Tea Tree Hoof Oil?

[eventer215]

I have a horse that has a large crack down the front of each hoof, slightly offset to the outside from the center of each hoof. He toes in slightly and when I got him (2+ years ago) he had very long toes and no heel, with a big dish in each front hoof (he is an OTTB). He has never been lame from these cracks, but they seem to have gotten worse as his hoof angle has improved instead of better. The crack on the LF was just hairline when my current farrier started to work on him, and there was no crack in the RF. He appears to have had a few abscesses come out the coronary band on his LF, though again, never lame. Prior to current farrier, he was constantly lame with abscesses/bruises, etc.

His hoof angle/heel is very good now after lots of patient changes, but these cracks just don’t seem to want to go anywhere. I’ve tried Keratex, and today came across Tea Tree hoof oil by Carr Day & Martin, wondering if that is worth a try to help prevent bacteria in the cracks. Has anybody used this product before? I do not want to soften his hoof at all, just prevent bacteria damage (mud season in full swing!) and hopefully create an environment to let these things grow out.

Thoughts?

[mlb722]

I used farriers fix hoof oil for that sort of use. It helps strengthen the hoof (does not soften) and is antibacterial.

[eventer215]

thanks! I will check it out. I love tea tree oil for my own skin ailments, so thought this might be worth a try.

[piedmontfields]

[QUOTE=eventer215;8052990]
today came across Tea Tree hoof oil by Carr Day & Martin[/QUOTE]

I’ll look into that product. I’ve used tea tree on abscesses and scrapes before with good luck.

[Philippi]

I’ve made my own all purpose ointment. A giant batch of Sams Club coconut oil and some tea tree oil. Both are antibacterial. I order TTO but you can also buy a lesser grade at your local pharmacy.

I would say I use 6 drops of TTO per ounce of coconut oil.

I use it on all sorts of fungus, great for ring worm. I’m pregnant and have been breast feeding for multiple years. I try to stay away from the serious chemicals. This little mixture is safe for me, babies/children and horses. It is cheap, was first suggested by my vet, but does take about twice, maybe 3x as many applications as a pharmaceutical grade medication.

[JB]

The fact that it’s getting worse under this farrier tells me it may be due to the farrier trying to trim crooked feet as if they were straight, therefore putting pressure where it shouldn’t be.

[lovemyboy]

Just be very careful not to use Farriers Fix TOO much…it can get really “gummy”. I stopped using it all together for that reason. Feet got very soft.

It’s a whole other topic, but Im curious what your farrier makes of these cracks and why they are not improving with improved angle etc. Glad he is sound though. Been to hell and back with hooves and it’s not fun to say the least. Finally with change of barns have a great farrier, very healthy horse…and a sound one. It’s stressful…good luck!

[Frizzle]

There was an article on thehorse.com a few years ago, which showed that most topicals just weaken/soften the hoof. I agree with JB that this sounds like a trimming/balancing issue, and adding goop to the hoof wall is probably just going to make it weaker. If you are worried about bacteria/fungus, etc., I would use White Lightning or Oxine.

[kookicat]

I’d be asking the farrier why the cracks were getting worse before I put anything on them.

[merrygoround]

I too would be looking at the farrier.

Oiling the hoof wall is oiling dead tissue. It really doesn’t absorb.

[eventer215]

I’m pretty frustrated because my farrier shoes a lot of horses for us and other people I know and has fixed some pretty bad feet. He seems stumped as to why the cracks are not improving now that my horse’s angles are so much more correct. I’ve been contemplating getting my vet’s opinion, though I usually like to keep the farrier work to the person who is actually doing the work, if that makes sense. Never had a problem like this before. Also, the fact that he is sound now and not constantly abscessing/bruising and pulling shoes like he was with the old farrier is hopefully a step forward.

He did suggest to use thrush buster or something similar once a week in case there was a bacterial issue. That is when I came across the tea tree hoof oil and wondered if that would be beneficial.

[joiedevie99]

Have your vet out to shoot some hoof balance x-rays. A good farrier will appreciate them, and be willing to work with your vet to develop a plan to fix anything they find wrong.

[IPEsq]

I like FF and have used it on some OTTBs to toughen their feet (best when painting on the bottom). It kills minor thrush, so I think it could maybe help you.

I used to use tincture iodine to toughen feet (had a TB who would get a stone bruise just by looking at a piece of gravel), and it would also be a disinfectant. Was recommended by my farrier. Can’t for the life of me remember the specifics… Been too many years now. Looking on the web, my guess would be on of the 7% bottles from a pet or feed store. I used a hoof oil brush to apply.

[tbchick84]

I think the tea tree oil is an excellent idea to keep the cracks clear of bacteria. Hoof oils will only compromise the same hoof wall you are trying to improve.

The cracks both being in the same relative spot might be a sign of L/R imbalance in the trimming. Your new farrier might be so concentrated on the toe length that he is forgetting the side to side balance. If your horse has only had a few cycle of growth with the new farrier, the cracks might get worse before better since all the lower growth is the longer toe weaker stuff. Hard to know for sure without pics. Abscesses popping could be the hoof responding from the new trimming style and could actually be a sign that it is trying to purge itself of all the former damage.

[PNW_AMTS_Dealer]

This is the Tea Tree product I use and really like it. It is not a moisturizer, just a cootie killer. I use it 2-3 times per week if having issues, once a week as a preventive. For a really bad case of white line, thrush or a mystery crack I would first do as White Lightening soak.
https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/healing-tree-huuf-magic-thrush-treatment-8354

[eventer215]

[QUOTE=joiedevie99;8054032]
Have your vet out to shoot some hoof balance x-rays. A good farrier will appreciate them, and be willing to work with your vet to develop a plan to fix anything they find wrong.[/QUOTE]

Thanks joiedevie99! I guess that is an obvious answer, it certainly can’t hurt that is for sure! I need to have my vet out anyway for spring shots so I will see if we can set this up.

[merrygoround]

I had a horse that had sand cracks , which are superficial, in both front feet, whether barefoot or not. I happened to tell Dr Gravelee about this, and he offered me a years’s trial of his supplement fee. So of course I tried it. He even offered a second go round.

Horse had a shiny coat all his life, and the supplement helped, but did nothing for his feet. This particular horse was destined th have ugly looking feet, despite competing in competitive trail and dressage most of his life, and being very sound.

[ChocoMare]

I’m gonna double-dog ditto JB.

If a horse is conformationally challenged, i.e., toed in/out, etc. and the farrier is trimming & shoeing the horse as if they were straight, you will have cracks… big ones, deep ones, because the hoof is telling you I’M OUT OF BALANCE.

I just did the 2nd trim on an appaloosa mare with the cracks you are describing: from toe into the coronary band, concave and deep. The second I evaluated her front knee conformation, I knew why they were there: this mare is toed in and had been trimmed & shod as if she was straight for years.

Within in 2 trims, the cracks have filled in from inside…no more canyon. With breakover being at 1 & 11 o’clock respectively, she now stands straight and relaxed on all fours. With breakover being where it should be for her conformation, she can, once again, pick up the right lead without diving her head down to find balance.

No goop, goo, salve or oil will fix it. It is a trim issue. No shoe will fix it either. They’re just steel band-aids. Get the trim fixed and let the bare hooves heal. Then if shoes are truly needed, reshoe but the shoe MUST be shaped to match the wonky feets…wonky feets that match the horse’s conformation.

[RemiRocks]

I’ve had really good results with the Carr Day Martin Daily Hoof Barrier http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15498+15637+30168&pcatid=30168
My gelding had a bad injury that went into his coronet band and ever since the hoof that grows out from it is prone to cracking.