Hoof problem?

[wvgal61]

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?

 

[michickenwrangler]

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.

 

[LauraM]

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.

 

[wvgal61]

Thanks, I think she was just on pasture before