Is my farrier to blame? My Irish Draught cross gelding has terrific, big solid feet and doesn’t need shoes except for the fact that I often ride in very rugged terrain. He’s been shod all the way around for over a year. Around the old nail holes and lower on the hoof, the hoof wall is flakey and shelly. It’s apparent that moisture gets in the old nail holes and wreaks havoc on the integrity of the hoof wall. I’ve been using Keratex Gel weekly (I see my horse only on weekends). The shoes are reset/replaced every 6 weeks without fail and the horse continues growing plenty of good, solid hoof. Given that I want the horse to remain shod, is there anything my farrier could/should be doing differently to help with this problem?
why blame the poor farrier? i have a horse with brittle feet, too. i give hoof supplements, i use Keratex when called for. Right now it’s dry so i’m using Forshners hoof packing. When the weather is very wet for a while, his feet get so brittle his shoes just fall off. I feel your pain, but i would not think the farrier is doing anything wrong. I am grateful my farrier can keep them on as long as he does.
Have you tried Keratex Hoof Hardener rather than the gel? I had better results with the hardener on my OTTB with shelly feet. He came to me with pretty poor feet and had trouble keeping shoes on. He has also been on Farrier’s Formula for a number of years and I’ve worked hard to give him top quality nutrition and keep the flies under control so he doesn’t stomp much. His feet have improved immensely. He has been barefoot for a number of years now, but I mostly ride in nice sand footing or decent grass. I think being properly trimmed (every 6 weeks) and not having the nail holes weaken the hoof wall made a big difference too.
I can’t pass judgment on your farrier, but there are so many other aspects of hoof condition to look at before blaming the farrier. Have you considered hoof boots instead of shoes since it sounds like your horse is otherwise not in need of/might be better off without shoes?
Nothing wrong with the farrier… My horse’s feet get like that too in the summertime. I keep the Keratex Hoof Hardener liquid on there at least 3 times per week. My farrier said that I could not overdo it with the Hoof Hardener with this horse. Basically, as many times I can get it on there, I apply it. It makes a big difference in the quality of the hoof growing down.
You will probably need to pay someone at your barn to put it on since you only get out on the weekends. Otherwise, it may not do you much good. It will not alleviate your problems completely, but it will help keep shoes on. The suggestion for Farrier’s Formula is a good one.
Does your horse get bran mashed regularly? Or, do you feed bran? My Farrier (with anecdotal evidence) has told me that most horses that he shoes that eat a lot of bran tend to have bad feet as a group. Of course, that isn’t the reason my horse has bad feet, so that doesn’t apply across the board. But, it is something to be mindful of.
Good Luck!
Why would this be your farrier’s fault?
You should ask your farrier what you should do to help your horse’s feet.
Better nutrition, better turn out, more exercice…
Agree with above…if your horse is growing good healthy feet but as they grow in they deteriorate look at how the horse is managed and fed. Upgrade the feed, add a hoof supplement, no stall keeping, no wet muddy pens, more consistent exercise. Weekend Warrior Trail riding may not be a good plan for this horse.
I, personally, would add a hoof supplement–specifically, Farrier’s Formula. You could probably use it for three months or so and see a difference.
The Hoof Gel is more useful for protecting hooves that are in good shape; for the issues you describe, Keratex Hoof Hardener would be a better choice, and certainly would need to be applied more often than once a week. I’d also look at what your horse is fed, and whether adding a hoof supplement would be appropriate - the one that I use is Select the Best Hoof Accelerator and I think it does a fabulous job, but obviously others have their favorites too.
Thank you for all of the good info. I don’t want to blame the farrier, just asking for opinions. I discussed this with another farrier this morning and he agreed with most of you that Keratex Hardener would be a better choice than Keratex Gel. But his best suggestion is Kevlar Tuff Hoof Guard. I’ll look into those.
