Hoof putty been used on cracks on horse I want to buy, is this a problem?

B&R's Mum

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Dec 16, 2004
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I have found a horse today who I really like. He is perfect for me in every way, a total gentleman. The only slight concern I have is that about two months ago he had his shoes taken off as he was not going to be ridden for a bit. His front feet cracked quite a bit so he was reshod and has had a greenish putty put on about the bottom third of his hoof to help the cracks. I am buying him from a dealer who is selling on behalf of his owners. He was perfect to ride and it didn't seem to be giving him any problems.

Does anyone know if this might cause problems with his vetting? It is not something I have come across before. Does anyone know if this might be a problem for having him shod in the future (his back feet are fine).

Thanks
 
hoof putty is generaly fine as it is only there to prevent gravel getting into the hoof whilst the cracks grow out.
 
stan my lad has alot of hoof putty in at the moment because of the damage he did to his feet, he is going to the angelesey county show tommorow!
 
I would want to have a really good look at that just to make sure that there isn't a foot problem. Look at the angle of the hoof wall to see it is nice and smooth, and a good angle. Look under the hooves to see how concave they are and that the frogs are well developed.

Hoof putty is no substitute for good horn unfortunately and if he is always losing shoes or going lame he won't be much fun for you. On the other hand if he seems perfect in other ways then you may be able to improve his feet if you have access to a good farrier or trimmer.
 
His hooves looked pretty good apart from the putty. The hoof wall above looked good and his back feet seemed nice and strong (they didn't have any putty on). He does not have a history of losing shoes so hopefully all will be well.

Thanks for the replies.
 
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