# PLEASE LOOK HERE! Horses feet chipping really bad! :(



## ksmith

I usually have the Farrier come out every 8 weeks. He trims them very nicely and then uses the rasp to file them. But within like 2-3 weeks after him trimming, they CHIP LIKE CRAZY! I cannot figure out what the issue is. I was thinking maybe he was trimming them wrong, but he does a wonderful job. My horses are on flat non rocky pasture. I don't ride them super hard. They have gone barefoot for all the years I have had them, and it seems like this year their feet are always horrible. I have 3 horses and 1 donkey and at $25 per horse I cant be getting them trimmed every month! Any Ideas? Are their feet too dry? Should I start using hooflex? Thank You!!


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## mydakota

Don't use hooflex.  Dry feet are hard feet. Hard feet are tough feet.  Tough feet resist chipping.   Do you have any pics?


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## goodhors

Perhaps you could get a rasp and smooth the hoof edges once a week to prevent chips from growing and breaking off.

With bare hooves, dry ground, being used, you WILL get chips, it is how hooves keeps from overgrowing in the wild.  So while you don't like the appearance, the chips are usually not an issue to the horse.  You still can use them, no pain involved.  Many horse owners have been conditioned to think the smooth, perfectly groomed hoof of the shod horse is how hooves should appear at all times.  Not true.  Hooves edged in steel won't chip like bare hooves, which is why you shoe them, hoping to get MANY miles of use out of shoes.  Shod hooves don't wear off like bare hooves, so horse doesn't get sore footed covering those many miles.  

Various types of ground will abrade the hoof differently, with sand being smoothing, but the gravel roads do chip them up lots more.  Other kinds of dirt, usage, will wear on hooves differently.  Hoof oils, rub on treatments are just a quick-fix, don't really do anything to change the hoof long term.  Hoof quality comes from the inside, good diet.  So for better hooves you need to construct a diet with neither to much or too little of the things horse needs.  Then wait 9-12 months as he grows out a new hoof length.

Glad you have the money for regular trims and the price is pretty low for it.  Early spring and summer is when hooves are growing the fastest, so maybe every 8 weeks is letting toes get long to break off faster.  However if you are riding them much, you should be wearing off hoof too, so not much needing to be trimmed each visit.  Trims around here are running $40, for any one animal less than draft size.  Trimming drafts takes longer, is harder work, so they cost more money to trim.  I trimmed my own ponies as a kid because I didn't have any money, so my rasping off broken hoof edges was pretty common on my barefoot equines to keep the chips to a minimum.


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## DonnaBelle

I have a couple of Tennessee Walking Horse yard ornaments.  Well, they're real horses, but DH doesn't ride anymore, and I can't bring myself to give/sell them to anyone else who might not treat them right.

I have a farrier come every 2 months and trims and files their hooves.  They do chip a little between times but they are fine.  

Now if you ride them a lot, it might be a different story.  Goodhors is very knowledgable about horses.  His advice sounds reasonable to me.

DonnaBelle


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## ksmith

Thank You everyone! I am just tired of looking at horrible feet! I am thinking about putting them on a hoof supplement for a while to help the process of growing great hoofs.


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## goodhors

ksmith said:
			
		

> Thank You everyone! I am just tired of looking at horrible feet! I am thinking about putting them on a hoof supplement for a while to help the process of growing great hoofs.


Any effect of a supplement is going to take a LONG time to show in the hoof.  Then to have the "new and improved" hoof grow to reach the ground is going to still take that 9-12 months of time.  So you need to plan the expense of supplement for feeding AT LEAST ONE YEAR to be helpful to your equines.  And then you need to continue feeding that supplement to keep the improved hooves you want, growing out under the horses.  I think that year+  length of time is more than "for a while", so you have to think VERY long term with this plan to be effective in changing hooves.  

You may want to start reading up on horse diet, correct proportions of minerals, hay and grain values, to understand how all the various items fed, help or do nothing for the horse body parts.  Some minerals are essential, like Copper, Selenium and Vit E, but you only need TINY amounts fed.  Reading to learn about feeding equines can be boring, but knowledge is power.  You will then understand if buying the Brand Name grain mix at $15 a 50# bag is a good value or if you can get the same benefits from mixing 50# of oats and 50# of cracked corn, for a much lesser price.  And feeding nice, not super rich hay, can make horse only NEED a handful of that corn/oats mix a day, yet still be slick and shiny, with good hooves, have PLENTY of energy for riding use while saving you still more money.

We feed soybean meal, mixed with our oats and cracked corn for horse grain.  Soybean meal provides protein, which is what hooves and hair are made of.  Soybean meal is pretty cheap for an additive and you only add 10% to the total mix of other grains.  More soybean added than that is wasted, horses' body can't use it.  Our horses have good hoof genetics to begin with, so the bit of soybean meal added, seems to add all the extra we need for tough, hard using hooves.  You CANNOT feed whole uncooked soybeans, they are poison for horses.  Soybean meal is ground soybeans that have been cooked to a high temp, changes everything to make them edible.

Using a rasp, means you should invest in a new one that is SHARP.  Get the plastic or wooden handle that goes over the tang (pointed handle) of rasp for a better grip.  You only file in ONE direction, away from you, like with old metal nail files.  Back and forth makes the hoof walls more prone to splitting.  Work slowly, using both hands on rasp for control, even rasping, until you are more familiar with how rasp effects the hoof parts.  Take a couple strokes with the rasp, EVALUATE what has changed.  Then do a couple more swipes, check again.  You don't want to remove much at any time, you are just wanting to smooth the edges.  You CAN'T PUT HOOF BACK ON, so don't remove too much trying to speed up the job.  Don't LEAN on the rasp while pushing, makes it remove hoof unevenly.  If you THINK you need to lean to remove hoof, then you NEED a new, sharp rasp again.


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## Griffin's Ark

I was concerned about the chipping and did a lot of research about what was going on with the hooves.  The good thing is, it is normal.  If your horse(s) has been barefoot for a long time then you may not have a lot to worry about.  If your horse has had shoes on for a long time and recently started going barefoot, then you have to worry about cracking, but when you start seeing chips, in any case keep an eye out for cracks. For great pictures and videos google, Mustang Roll. Then google barefoot trims.  This may help you to make sure that your farrier is trimming for barefeet.  Look to see if the toe is to long, heel is to short, ect.  You don't have to know how to be a farrier to make sure you are getting what you pay for.  Know your horse, know their feet, and you will have a happy horse.


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## absoluteapps

Use Hoof Heal, it balances the moisture in the feet. Or run your water tank over. I have super dry conditions right now, and my horses feet were too breaking up from stomping off the flies. The farrier cannot cut off what he needs to because the soles are hard as concrete. I use Hoof Heal 3 times a week, and give them water to stand in. Keeps the elasticity in the hooves so they do not chip up so easy.


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## Paintingpheonix

We have a mare that chips her hooves REALLY badly, so I've started rasping them down once every one to two weeks, works brillantly, and have even started filing the other horses hoofs down to, just to prolong the time in between farrier visits.  So next time your farrier's out, ask him if he could show you how to rasp your horses hoofs down.


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## PatchiePonie

My friend's horse, Millie has the same problem and I think from memory, she is just filing them down and using hoof conditioner on them, they are really bad  Hope your horses feet get better =}


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## secuono

Aw, no pics?

My 17yr mare's hooves grow super fast and chip/crack easily. So I trim her feet every month or so and have the farrier come out when I can. I pay $55 per horse, so you are super lucky you have one so cheap!
My 4yr pony's hooves barely grow, so I don't mess with his feet. I find it weird that an old horse's feet grow fast, but the youngster's feet are slow. I don't get it, they eat and do all the same things. And they weigh the same because the pony is fat, hoping winter will trim him up so in the spring I can get a grazing muzzle on him.


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## sawfish99

If the chipping is happening 2-3 weeks after a trimming, I would suspect 2 possible problems.
1. The hoof wall is being left too long, resulting in the stress being placed on the wall instead of the sole.  This is very easily corrected by more rounding of the hoof wall when trimming.  I have seen this when the trimming is being done by a farrier, who doesn't normally round the edge of the hoof wall (as much compared to a barefoot only trimmer) because the shoe takes the stress of walking. 
2. Separation between the white line and hoof wall is breaking through and causing the chips.  This can be corrected by a more aggressive trim to eliminate the separation, however, it will likely make the horse sore for a few days after the trim.  

I understand the desire to save money, however, 8 weeks is usually too long between trimmings.  Hoof health can be improved through more frequent, less aggressive trimming.  If you don't want to pay someone to trim, consider getting a Rider's Rasp and working each hoof a couple of times a week.

For reference, trimming in my area by farriers costs $35-65 per horse.  Barefoot specialists cost $40-60.  Personnally I charge $40 because I don't have the experience/client base to support charging $60 (my mentor for the past 5 years charges $60 and turns away work).


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## dsqard

I second the Riders Rasp that sawfish99 mentioned.  They fit in your hand easily and are really nice for the edge touch ups.  I also agree with the great advice given to you by goodhors.  It will take about a year for good nutrition to get all the way through the hoof.  I also vote that you might be waiting too long between trims.  I am lucky to get six weeks between trimmings.  Luckily, I was taught how to do a trim so I can do it any time they need it.


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