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Catfish wrote:

> " So I supplemented with Biotin. Her hoof growth did not improve, > which made the next two shoing jobs very difficult ..."

 

 

Catfish,

 

Remember, you don't just supplement with Biotin.  Combine a

solid (20mg / feeding) biotin supplement with a vitamin supplement

which contains a good high amount of Vitamin A... which also

supports good hoof / coat growth.  The Dynamite products work

great... Dynamite Vitamins with DynaHoof.  I have also see great

results in shelly TB ex-race horse feet by using United Vet Equine's

products, Mega-Mag vitamins along with their  Biotin II 22X.  There

are a couple other things in there too... methionine... etc.

 

Second, instead of putting her in a soft paddock area, what you

could do is a trick my farrier here showed me.  Get a sheet of

that 2" thick foam board for building houses.  The really heavy

duty kind, not the stuff they have at home-despot.  If I remember

right it's light blue.  I had to go to a building supplier here in town,

but if I have one here, you certianly do there.  :)  It cost about $20

for the 4x8 sheet.  It's very dense foam.  Cut a hoof shaped section

out that's just a little  bit bigger than her foot... like the size of an

easyboot. 

 

Take a whole roll of really heavy duty duct tape... the good stuff,

although I have gotten this at home-despot.  I think it's black in

color.  Anyways, Wrap the tape around the foam and her foot and

just keep wrapping until it won't come off.  Do both back feet.  Cover

everything.  Stick it to every inch of her hoof wall and the foam.

Wrap it all again so there's tape to walk on.  As she walks on the

foam it will squish down, but it will also protect the hoof tubules from

being crushed.

(OK, so first make sure she's trimmed far enough down so the hoof

tubles are pointing down, and not forward.  Also make sure the toe

is back far enough so that it's not pushing her weight back onto

her heels.  Does that make sense?)

 

Leave these on until they fall off... atleast a week.  If she takes one

off, replace it or retape it on.

 

Repeat until the heal is growing down and not getting crushed

forward.

 

Per the boots, I really like easyboots.  Use the teeth in the side wall

unless it tears out chuncks.  If they do, wait until the vitamins / hoof

builder combo works and see if they don't get better.  I think rock is

better to build hoof on than mud, but that's just me.   But you can't

use the strap across the heel bulbs in most cases, so she'll have to

have some heel for the strap to grab.  Wrap one or two wraps of

duct tape around her hoof, right up against the hairline, and then work

the boot on over that.  Let the teeth grab into the duct tape.

 

I forgot to duct tape the first hoof the other night and that's the boot

that came off.  :)

 

I would have never thought to leave Blue barefoot here on these rocks.

Our land is beautiful here, but it's all bedrock.  His feet look great, but

they improved for atleast 2 years.  He now has 1/2 - 3/4" hoof wall.

My farrier also did a mustang roll all around, but he did not over pare

the sole or do "the *real* barefoot thing". 

 

I keep Blue barefoot now, but I do use easyboots when we ride / train.

Corry Clinton put me on to this and my farrier here.  Thanks Corry!

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions,

Kathy Myers

in Santa Fe, NM