My thoroughbreds feet are bad, the Walls are very thin, he loses shoes alot in the pasture, can’t turn him out when the grass is wet or his feet get really soft so he is in the stall alot, being in the stall alot is causeing his feet to have problems with thrush. He has been on the farriers foumula double streingth for a year and I also paint his hooves everyday with keretex hoof hardner. The farrrer trims him about every 8 weeks, I wish he could just go barefoot but the farrier doesn’t think is feet will hold up, any suggestions on what I could do, I thought about getting hoof boots but I don’t know if they would stay on while he is in the pasture cause he’s pretty active usually
Good chance he needs a shorter cycle–eight weeks a LONG time to go with shoes in the summer, particularly for a poor footed horse. Can you take some pics of his feet and post them? Like this: http://www.all-natural-horse-care.com/good-hoof-photos.html
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His feet grow slow
Post some photos, maybe there are ideas about his trim? I’ve certainly learned that a trim I thought was good, might not be so good.
I’m guessing he’s growing a lot of foot and it’s all running forward. Can you post some pictures, like the ones at the link I shared earlier?
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His feet are a little long right now and are due to be trimmed, farrier was suppose to come today but he couldn’t so I don’t know if pictures would help
Taking pics now and taking pics directly after he’s done would be quite useful to help show how the farrier is addressing his problems. 
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You need a different farrier. Your horse does not have “bad feet”. He has bad “hoof care”.
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Totally agree. The actually quality of the hoof doesn’t even look that terrible. And he could certainly be done at 6 weeks if this is 8 (or 9, just how overdue is he?)
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8 weeks I think, the farrier that trims him is the best in my area I don’t think I could find a better one
If he was turned out in the grass when there is dew on it his feet will get soft and they wont look good, he won’t hold a shoe, his hoof wall is very thin
Well, if you can’t find a better farrier your horse will continue to have poor feet and this will eventually cause soundness problems.
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It isn’t fair to expect your horse to be able to go barefoot right now. I agree with those who say that this is a poor job. For a successful barefoot transition, you need to set yourself up for success to begin with, and that includes a solid farrier & a good foot/shape/trim. Right now I would completely shelve any and all aspirations to go barefoot and focus on quality hoof care.
If you’re not certain of what’s in your area (that there are better options) I’m a huge proponent of asking around feed stores or tack stores for names. Likewise, there’s probably a regional equine facebook group for your area - there are so many people who can give some suggestions of people you may not have known about before.
(Anecdotally, I had a thoroughbred with relatively mediocre feet successfully go barefoot for a period of time, but we ended up needing to put front shoes back on when we moved and the new footing for his turn-out was just too rough. A superb farrier was involved, and frequent visits, especially in summer - every 5ish weeks iirc. So while some horses can go barefoot, others can’t, and some may be an “it depends on the day” situation. Just because we want our horses to be able to be managed a certain way doesn’t mean they’ll be able to, and we have to be able to accept that.)
I agree that a better trim will make a world of difference.
Ask around about farriers. My farrier is very good but he does not work at boarding barns. He’s done it before but finds it to be mind-numbingly boring. He has a lot of private clients, some race trainers and breeders, some retirement farms…etc.
He doesn’t advertise because he doesn’t need new clients. If people ask around to vets and suppliers, his name will probably be recognized, but if a boarding barn talks about “the best farriers” his name is not on that list. And, to be honest, some of “the best farriers” work isn’t that great.
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There are a lot of farriers who travel out of area – might be good to pay the $$ to have one of those guys visit for a few shoeings and then see if you can find a local guy who can maintain it. Paying that premium might be cheaper than a tendon strain in the future <-- in case you need to justify $$ to yourself or someone else!
OP, what I am seeing on your horse that worries me are heels and toes run forward on one foot, bull nosing at the toe on another, and the fact that his feet are asymmetrical.
Id suggest doing a little self education on healthy hoof balance. Look at anything on line by Pete Ramey and a lot of other good basic barefoot trim information.
A barefoot trim is the same angles as a good trim for shoes, but because shoes give some protection, a shod horse can be allowed to grow the really quite bad angles we are seeing in your photos, before things catch up with him and he goes lame.
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I side with the posters who indicate hoof care is less than hoped for. Time to try a new farrier. (Yes, I noted you said your farrier was the best in your area, unfortunately they are not good for your horse). Shorten your cycle. One of my horses is growing like crazy and was just reset a couple of days short of 4 weeks. Look at the feet, not the calendar. It will take multiple visits to correct your issues. No wonder you are loosing shoes !!! Better trim may solve your thrush issues as well.
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Ugh…
You HAVE to find a better one and if we know where you are maybe we can help. There’s no question about it, if you keep up with this farrier your horse is going to end up lame if he isn’t already. Feet like that also wreak havoc on their entire body not to mention he’s kept inside so much.
Ugh… I wish I had a dollar for every thread I’ve seen started because “my TB has crappy feet” only to see the pictures and see feet like this… I would have SO many dollars.
www.barefoothorse.com is a great site with lots of info. You kind of have to ignore the anti shoe sentiment though.
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Oh my! :o Shoes are not the answer. They’re doing continued & more damage to the very poor trim underneath. Even without you saying it, there’s no way those thin walls will hold a nail.
It’s time to give him his feet back. As a Barefoot trimmer, I’ve rehabbed many TB’s, some off the track.
Start with the Hoof Care Square:
DIET: NO Sugar! As low starch as humanly possible. Up the minerals, especially copper & zinc and check to make sure there’s no excess iron going in his body (i.e., water testing, all feeds etc). No more high sugar/starch grains. Simple, simple, simple diet. Free choice mixed-grass hay, pasture as tolerated.
ENVIRONMENT: Must be out as close to 24/7 as you can manage with your situation, on varied terrain (grass, dirt, gravel, sand).
EXERCISE: This horse must move. They hoof only grows as much as the body demands. If he moves, the body will respond with growth. If he won’t move, BOOT him up and take him on loooong walks, tons of them. I recommend the Equine Jogging Shoe http://www.comforthoofs.com/our-shoes/
TRIM: Every 4 weeks is the maximum. In the beginning, were he in my hands, I’d be tweak trimming every 2 weeks until they start to come back into balance & proper alignment, using a strong bevel to remove all torque on that barely connected hoof wall. As that disconnected growth comes down, he’s gonna splat and chip. It’s normal but must be properly dealt with.
It can be done!!
Piper: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10205148075436488&type=1&l=20c2fb83e9
Jeffrey: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4292113456046.2155777.1082814537&type=1&l=e1c2af2c66
