Dry Cracked hoof

Question
My horse has hooves that are cracked. Sometimes he will come in from the pasture with chunks of his hoof missing. It is  becoming hard to keep a shoe on him because his hooves are weak the shoe will come off and tear some of his hoof off. He is on Farrier's Formula but that doesn't seem to be helping. What should I do?

Answer
Hi Brianna ... well, probably what *I* would do would be to pull the shoes and be sure the TRIM is correct before reapplying shoes. Or, leave your horse barefoot for awhile to grow some new hoof and 'have a rest'. I have an article with illustrations that helps people to see what a 'balanced' hoof looks like in relation to different 'landmarks' of the hoof and leg. You can find it here: http://www.barefoottrim.com/2007/balance/balance.htm  That will help you understand the general balance and trim of a horse's hoof.

Generally, when the hooves are chipping then its merely the hoof trying to 'trim itself'. I don't know how long between farrier visits you allow but perhaps if you would go to a 4 - 5 week schedule for a bit that might help.

The diet is important to maintaining hooves, as well. Plenty of fresh forages including different fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, along with good quality hay and, if you can, grazing -- the diet is an integral part of hoof health. Try to eliminate as many processed sugars as you possible can from the diet. Too much processed 'stuff' will wreak havoc with hooves. Farriers Formula is a processed suppliment and may not be able to do the job you're wanting it to do.

If you go to my main website, www.barefoottrim.com and click on EDUCATION then you'll find a few different articles there that might be of help to you.

Have a great day - I hope some of this is useful for you.