# Hoof problem?



## wvgal61 (Jul 18, 2010)

I have a 14-15 month old tennessee walker filly, that is having splitting in her hoofs. She just had a trim a few weeks ago. I just got her about 1 month ago. Her hoofs feel real soft. Is this normal for a young horse? I never had a horse this young before. The new hoof  above feels harder. Could it have been a poor diet that she was getting before?


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## michickenwrangler (Jul 18, 2010)

Part of it may be all the rain. (At least for us here)

Excessive moisture can soften hooves. Diet may also play a part too.


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## LauraM (Jul 19, 2010)

Horses that age need more protein than mature horses.  Hooves are made up primarily of protein.  So I would make sure the horse is getting adequate high-quality protein in it's diet.  

 A yearling to two-year old that is around 700 lbs and is expected to mature at about 1100 lbs needs around 900 grams, or 2 lbs, of protein in it's diet daily.  Many times youngsters at this age do not get adequate HIGH-QUALITY (which means _usable_ protein.  I suggest adding a good quality ration balancer, like Foxden Equine's LinGro or Buckeye's Gro-N-Win 

You could also add 2-4 oz of whole flax seed for a good source of high quality protein as well as essential fatty acids like Omega 3.


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## wvgal61 (Jul 19, 2010)

Thanks, I think she was just on pasture before


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