Dura Sole might help but a correct trim job will help even more. :yes:
As for thrush, I’ve always used Thrush Buster and it seems to work well.
My TB is barefoot. He may have great feet but he has a great trim.
Too often I see TB’s long in the toe and short in the heal.
You might want to read the ingredients on the bottle of Thrushbuster and compare it to the ingredients in Durasole.
You’re just paying Mustad 1000% markup for a teaspoon full of “their copy” of the Durasole product. :yes:
[QUOTE=Tom Bloomer, CF, RJF;4329797]
You might want to read the ingredients on the bottle of Thrushbuster and compare it to the ingredients in Durasole.
You’re just paying Mustad 1000% markup for a teaspoon full of “their copy” of the Durasole product. :yes:[/QUOTE]
Thanks for that tip. When I run out of Thrushbuster I’ll give Durasole a try. I’ve thought about it in the past and the price tag isn’t too bad. I just never thought about how it compares to Thrushbuster.
[QUOTE=sublimequine;4328916]
And some horses are just genetically predisposed to flat feet or thin soles. It’s not always a trimming/diet/environment thing, although I do think that MOST of the time trim/diet/environment plays a HUGE role, it’s not the sole (no pun intended! :lol: ) cause of flat feet and thin soles. Some horses, TBs specifically it seems, are just born with crap feet. :lol:[/QUOTE]
I’ve heard people say that every now and again that some horses are just born with “bad” feet.
But the fact that they may be genetically predisposed to flat or thin soles or just not great feet in general kind of sparked some curiousity in me for some reason. I wonder if there is scientific research on the matter or any case studies out there involving certain breeds or types of horses. I’ll have to look when I get some time.
Sometimes I can’t help but feel it’s anecdotal evidence.
I’ve also known my fair share of TB’s with great feet, I’ve never considered if it was their environment, farrier, diet or genetics…hmmm.
[QUOTE=ThoroughbredFancy;4329960]
I’ve heard people say that every now and again that some horses are just born with “bad” feet.
But the fact that they may be genetically predisposed to flat or thin soles or just not great feet in general kind of sparked some curiousity in me for some reason. I wonder if there is scientific research on the matter or any case studies out there involving certain breeds or types of horses. I’ll have to look when I get some time.
Sometimes I can’t help but feel it’s anecdotal evidence.
I’ve also known my fair share of TB’s with great feet, I’ve never considered if it was their environment, farrier, diet or genetics…hmmm.[/QUOTE]
I think there’s just enough anecdotal evidence out there that it’s got to at least be somewhat true. The vast majority of Arabs I’ve met have good feet. Same with Morgans. Quarter Horses are so-so, but better than TBs. And a LOT of TBs have bad feet.
In part that could be non-genetics issues, but I’ve seen first hand differences in feet. My mum has an Arab, I have a QH. They were on the EXACT same diets, EXACT same environment, same farrier, both trim only, their care was IDENTICAL.
My mum’s Arab’s feet are PERFECT, the farrier is always complimenting them. My mare’s feet aren’t as great. I can keep her barefoot, but it’s a lot of work.
Then you take my sister’s horse, whose diet was perhaps even a bit better than my mum’s horse and mine. (TC Senior instead of the barn’s grain). He has to be shod all around, with pads in the front a lot of the time. EXACT same environment and same farrier. He’s a TB, that’s just how it is I guess! :lol:
[QUOTE=sublimequine;4329995]
I think there’s just enough anecdotal evidence out there that it’s got to at least be somewhat true. The vast majority of Arabs I’ve met have good feet. Same with Morgans. Quarter Horses are so-so, but better than TBs. And a LOT of TBs have bad feet.
In part that could be non-genetics issues, but I’ve seen first hand differences in feet. My mum has an Arab, I have a QH. They were on the EXACT same diets, EXACT same environment, same farrier, both trim only, their care was IDENTICAL.
My mum’s Arab’s feet are PERFECT, the farrier is always complimenting them. My mare’s feet aren’t as great. I can keep her barefoot, but it’s a lot of work.
Then you take my sister’s horse, whose diet was perhaps even a bit better than my mum’s horse and mine. (TC Senior instead of the barn’s grain). He has to be shod all around, with pads in the front a lot of the time. EXACT same environment and same farrier. He’s a TB, that’s just how it is I guess! :lol:[/QUOTE]
That’s kind of interesting because if I were to do something similar…
I have my TB who is barefoot, sound and complimented on his feet often. He is on the same diet as my friend’s horse who is his neighbor. This horse is a QH. Same diet, same environment, same farrier and he has some not so great feet at all. The only difference between these two is that my TB works harder and more often than the QH. Other than that everything is pretty much the same.
The Appaloosa and Tennessee Walker at the same barn who match up similarly both have great feet and are trail horses.
Then there is the draft horse, again same diet and environment and so on who is shod all around and his feet are rather crappy. This one is by a different farrier. Although this is a well known farrier who works on a few other horses as well who have great feet. I’ve always been curious about this horse though, since his feet just seem to small for his body.
You can’t make soles thicker. Tougher, maybe - thicker, no.
The mare I ride has been through a hellish nightmare b/c of thin soles. We did in fact xray to determine sole thickness (pretty much negligible), then we did equipak and time off, and bruoght her back only to end up lame again, and then an MRI to show deep brusing, now 3 months in her stall, and we’ve been on her twice.
Has anyone tried silicapak as a pour in pad? We’re using equipak but its just SO expensive.
Racing
I think they key thing that isn’t being mentioned when we talk about thoroughbreds is racing or race trained TB. My current OTTB (who I bought as a 14 year old) raced and he has the “typical” long toe, underrun heel, thin sole, flat foot. I think this is due to the trims he’s had, the time between and also due to being a racehorse who was shod young, stalled, and grew up on a high grain diet. I imagine this is also why he cribs.
I was at a clinic a month ago and hands down, the best feet there were on a barefoot thoroughbred. He was raised as a sport horse prospect and he’d never been race trained and never shod. He’s also trimmed by a really good farrier.
Dauntless: The silicon pour in on my friend’s horse tore out in three days–even with the mesh.
To say all horses are born with good feet, is like saying all horses are born to jump a 6 foot fence.
Even it is true they are all born with good feet, a lot depends on factors other than farrier/trim, e.g. how they are raised, the kind of work they do, management like paddock footing, quality of pasture, down to a horse’s muscular/skeletal configuration and alignment.
The bottom line is you do what is needed for the horse, in the present.
All the topical stuff makes the hoof harder. Sometimes, that is enough to help a horse. Sometimes it is not enough.
My experience of helping a tb, besides managing the hoofs themselves, is low starch low sugar, good nutrition, and soundness (not just legs, but back and everywhere else).
Yes you can.
Goodness WHY is this so difficult to understand?
There are websites ALL over showing rads of horses whose soles have thickened with correct trimming.
I don’t buy the bunk that TBs are just born with genetically bad feet. We’ve owned two TBs - one off track, one not. The off track mare had bad feet, always needed shoes. The non-racer always had nice feet, and was fine barefoot. And funny enough - the good footed one was the daughter of the bad footed one. And the sire was also a TB race horse. So if the bad feet were that genetically dominant, the daughter should have had a lot worse hooves than she does.
True that’s only 2 examples, but I trim a few TBs and crosses, and they do have very nice feet. One mare gets a lot of medial flare, but she’s perfectly sound and has great structure, I just have to stay on top of the flare.
When lots of people buy a TB, it’s an off-track horse. Track horses were shod as yearlings, and who knows how good or bad the shoeing jobs were. Looking at the CANTER horses makes me cringe and groan. The feet are atrocious on 90% of them.
I’ve noticed in the TBs I trim and the ones we’ve owned, that their feet seem to be a little bit flatter than other breeds. But then generally so are some draft type breeds as well.
Any horse of any breed can have genetically bad feet or bad conformation that leads to bad feet. TBs hold no monopoly on that. But I do think that a good portion of those bad footed horses would greatly benefit from a GOOD farrier or trimmer that knows the issues they are predisposed to, and heads it off at the pass as much as possible. You shouldn’t wait until the feet go splat, the toes are 4 miles long and the horse is lame to say “Gee, maybe we should change the trim.” But too bad, that’s what seems to happen all too often.
i think you may be reading it out of context LMH
[QUOTE=LMH;4330348]
Yes you can.
Goodness WHY is this so difficult to understand?
There are websites ALL over showing rads of horses whose soles have thickened with correct trimming.[/QUOTE]
i believe she means you can’t thicken them w/ topicals.
AHhhhhhhh of course not.
[QUOTE=marta;4330580]
i believe she means you can’t thicken them w/ topicals.[/QUOTE]
Well if you slather on a TON of gunk it kinda means its thicker, right? The sole is farther away from the ground at least! :lol::lol::lol:
Where can I buy Dura Sole? online?
[QUOTE=eventer;4331621]
Where can I buy Dura Sole? online?[/QUOTE]
Valley Vet has it, as does Jeffers. 
[QUOTE=Tom Bloomer, CF, RJF;4331679]
http://durasole.com/Durasole_buy.html[/QUOTE]
Man, the Midwest is just about non-existent on there! :lol:
Resurrecting thread.
Rickens over Durasole?
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