#OTT TIPS 3
Off-Track Thoroughbred Hoof Management
This is an area that can become problematic if not taken seriously, even if they arrive with good feet. They often have thin walls with long toes, low heels and in old shoes when they arrive. The hoof care routine will need to match your short and long term goals.
First question to consider is:
· Shoes off
· Fronts on only
· Shoes on
If there is an option to take the shoes off in the early stages to provide a break in the race shoeing routine and give the hoofs a reset in function and integrity of the hoof, you may consider this. Shoes off may also deter the highly strung and anxious types from playing about exuberantly. However, if your footing is rocky, excessively wet, or your arena is quite hard I would recommend keeping the shoes on, even if just the fronts. Thoroughbreds haven’t been bred for tough feet, just fast ones.
My priority has been to keep the shoes on. Discussing the main issues with a farrier and veterinarian at this early point can help develop a plan that starts your OTT off on the right foot, (pun intended).This also creates an inclusive team with your vet and farrier and adds value to your OTT if it is a sales project. A veterinarian can give advice on the angles of the hoof with consideration of any injuries to promote correct movement for the upper limbs and body.
The regularity of your farrier is highly important, keep a 5 week schedule unless your farrier has recommended otherwise. The aim is to reduce the risk of losing a shoe, the longer the shoeing cycle the more likely a shoe will fall off. Investing in a pair of soft ride or scoot boots can be useful if your farrier can’t stop by easily if a shoe is lost, this will help manage hoof breakage.
Top photos are Scoot Boots, bottom is a Soft Ride.
Google for suppliers.
Other management areas that should be considered are to plan for seasonal influences like flies and wet or dry conditions. Flies cause front leg stamping that loosens the shoes by breaking the hoof at the nails. Fly leg wraps or daytime stabling with fly systems installed are great if possible.
Horse Master Fly Boots. Google for supplier
Manage wet areas of their fields, or abscess issues will plague you. Consider having access to a stable to give timeout from standing in wet and mud. The integrity of the hoof can be affected by wet and dry conditions because of the changing moisture levels in the hoof wall and play havoc causing shrinking and expanding. A good product to control this is Keratex. Paint it below the coronet band to seal the hoof and provide a light protective vanish, it works better than oiling the hoof which can cause the nails to slip and raise the incidence of lost shoes and you can still oil the coronet band for supple growth. Keratex can be part of managing both wet and dry conditions.
Google to find a supplier for your horse
There are many hoof supplements for including in your OTT’s diet you can research. Make sure the supplement is eaten, not left in his bin, or tossed over the ground because his feeder is not fixed.
The above tips are things I’ve learnt from experience and many wise people along my journey, I hope you find them helpful. For more difficult hoof situations I haven’t mentioned, there are many more tricks and applications that I have used to help our four legged friends. If you’re having hoof problems with your horse trying to get to an event or have tried many things unsuccessfully. I may have been in the same situation once and have a remedy. Send a message, I’m happy to help or just let me know what you have found useful to fix a hoof problem in the comments.
