Hoof therapies
Diet: Diet is a subject where if you ask 100 people, you will get 100 different opinions, and if you ask those same 100 people tomorrow, they will have changed their minds again on what they believe is the truth. You pretty much have to be a biochemist to figure this thing out, so don't analyze to paralyze yourself.
Pertaining to diet, I will only tell you what I have learned so far, makes the most sense to me, and is working.
Horses need three basic things: grass hay low in nonstructural carbohydrates (sugar), balanced minerals, and water.
I try to stay away from feed that is processed with heat as it can destroy the nutritional content.
Hay can be inconsistent and deficient in its mineral content. All minerals depend on other minerals to be absorbed in the body. A mineral deficiency in even one mineral may cause the immune system to be thrown off.
Horses' digestive tracts are not designed to digest high levels of nonstructural carbohydrates (sugar) that are present in alfalfa and some hays. It throws the biochemistry of the horse's digestive system off by creating high levels of toxins that enter the blood stream and damage the laminae. The damage to the laminae will have been chronic long before we notice laminitis or founder.
To learn more about diet see these websites:
http://www.hoofrehab.com/diet.htm
Environment / movement: A gravel-defying hoof is created with each heel first landing. The healing and health is measured in miles…not time. We know that wild horses maintain their hooves by traveling approximately 20 miles each day, mostly at a walk. That
doesn’t mean we need to ride our horses this amount every day, but
there are a lot of things we can do to set them up for success by
creating an environment that is natural to the horse.
Horses sleep approximately 4 hours in every 24 hour period. Mother Nature created horses to be selective foragers. They spend most of their 24 hours seeking out grasses, herbs and minerals. Nature created them to graze, take a step, graze, take a step, etc. As a herd animal, the herd stimulates interaction through play and dominance games. They will seek out better grazing areas, minerals and water…more miles put on; and this cycle continues day after day.
Some ideas for creating a natural environment for the horse:
- Spread hay in a track formation. Horses
are selective foragers, which means they look for the best morsels
first and then go back to the less palatable hay. Spreading out
the hay will cause your herd to MOVE, picking out the best
bites first versus standing at a hay feeder.
- Place your water, minerals and hay as far away from each other as possible.
- Use run-in sheds versus stalls so that the horse will move throughout the day and night and only seek shelter when they need it. It is not natural or healthy for horses to stand stalled all night long. It wreaks havoc on the body and mind of the horse.
Remember, every step counts!
Body work: At a clinic with Pete Ramey, his first statement at the clinic was “Every hoof problem causes body problems.” When a horse has hoof pain, they will hold themselves in pain postures sometimes for years. When the hoof is finally rehabilitated, the body will often need bodywork to help the horse release itself from the muscle memory that it has held itself in.
In some cases, body problems can cause hoof problems. In this case the trimmer will be fighting to get the hoof rehabilitated until the body problem is resolved. The best scenario is to have your trimmer work together with someone trained in body work to give you and your horse the best results.
READ THIS!!! http://www.easycareinc.com/education/articles/problem_hooves.aspx
Boots and foam pads: Boots and foam pads are an amazing tool to use when the demands of the terrain and rider are greater than the health of the present hoof. It is one of the best ways to rehabilitate a hoof back to what nature intended…to be able to crunch gravel day after day. The boots and pads protect the undeveloped and sensitive sole, digital cushion, and frog from damage from external forces. The foam pads fill in the void where healthy tissues would be, while at the same time giving the needed pressure and release with each step the horse takes. This pressure and release helps improve blood circulation by 90%, which in turns speeds up healing and new cell growth dramatically (study by Dr. Robert Bowker, MSU).
Use them!!! Your horse will appreciate you putting his tennies on!
Pea Gravel: Pea gravel is much like foam pads. Because it is malleable, it fills in the voids where healthy tissues would be and increases blood circulation by 90%, which in turns speeds up healing and new cell growth dramatically (study by Dr. Robert Bowker, MSU). Pea gravel makes great footing for loafing areas or stall bedding. It gives the horse a malleable area to stand or lay and gives the hooves a drying out time. Standing on pea gravel is like a good foot massage for the horse.
Pea gravel is pretty cheap. I can get it for $29 a yard, which will give a 12x12 stall about 4 to 6 inches gravel depth. The great thing about pea gravel is that is replaces shavings for bedding. It cleans well with a manure fork, and in warm months you can hose it down with water to get the urine to drain away. Well worth the investment!
Therapies for frog infections: Pete Ramey encouraged participants at a clinic to not rest until you beat the infection! If a horse has a painful infection in the back of the hoof, he will not want to land heel first.
I am a firm believer in treating the cause of a symptom rather than just treating the symptom itself.
Prevention is the key here.
- First, a Natural Trim will help the hoof become resistant to infections because of the proper flexion of the hoof and increased blood supply.
- Reduce sugar intake (grains and high sugar grass, hay, or alfalfa). Horses taking in excess sugars will produce high insulin levels. High insulin disrupts skin and keratin (hoof) growth, exactly like humans with diabetes. High sugars also create an ideal environment for thrush and yeast.
- Next, question whether you have a mineral imbalance that is throwing your horse's immune system off.
- Stimulation through the use of boots / pads and pea gravel will help the hoof grow new cells. Provide an area of pea gravel for your horse to loaf where they can dry out.
- Clean the grooves around the frog, cracks and crevices and treat (see below).
For a daily treatment that Pete Ramey recommends and works well (barefooters are calling Pete's Goo), mix equal ounces of over-the-counter athlete’s foot cream with 1 % clitromazole and triple antibiotic cream. Put Pete's Goo in a syringe and squirt the mixture into all the cracks and crevices of the infected frog once or twice a day until the frog is healed and recalloused. It works, but you have to stay on it until the frog is back to health!
I have also use a soaking solution called CleanTrax for severe infections or a topical solution called Fungidye. www.centaurforge.com sells these products.