Hooves Hard As Cement

Q: I own a 13-year-old, 15.3 hand black Quarter Horse and have had him for about 7 years. I ride him all the time. Well, he’s got hooves as hard as cement! I’ve been fighting this problem since I first got him. I get a very hard ride, especially at trots and stops. 

My husband, who’s a farrier, says he’s the toughest horse to shoe of all the ones he works on. Sometimes he has to use a chisel on the sole. It’s even tough putting in the nails.

We’ve tried every hoof application on the market, even the newest product, Hoof Marvel, that is supposed to soften tough hooves before cutting within 1 to 2 minutes. It didn’t work. I’ve even used this product long term, everyday until the bottle was empty and that didn’t work either. We’ve tried everything from hosing his hooves everyday to putting him out in the wet ground and grass. Nothing softens the hooves.

My husband just put Dura Shock pads on the horse. He cut them and made them like a rim pad so the horse has a shock absorber between his hooves and the ground. I felt the results immediately and it made for a much softer ride.

Still, I need some way to soften up those hooves. It has to be his genetic makeup and not the area, because the other horses I own are all normal.

The only thing I haven’t tried yet but am looking…