I’m finding conflicting information about hoof hydration. Everyone seems to agree that fluctuations between wet and dry cause problems but some articles are suggesting to seal the hoof so it’s not influenced by external factors while other articles are recommending wet ground at the troughs for consistently low levels of moisture. Over the last 10 years I’ve moved away from painting on hoof moisturizer because I wasn’t really seeing a difference when I used it vs not using it. I’m interested to hear how others manage hoof hydration.
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Ehhh. It’s all confusing. My heart horse seems to do better on well drained ground. I live in fairly damp climate. I use fluid film, a lanolin based product, semi regularly per my farrier to “create a moisture barrier” and treat / prevent minor thrush. My new horse I don’t know well enough to say how his hooves react to different environments other than being gimpier than usual on super dry hard ground.
Hooves should be hard and dry. They get enough moisture from the rain, dew and puddles around. Goops, goos, salves, “moisturizers” are all money you might as well burn, because all they do is set up an unhealthy hoof environment… basically opening the buffet for every yeast and bacteria to come in, sit a while and chow down. They keep each other well fed 
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It doesn’t make sense that an animal with hooves needs any kind of hoof treatment to maintain them properly. Barring a few extreme areas of the world, there will be moisture and then drying on a daily basis.
Obviously, standing in water/mud up to their knees for days on end is not natural and could soften the hoof enough to weaken it. But being in water/mud every day isn’t unnatural. It’s pretty normal. In the northeast most horses are in wet then dry every day for most of the year.
Some horses have better feet than others; I think that’s the main thing. Those horses may need more attention through more frequent trims, possibly shoes, etc.
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I just let nature take it’s course and hydrate or dry depending on the weather.
The only thing I do is make sure the dry lot and stall area is not mud. We put down gravel screenings after grading and no matter how many inches we get they are on firm ground.
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Hoof dressings are cosmetic and nothing more. They make the hoof look “pretty” but do little else.
For good feet:
- Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition (copper, zinc, biotin)
- High-quality, routine trimming/farrier work from someone who knows their stuff
- An environment that encourages healthy feet (turn-out, exercise, mud-control, clean pens/stalls, etc)
- Regular picking and inspecting to catch potential issues before they become big problems (thrush, white line, bruises, etc)
The ONLY thing I do put on my horse’s feet is Keratex on his soles and a little way up the wall. He’s barefoot and has mostly white/striped feet (appy), and it just seems to make him do a little better, especially when it’s terribly wet and his feet want to get soft and tender.
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I’m glad to hear you all confirm that hoof dressings aren’t necessary. I’ve got the nutrition and regular farrier work covered. My guys are on full turnout and their hooves are generally healthy. I was just wondering if I was neglecting something. Glad to hear I’m not!
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IME healthy hooves adapt to a range of conditions from desert bone dry to rainy winter to icy snow. Actual standing water and knee deep mud is not great especially pee and poop mud or water. But wet pasture is fine.
I find my horse’s hooves change over the year. She gets her cleanest most cupped feet in snow and ice. Then in the thaw she will start to shed retained frog and sole. She gets more callous in the summer.
The only down side to desert life seems to be if the horse is inactive, he can build up a lot of false sole that doesn’t shed. But an active barefoot horse in desert conditions wears that down.
I wouldn’t soak hooves and then go ride on hard packed gravel. The hoof adapts to the weather conditions. If horse isn’t totally comfy under saddle at any point, just use hoof boots for a couple of weeks.
Topicals like iodine are good for drying up feet in winter.
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Everything I have read about hooves or heard from farriers is that hooves receive all the hydration they need from the inside out.
Down here in Florida we do our best to keep the hooves as dry as possible, but of course they are still going to get wet. We use hoof dressings to try and seal additional moisture out.
