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Hoof conditioner are they good ? and why please
Post At
07/15/2009 - 7:45 am
reply from
ray oliver
I'm doing some research on hoof conditioners. If someone could help me out that would be great. Thank you in advance
Reply at
07/22/2009 - 10:48 pm
reply from
Tom Taylor
I'm not much of a pusher of hoof conditioners. But during the dry season, I tend to recommend to my clients to use hand lotion for hoof moisturizing. Any hand lotion for dry skin, with lanoline, and vitamin e works as good as any "hoof" conditioner I've seen.
Reply at
10/24/2009 - 4:24 am
reply from
Heidi Meyer
Sesame oil is the only thing I put on for conditioning (I'm assuming there is no problems, just dryness or cosmetic reasons?). Naturally antifungal, you can get it in the grocery store and it's non toxic (makes your hands feel great too!) Aids against scurfing, scratches, hives, etc. Petroleum based ointments (and there are a ton of them out there) will seal out extra moisture, they also stop the natural function of the hoof wall/coronet. Sesame on top, diluted Lysol disinfectant on the frog, and you are good to go! Pay close attention to central sulcus and heel bulb infections. Most people don't realize how damaging/painful this is! Sometimes antibiotics are the only remedy. Keep heels from contracting, clean out with Epsom Salts, dry, pack with neosporin and cotton and repeat daily. Clean Trax is awesome too to kill bacteria.
Their skin is not much different from our hands.....so if it will burn you, it will burn them!
Their skin is not much different from our hands.....so if it will burn you, it will burn them!
Reply at
01/ 6/2012 - 10:13 pm
reply from
Hoof maker is the best I've found, and it makes an awesome hand lotion. Unlike other products, this stuff actually soaks in and has a pleasant smell. It's made by Mane and Tail products that make the Mane and Tail Shampoo, and can even be had from Walgreen's for under $10 for about a quart.
Reply at
01/ 7/2012 - 1:24 pm
reply from
Kim Kobow
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Saturday, January 7, 2012
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..... sometime in the past 6 or 8 year, I remember reading about a study done at Texas A&M (Hoof Project). There was a group of students that dug into this pretty deep. It was found that the best results came from the products that were formulated with "Neats Foot Oil" OR "Pine Tar" as a base. Today, we have a number of those on the market. Often I have that question posed to me..... I answer it with the previous comment about Texas A&M and those 2 base ingredients ..... I then follow up with a short speech about "CONSISTENCY". It does no good to purchase the product and then leave it on the shelf in the tack room. At Texas A&M, they found that when used on a very regular basis; the hooves would hold moisture within during the dry Summer months and at the same time the external moisture in the Winter months would not pass thru the barrier painted onto the hoof. I have had a few clients that grab hold of the concept of  "CONSISTANT"  and I can see the difference in the quality of hoof material on those horses ......
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Kim Kobow
Central Coast Farrier Service
Salinas, California
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Saturday, January 7, 2012
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..... sometime in the past 6 or 8 year, I remember reading about a study done at Texas A&M (Hoof Project). There was a group of students that dug into this pretty deep. It was found that the best results came from the products that were formulated with "Neats Foot Oil" OR "Pine Tar" as a base. Today, we have a number of those on the market. Often I have that question posed to me..... I answer it with the previous comment about Texas A&M and those 2 base ingredients ..... I then follow up with a short speech about "CONSISTENCY". It does no good to purchase the product and then leave it on the shelf in the tack room. At Texas A&M, they found that when used on a very regular basis; the hooves would hold moisture within during the dry Summer months and at the same time the external moisture in the Winter months would not pass thru the barrier painted onto the hoof. I have had a few clients that grab hold of the concept of  "CONSISTANT"  and I can see the difference in the quality of hoof material on those horses ......
Â
Kim Kobow
Central Coast Farrier Service
Salinas, California
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Reply at
01/ 7/2012 - 6:14 pm
reply from
Jim Goede
What you put on the feet is dependent on
what you are trying to accomplish. Here in Southern California, the feet can
get really dry and hard, so trying to get some moisture in them in the summer
months is pretty important. Without that flexibility in the hoof you can't get
the blood flow you need to keep the hoof healthy. I recommend two things. The
first is the simplest, cheapest and most "natural"...water. Make a
mud puddle, stick a bucket with their food in it in the middle and let 'em eat.
Those 1-2 hours of standing in the mud does WONDERS. Have you ever noticed that
all the horses feet are much healthier after some good rain (just not too much)?
The only other thing for dry feet I
recommend is something like Tough Stuff or Hoof Guard hoof sealer to replace
what you take off when shaping and dressing the foot. It keeps too much
moisture from evaporating out of the foot in the summer and too much from
getting in during the winter. Now if you are trying to solve a problem (hoof
cracks with infections, etc.) I am trying out a new product made by a company
in Chile called Kawell (www.kawell.cl) that
makes a medicated hoof paste that has copper salts in it. Helps to get the
cracks to seal up while eliminating infections from bacteria and fungi. I also
agree about consistency.
My clients who
are consistent about taking care of their horses feet typically have the best
feet on their horses. Hope that helps. Bottom line: common sense.
Jim Goede
what you are trying to accomplish. Here in Southern California, the feet can
get really dry and hard, so trying to get some moisture in them in the summer
months is pretty important. Without that flexibility in the hoof you can't get
the blood flow you need to keep the hoof healthy. I recommend two things. The
first is the simplest, cheapest and most "natural"...water. Make a
mud puddle, stick a bucket with their food in it in the middle and let 'em eat.
Those 1-2 hours of standing in the mud does WONDERS. Have you ever noticed that
all the horses feet are much healthier after some good rain (just not too much)?
The only other thing for dry feet I
recommend is something like Tough Stuff or Hoof Guard hoof sealer to replace
what you take off when shaping and dressing the foot. It keeps too much
moisture from evaporating out of the foot in the summer and too much from
getting in during the winter. Now if you are trying to solve a problem (hoof
cracks with infections, etc.) I am trying out a new product made by a company
in Chile called Kawell (www.kawell.cl) that
makes a medicated hoof paste that has copper salts in it. Helps to get the
cracks to seal up while eliminating infections from bacteria and fungi. I also
agree about consistency.
My clients who
are consistent about taking care of their horses feet typically have the best
feet on their horses. Hope that helps. Bottom line: common sense.
Jim Goede
Reply at
01/ 9/2012 - 11:05 am
reply from
chris richardson
I haven't read the Texas A&M study (shame on me), I shall do so. Currently I shy away from hoof coatings of any kind, but if my customers insist on using a conditioner my advise is to use anything that they would put on their own hands - it may not help, but at least it won't hurt.
Reply at
01/10/2012 - 9:09 am
reply from
Frank Schweighart
I agree with Chris. I think hoof coatings are more beneficial for the owner than for the horse. It makes them feel they are doing something good for their horse and that's OK. It does no harm and maybe there is some slight beneficial aspect. No petroleum products please...here in East Texas I have heard numerous references to used motor oil. Ugghh!! Hoof health comes from within. Check my website www.schweighartequineservices.com for a thesis I wrote several years ago on flaxseed. I have customers that use a lot of it and it works. Kim's post regarding the Texas A&M study that referenced neatsfoot oil...guess what? Neatsfoot oil is made from flaxseed. Very cool. Check it out if you get the chance.
Reply at
01/19/2012 - 1:59 am
reply from
Jenafer Hamilton
While I don't use hoof conditioners myself, some of the owners I know swear by Rainmaker to add moisture to dry hooves. They use it 2-3 times a week during the dry seasons. If anyone knows more about this product, I'd be interested in finding out if it's really the quality product it seems to be or if they're just fooling themselves.
Reply at
04/19/2012 - 11:42 am
reply from
Alicia Thompson
I do not advocate the use of anything that will soften the hoof. Soft hooves flare and crack so at least with the horses I shoe I only recommend hoof tougheners pine tar, venice turpentine and if bathing a lot a hoof sealant is great.
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