So. What’s your poison? When you have so many options to choose from to alleviate any number of hoof conditions and maladies, how do you decide which to use for what?
When nobody has any heel bruises, I like to use Absorbine’s Hooflex. And that alone pretty much takes care of the healthy hoof.
However, recently I have gone through a litany of goops for Eli’s right front (which he does not like for me to pick up and mess with at his point … can’t imagine why). Based on initial conclusions of an abscess, I packed for days with Epsom salt paste. It’s toxic radioactive sludge green and has the consistency of phlegm. Once it was clear the bruise had decided to surface rather than abscess, I switched to packing with Magic Cushion. That only lasted a day …. the Magic Cushion seemed to make Eli’s heel … angry … I switched to Forshner’s for a few days (which is still my favorite for run-of-the-mill hoof packing). I also started applying Corona daily to his heel bulbs and coronary band on the RF.
At this point, my trainer suggested checking with the vet for something to “toughen” Eli’s heel and sole, which brings me to Sole Paint for 3 days and today will be day 3 of Durasole.
I switched because a) Sole Paint makes me paranoid and b) Durasole is cheaper. Either product must be handled with care and cannot be used on skin — they both contain formaldehyde. Just to clarify, I am not paranoid about Sole Paint because of it’s composition, I just think it hardens the sole REALLY fast, almost too much. So I didn’t want to use it for long. It’s magical, though, for sure. I won’t be using the Durasole daily for very much longer because I don’t think it will be necessary, but it seems like a handy thing to have on hand in case we have a typical Texas crappy, wet winter.
The only stuff I ever put on my horses hooves has been the Keratex Hoof Hardener and it worked like a dream on my mare that has thinner soles.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I use the Venetian hoof hardener you paint on with a hoof brush when there’s bruising (and after my horse had acute laminitis).
LikeLike
The Seashore Acres Sole Paint was highly recommended to me for hoof hardening. It def helps my geriatric QH! Thankfully the rest of my herd all have remarkably hard hooves, especially for TBs!
LikeLike
Agreed! When my TB went temporarily barefoot due to hoof mismanagement years ago, this definitely helped his hooves and got him comfortable again.
LikeLike
I’ve tried a bunch of stuff (typical TB tootsies), and my go-tos are Magic Cushion Extereme for any tenderness or bruising, and then I use Keratex Hoof Hardner 3x/week. This summer has been really wet and P’s shoes were falling off or slipping to the side because his feet were so soft. My farriers say they’ve definitely noticed a difference.
LikeLike
Stubben makes some awesome hoof hardener that also heals. Normally I use good ol hoof flex! I don’t have many hoof issues or lost shoes, I’m lucky that way.
LikeLike
This hasn’t been something I’ve had to mess with luckily (dry climate = we spent more time making sure feet weren’t TOO dry), but I’m definitely going to save all these recommendations now that I live in a wetter climate.
LikeLike
I actually started using the Sore No More poultice instead of a pack, but before that I used Rebound which I really liked.
LikeLike
I totally forgot to mention that between the Magic Cushion and Forshner’s I used SNM poultice for a day to calm down his heel! It worked really well.
LikeLike
😁😁😁
LikeLike
I’m shocked by all the options and pleasantly surprised how many people like!
LikeLike