Foot Problem

Question
Hi

I have a Draft X, Mare that I've owned for eight years.  I've always had shoes on her as her feet seem to be sentsitive but in the last two weeks, her shoes have fallen off five times.  I live in Florida where it's hot and then in the afternoon it rains a lot so I'm wondering if there is anything I can do to make her hoofs stronger and also can I ride her when she's wearing boots?  I don't want to keep re-shoeing her if her feet won't permit that.
Her feet break easily and I am confused about what is the best stuff to give her.

Thank You  

Answer
Hi Laura!  Well, think of it this way - the horse's hooves directly reflects what nutrients and foods the horse is taking in. What goes in - grows out (through the hooves). Generally speaking, hooves cannot be 'treated' separately from the rest of the horse - they're all connected and all work together. When one asks a question about hooves I look at the whole horse; not just the hooves. So my question to you would be, what do you feed the horse? If processed grain (pelleted or sweet) then the horse is not receiving the nutrients he or she needs to maintain strong, healthy hooves. Too much sugar, too much carbs - I see it in the hooves all the time. Shelly, weak hooves that 'cannot hold shoes' generally shout out nutrients that are needed.

I'm familiar with FL having lived down in SW FL for over 2 years. The "pastures" (that aren't under water this time of year) are pretty much nothing but empty, dry weeds in sugar sand. The hay (bahia or coastal) isn't any better as no doubt it gets rained on several times before baled. That washes out nutrients. Coastal and Bahia grass hay is pretty much merely 'grazing' tools to help the horse feel like he's 'grazing' but offers little in nutritional value.

I can tell you that here I HATE to trim horses who are supplemented with flax. They're hooves are like cement! Flax offers just one of the Omega fatty acids that are necessary for health. The other Omegas can be supplied by Black Oil Sunflower Seeds. Those two 'supplements' can make a big difference to the overall health of the hooves. Feeding 'salads' with raw vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds will also help the hooves as they provide essential enzymes that are needed to utilize the nutrients that are fed. (No tomatoes, potatoes or eggplant, tho, please!!)

The other suggestion would be to find someone who knows how to properly balance and level the BARE hooves - pull those shoes and give her a rest from them. Get the feet correctly trimmed (go to http://www.barefoottrim.com and look under EDUCATIONAL to find a link to 'Balanced Hooves') If done correctly then there is very little 'down time' from riding. In fact, the more riding, the more MOVEMENT the horse gets (which is the most essential component to healthy hooves)on solid, firm ground, the more stimulation the hooves will get for recovery and sustained health.

Hope this has been helpful to you. :) -- Gwen