Which oil/treatment for dry hooves

Mr Ed

Mr Ed

Active Member
Mar 1, 2009
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Hi, my new ponio has nice feet that have been well looked after. Previous owner has suggested that we dont use the hoof oil we have bought too often as it can dry them out, and in the Summer he can have dry hooves.

She recommended a more moisturing Kevin Bacon product.

A horsey friend never treats her horses feet, unless dressing him up for hunting.

What are your thoughts please? Is it best to just leave well alone??

Thansk
 
I never use hoof oil - horrible stuff (but I LOVE the smell :eek:) Might dab some on if I ever show - but other than that I don't use it.

I use Effol (a moisturising green gel thingy) from time to time. The Kevin Bacon stuff is meant to be very good I hear - but unless you notice a problem I'd leave well alone :)
 
Water, cheap and what a horse ought to have his feet full of, not oil :)
We only use hoof oil on show days.
 
That's fascinating that water would have that effect!

Does it really moisturise hooves?

I really do learn something every day on here!

Sorry OP. Not meaning to hijack your thread. :eek:
 
Another one who is recommeneded Kevin Bacon by my farrier - are they all on commission?!!
 
I got recommended kevin bacon by my farrier too! LOL.
Seems to be pretty good stuff though. And much better than oil based hoof dressings which would get fried in the sun this time of year.
Really hard to put on with a normal hoof oil brush though, I just put my marigolds on grab a bit out of the tub and rub it in the hooves by hand! XD
 
Wally said:
Water, cheap and what a horse ought to have his feet full of, not oil :)
We only use hoof oil on show days.
Click to expand...

100% agree! :)

We have to soak our horses' feet before trimming...Stand them in the water! Their hooves are like concrete now. That's what 2 months with no rain does. :rolleyes: Winter was hell...Long and cold - now it's HOT!!!

Farrier told us to over-flow the water trough in the field, so the horses have to frequently walk in the 'soft and wet' mud which will help moisturise their hooves. Try telling Paul's mare, who can't cope with the 'different coloured ground' where the damp area is...she will literally lean as far as she can and sip the top of the trough rather than get her delicate little tootsies muddy:rolleyes:!
 
Thanks for the advice. Dont think in that case I will be rushing out to buy anything just yet and will seriously discourage my daughter from any regularl use. Will consider NAF Moist or Kevin Bacon at a later stage!!

Tks
 
Just think about it, logically - oil and water do not mix; oil repels water (oilskin clothing?). What would happen to your finger nails if you 'oiled' them on a regular basis? Treat your horses hooves accordingly - simples!!

The absolute best thing to do in really dry (not sunny) weather is to soak the hooves in water then apply a thin film of oil over to help retain the water.
 
Kevin Bacon is fab, works wonders on Thrush to, where Zak's been in for nearly a near, its kept that at bay well, and if he does get a touch, a few days application and it clears up.

I use Hoof Moist during the summer on mine every so often, dont have dry cracked hoove probs, personally never found just water to be enough!
 
As usual im late finding a thread to reply to but having had this discussion with my farrier i feel the need to reply!!

In the summer (or warm/hot weather) the hooves tend to dry out so something like hoof moist is recommended as its a water based product (im actually using aqueous cream - very similar!). But applied every other day or so.

However do not use if we have had rain, but apply a layer or effol or an oil based product to lock in the moisture - but every other or third day.

This is the method im now following although i usually paint Indies feet with effol when hacking out as it makes him llook smart! Did make my farrier shake his head in disbelief when i said ive got the black and green effol as couldnt possibly put black on white hoof!!

The other thing he did mention was different hooves need different care due to their conformation, for example painting the sole of my mares feet will do more harm than good whereas my gelding would benefit from 2-3 times a week painting in the summer/dry conditions.

Sooooooo essay over, i will now go and do some work...........
 
Hi Kc,

I am not putting anything on his hooves at the moment - sticking with au naturel! However, I have my first farrier visit in 2-3 weeks, so will get some more info on the condition of his hooves (which are pretty good at the mom) and see what they suggest if he has tendency to dryness.

I will mentioned the main 2/3 recommendations from this post to him and see what he says.....
 
hoof oil

i only use it on my horses hoofs because he suffer from cracked hoves if i don't .He is an old boy and i want hoves in the best condition from brownie :):):eek::eek:
 
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