she'd wear, all to no avail. She got used to the vet wrap pretty quickly after a few minutes of drama.
Member:
Kathleen

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 9:34 pm:

I have one of her feet wrapped in vetwrap right now. Three of her feet have chunks of the pads that peeled off, like when you get a blister, only quite a bit thicker. She is walking pretty good now that I wrapped the one that was the sorest. She doesn't seem to mind having it on when this happens, but I've never tried it when her feet don't hurt. Might be worth a try.
Kathleen
Member:
Cheryl

Posted on Monday, Jul 3, 2006 - 7:22 am:

I used dog booties on my Am Staff when we lived in ND. Any temp below -20 was more than his feet could take. I tried the expensive boots - don't know if I had the wrong size or what but couldn't get them to fit correctly. Ended up using the little cheapies from Jeffer's - $6.00 per set - fasten with velcro - worked fine. The sled dog racers use stuff on their dogs feet - you might want to run a search for sled dog racing and see what you come up with.
Cheryl
Member:
Kathleen

Posted on Monday, Jul 3, 2006 - 10:57 am:

Cheryl,
Thanks for the advice about the sled dog racers. I'll check it out also. Lots of good ideas.
Kathleen
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