Tag Archives: hoof health

Hoof Injury Recovery

We often hear the No Hoof, No Horse mantra, and it can apply to so many different aspects of the horse’s hoof. I have been lucky enough to never have a horse with “really awful feet”. I’ve had some that needed to be shod, ripped out shoes, cracked toes or grew too fast/too slow. A lot of those problems could be remedied with a better diet or supplement like Hoof Secret and a little extra topical and environmental care.

One issue I had not dealt with extensively prior to my horse’s recovery, was a serious injury to the hoof itself. My Quarter Horse, Copper, always had good feet. He managed to make a handful of not great choices in his life that left him a little banged up, but otherwise, is a very healthy horse that maintains barefoot year round exceptionally well. When I moved him onto my property a few years ago, he was officially retired from being a little Sport Show Pony and now enjoys leisurely trail rides with twelve hour days in the field.

Discovering the Injury

When I went out to the barn one brisk September morning in 2019, I immediately knew something was wrong. First, his gate was open. And second, he was actually standing in his stall. He is notoriously impatient and would live outside 24/7 to gorge himself if allowed. Seeing him remain in his stall, quiet and head down, I was extremely worried. First glance over he seemed spotless…. And then I saw the hoof. He had a deep gash in his coronary band that looked like it fully separated the hoof from his leg.

I will never known exactly what happened, but we think he got his leg stuck between logs from a tree we cut down in the pasture. He never had an interest in the logs prior, but if he escaped his stall at night, he might not have seen the logs before he stumbled into them.

A lot of cold hosing ensued, followed by vet and farrier calls. Initially, there was a lot of “well, we’ll see how this goes” and some tentative “he can recover, but he might have a weaker leg” which to me translated to – hope, but also the chance of never riding him again. While our days of showing were done, I had hoped we would have years of trail riding ahead of us.

I shelved my stress about his future to stay in there here and now. Following both vet and farrier advice, we simply had a long road ahead of us and it required patience, time and occasionally some extra help.

First Stage [ Rain Season ]

The first several months were the hardest, I had to keep his wound both clean and open to the air during the fall rain season. In Northeast Ohio, that rain turns the dry lots into mud. I was diligent in cleaning the wound every day using warm water and cotton pieces, I would wipe out the dirt and debris, pat dry, then spray with Alushield.

After the initial few days of heat in his leg, he never took a lame step, and he didn’t get an infection (thankfully). I kept his stall extra clean to give him the best environment for recovery (after a full day in a muddy pit followed by the cleaning routine above). This was the most touch and go time, with follow-up vet appointments and farrier care to make sure we caught any problems early.

Second Stage [ Spring ]

By the following Spring, I started noticing rapid growth, and that meant seeing just how deep his wound really went. It started peeling back in places to the point I used a stiff hoof brush to clean out the grass that got stuck in it every day.

I also bought Back on Track bell boots to assist with the blood flow and hoof growth. At that point, my farrier was surprised just how well the coronet band healed. She had prepared me for the possibility that there would be an indent in his coronet band, and that it could be very sensitive and weak. Despite this, he kept healing stronger each day – and I snuck in a few easy rides without issue!

Third Stage [ The Ugly Part ]

By far the most “gasp” worthy phase were the summer months. For a time, I wasn’t sure I would be able to ride him, but we plugged along anyway (with the approval of his equine professionals).

The hoof kept growing out, and with that, chips and chunks from the old wound were pealing away. I kept the hoof moisturized with Farrier’s Fix and kept thrush at bay with Koppertox. That combination along with his bell boots brought us to the final part of his healing journey.

Final Stage [ One Year Later ]

After a full year of meticulous care, treatments and regular trimmings – his old wound grew out and his new hoof growth was just as healthy as it had been prior.

I attribute a lot of his success to both the genetics of being a hardy breed as well as his diet. He has been fed Buckeye Gro N Win for years now, and he just glows. Without the proper nutrition, he wouldn’t have been able to grow out a new hoof. I fully expected a longer process with bigger bumps along the way. But his recovery is proof – sometimes you just have to give it time.

He’s back to his mostly retired life – looking sharp in his LeMieux!

Copper continues to have solid, healthy hooves, nearing the two year anniversary of “the day he decided to give his mom a near-heart attack”. It wasn’t always easy, sometimes it was downright terrible. But by following the guidance of his care team, using supplies as need and giving him time to heal, he came back better than ever! If someone were to take a peak at him in the field right now, they would have no idea what hoof had the injury!

Written by Marketing Associate, Cassie

Hoof Health Action Plan

Take action now to help head off cracked hooves this summer and beyond!

Whether your horse struggles with cracked hooves year-round or suffers from seasonal chipping, now is the time to formulate your very own hoof health action plan!

The why’s and how’s of hoof cracks

Hoof cracks and chips can occur from a variety of reasons including genetics, nutritional deficiencies, and environmental concerns including their everyday living arrangements and what types of surfaces they work on. While we cannot improve the genetics of a horse we already have in the barn, it is possible to influence improvement by managing the parts that we do have control over including nutrition, farrier care, topical remedies and improvements to their living environment.

Hoof Showing Sand Cracks
Hoof Showing Sand Cracks or Grass Cracks. With patience, extra care, time and luck these too can be improved.

Building better hooves from the inside out.

Strong Hooves
Crack free hooves showing slight growth rings from seasonal transitions.

While modern complete feeds and access to quality forage are vital to the overall health of the horse; other considerations such as age, conformation, workload and even the changing seasons, can present unique challenges. This is especially true in northern climates where horses often spend their summers on grass and winters on hay. If you look closely at these horses you may even be able to see differences in the form of slight visual rings on the horses hoof (not to be confused with ridges and depressions which may indicate underlying pathology).

While genetics plays a big part in the quality of hoof that a horse grows without added intervention, those that struggle will greatly benefit with the addition of a quality hoof supplement. Hoof supplements provide the boost your horse needs to round out those seasonal changes while ensuring that he has all the nutrients he needs year-round for optimum hoof health. The building blocks of most quality hoof supplements such as Horseshoers Secret, Hoof Secret and Bio Hoof rely on specific amino acids, vitamins and minerals such as Biotin, DL-Methionine, Lysine and Zinc. Some hoof supplements such as Farrier’s Formula, Nu Hoof Maximizer, and Hoof Secret; take their formula a step further with the addition of Cystine, Threonine, Copper, and/or Iodine. While any of these choices are sure to be a great addition to your horse’s nutritional needs one must be patient. With the average amount of new hoof growth measuring just around a 1/4″ per month, it can take as long as 9-12 months to truly reap the benefits of a quality hoof supplement.

Hoof care from the outside in.

A skilled farrier is an essential partner in the care of your horses hooves whether or not they are shod or barefoot. Adhering to a regular schedule for trimming hooves and resetting shoes is paramount in doing all you can to maintain a sound and comfortable horse. Missing or delaying an appointment by even a single week can cause lasting damage that can take months to overcome. You may find that those in heavy work are growing hoof at a faster rate and may need to be on a shorter schedule than those who are retired. If your farrier is suggesting that you adjust an individual horses schedule, he may be seeing an issue that can be better controlled with more frequent care. While many horses thrive barefoot, horses that present with chronic conditions such as full length central toe cracks may greatly benefit with shoeing specifically to take the load off of the crack and allow it to grow out stronger. Your farrier handles hundreds if not thousands of horses and can best advise what can be done to address cracks quickly and effectively.

Creating an environment for healthy hooves

The environmental challenges that your horse faces every day directly affect how well the hoof will hold up under stress. While genetics, nutrition and regular trimming will provide long term results and are the foundation of your hoof care plan. Providing a pro-hoof healthy environment will help to ensure success in maintaining the hooves overall appearance and strength.

Impact damage – While nutrition is key over the longer term, a frequent cause of chipping during the summer months is simply from the horses standing around and stomping at the flies. The addition of fly wraps such as Crusader Leg Guards or the Original Fly Wraps prior to the onset of the insect season can greatly help to mitigate the related damage to hooves and legs while minimizing stress and frustration to your horse.

Hoof Showing Nail Holes Chipping Out.

Shod horses that are frequently worked on hard dry surfaces such as roads and limestone trails may suffer from the previous nail holes chipping out. In severe cases this can leave very little hoof to retain a shoe. This issue is commonly attributed to the presence of bacteria or fungi that takes hold in the old nail holes. Early intervention is key and positive results are frequently achieved with the addition of Life Data Hoof Clay or Keratex Nail Hole Disinfectant as part of your re-set process. In severe cases your farrier may have to rebuild the hoof with synthetic materials to improve stability.

Too Wet – Constant exposure to mud and standing water can result in soft hoof walls, mushy frogs, thin soles and invite invasion from fungal and bacterial enemies. Ultimately eliminating mud needs to be an absolute priority as soon as drier weather arrives. Until then adopt a routine to clean legs and hooves and allow them to fully dry prior to re-exposure. Thoroughly washing with an anti-bacterial/anti-fungal shampoo such as E3 Medicated Shampoo or Equishield CK is a big step in the right direction. Alternatively for wet and humid conditions sans mud, or prior to exposure the use of topical dusts like Coat Defense powder or Mud Shield can help to improve the overall condition of the skin on the the legs and around the coronary band. Treating hoof walls with a hoof sealant such as Kevlar Tuff Hoof Guard can help seal out excess moisture. For sensitive soles treatment with Durasole, or Farrier Barrier can help to ward off infection while aiding in toughening up the sole. Should your clean hoof present with a foul odor from thrush, serious consideration needs to be made to ensure your horse stays extra clean dry during regular applications of a thrush product such as No Thrush Powder or Thrush buster. Choosing a bedding that is more drying such as kiln dried sawdust can help speed the drying process and build a better balance until you can take steps to more effectively eliminate mud and welcome drier days.

Hoof Moisture Hoof Oil
Hoof Oil Can help to add moisture back into dry hooves and makes hooves look nice too.

Too Dry – Excessively dry hooves may be more inherently prone to form chips and cracks as well as heel and frog contraction due to a pure lack of moisture. This is frequently observed in horses that live in hot arid regions. Regular application of topical hoof products such as Hoof Moisture hoof oil, Hooflex conditioner or Leovet Summer Oil-Gel will help increase moisture content to some degree. Alternatively hoof sealants such as SBS TopCoat or Horseshoers Secret Hoof Sealant can help to seal in the hooves natural moisture and prevent excessive drying. For horses stabled a portion of the day, choosing a bedding that is slightly less drying such as peat moss, pelleted bedding or straw can help to contribute positively to hydration of the sole surface. However, to best avoid the risks of fungal and bacterial infections maintaining cleanliness of all bedding types is paramount.

Wrapping it up

The recipe for great hooves requires year-round dedication. First committing to feed a quality hoof supplement long term. Sticking to a scheduled routine for hoof care from an experienced farrier and providing a pro-hoof healthy environment to help build and maintain beautiful, strong and resilient hooves. Being attentive to seasonal changes and adjusting your topical and environmental care will help to ward off problems before they become more serious.

If you have already been feeding a quality hoof supplement for a year or more in addition to the other suggestions outlined above and are still struggling with poor hoof quality, it may be time to enlist the help of your veterinarian, farrier and an equine nutritionist for a full on hoof care intervention. While there is most definitely a subset of horses that suffer from poor hoof quality simply due to their genetics or past serious injury, in many cases with a professional diagnosis and care you can succeed in helping your horse to be more comfortable,

Do you have a hoof care journey that you would like to share? We would love to hear (and see) all about it!

Written by Jessica R.