Anyone have any homemade ideas for hardening soft hooves? My arab has a white hoof that is just impossible to keep a shoe on. My farrier just loves us! We have tried every supplement on the market and nothing is helping. I saw something a TSC that was really expensive. I know there are some farriers around this board somewhere that have some old time tricks?

Keratex hoof hardener is available at KV Vet Supply and I think Valley Vet supply.

We try to keep the area around the water trough wet. We hose their feet whenever we can.

water is a big part of our issue.  I didnt have this much of a problem in Colorado...not a whole lot of water. Arkansas is a huge difference, it rains here all the bleeping time, and because we have had so much rain it doesnt soak in as fast as it should...considering everything is rocks here.  I cant keep her stalled, after 24 hours her legs are blown up like baloons.

Water is not going to harden hooves. Just like your fingernails don't get tougher if you do a lot of dishes. In fact, excess water is the worst thing you can do (and yes, SOME horses need some more exposure to water if they live in a desert, for example) In AR, espcially the weird, wet year we've had (in KS, too) a hoof sealer would be a better bet. Let the hooves dry overnight or with a hairdryer before applying (and apply to the underside of the hoof-just NOT THE FROG) to seal the wall from absorbing more mositure. You will have to reapply every so often, it rubs off.  Then turn your horse out.

So I only need to put it on the underside of the hoof, excluding the frog? If I recall right a farrier that I had back in CO when I had my TB....about 10 years ago or so. I think I remember him putting it on the outside wall of the hoof, especially around the nail holes? I could be wrong. I am pretty sure that she does this on purpose, just so she can keep getting fat and not being worked. Thankfully I found a used easyboot from a friend for $15. Farrier is "supposed" to be here monday...but you know how that always works out, and he is out of Carthage MO which makes it even more difficult to get him down.

Oh, definitly the walls, I was just saying to continue it on around the hoof on ground side. Also, don't go all the way up to the hairline. Leave about 3/4 to a full inch at the top (where the periople starts).

See Boosiler, you should have stayed in AR! I need someone to help with the different world down here It finally stopped raining the other day...and now its supposed to rain all weekend. Who needs to ride? (ugly sarcasm..

heh heh, Well, when I'm not sitting here waiting for this baby to decide she's done cooking,  I DO come back to AR every 6 weeks. I also stop in MO to do a few there, too.I have a whole route, and stay with friends/family while I'm in town working. So next fall..... 

Dont you just love to hurry up and wait? OOhhhh I dont miss that part!

If you ever need a place to stay around here, just let me know! I think hubby is finally starting to like it here, he is a little slow, its been 2 years.

And I'm sooo impatient with idle 'waiting"...not only that but we bought a place and are moving by the end of next month, so our stuff in in disarray, and I think we have more baby stuff than we have ourselves, and she's not even here yet! LOL

 My hubby and I have both been in KS almost 3 years now, and we STILL aren't used to it. We had talked about moving either back to AR (for me) or to CO (for him) but baby changed all that. So here we stay, with his job and all the good insurance, and I think some of my clients here would chase me down if I tried to leave anyways. It's been funny about the baby. Mixture of polite congrats and "soooo, ......when can you work again?" 

 It would be fun to meet up when I'm out that way. I met AppyT from Equisearch the first year I lived here and she's turned out to be a great friend. Horses are a common bond!

scuse me for the hijack please

BOOSILER YOU ARE NOT MOVING OUT OF STATE   

  got that?  lol 

ddalton113:

My arab has a white hoof that is just impossible to keep a shoe on.

To be honest it has been proven that a white hoof is not softer than a black one..   I'd be looking at other reasons for the shoe tossing.. 

Or you could always go barefoot.. ;) 

Appyt:

To be honest it has been proven that a white hoof is not softer than a black one..  

I know they say that...but her white hoof is softer than the rest. My friend has a saddlebred mare that has 2 white hooves and they are all nice and hard (well as hard as they can be in all this stupid rain). My appy has 2 white hooves also and they are great...but we all know that appys have fantabulous feet! This hoof on her has always given me greif, not as bad in Colorado but there isnt as much moisture there. And no, there is absolutely no way to keep her out of the rain and mud or the rocks....right booslier!!!  Im just looking for a way to harder it a bit.

My appy put 2 farriers in the hospital so we have no choice but barefoot. At first they cracked and broke up but then they hardened like rocks. I use Martin & Day & Carr hoof oil. They have three kinds: for dry brittle, soft cracked, and everyday moisturizer.  Hooves need to maintain a certain amount of moisture but excessive water- then drying out causes them to expand and contract weakening the attachment to the laminae. MDC helps the hoof to maintain the correct amount of moisture w/o it getting too wet or dry. Standing in a stall on shavings will dry out a hoof. It may be a long road but if you can- pull all the shoes and go barefoot. After a while all I use is the daily moisturizer and tar. It will take several months but heck, my baby trails, jumps, hunts and events barefoot. Beat that!