Medical Information

Hoof injury

General Hoof injuries i.e. quartercracks, wall separations, coronary band abscess, puncture wounds, bar cracks, etc. Contact your Veterinarian, Professional hoof repair specialist or Farrier and seek their advice.

In the meantime if the horse is sore due to these injuries I have had plenty of success relieving some soreness and helping them feel comfortable again with the therapy below:

Some successful therapy in these cases; soak the hoof in a mixture of 1 gal of warm water, ½ cup of Epsom salts, and ¼ cup of bleach, depending on the hoof tub, adjust the amount of water to raise above the coronary band. Soak the hoof for ½ to 1hr a day. This aids in relieving soreness, drawing an abscess out, and has antiseptic properties also. If the horse is very lame, I apply one of the many poultices that are out on the market today after soaking. Then make sure you have your Veterinarian pay the horse a visit!

Thrush: The "KISS" principle "Keep It Simple Stupid" has been most successful for me in addressing this problem.

Clean up the effected area best you can, removing all dead and shed anatomy as possible. Then make a mixture of warm water, Epsom salts and ¼ cup of bleach in a tub, just deep enough to migrate up the Hoof wall ½ inch or so. Leave your horse stand in for 15 to 20 min. When you take the hoof out wash the effected area with isopropyl alcohol and wipe dry. Then the important step, take an old hair dryer and blow-dry the affected area for 5 minutes or until you have the area completely dry. Be careful not to get to close with the heat of the hair dryer. Once you reach this stage you then apply one of the many Thrush products that are out on the market today. You may need to apply this therapy 3 to 5 days before you start to win the battle against thrush! This process has cleared up some stubborn cases over the years for many of my clients.

One must also keep in mind when fighting the thrush battle try to provide a clean and dry footing for your horse until cured.

More content coming soon...