Natural, safe, cheap hoof supplement.?
Just give your horse a good balanced diet, turn out, and exercise. Most supplements are ineffective and very costly. The cracks are unlikely related to the thrush. I would stop the dressing application. Usually with a thrush infection, the horse has been in a less than optimally clean environment and/or too much moisture. You should have his feet trimmed on a regular basis but you want his feet to be hard. Again, recent hoof care information (the last 10 years) does not advocate the application of dressings, oils, tars, etc. Your horse should not have chemicals applied to his feet as they are not beneficial. As an aside, typical commercial thrush treatments (or those old home remedies) should not be used because they kill healthy tissue as well as the bad tissue. This sets up a cycle of repetitive infections, especially if the environment is wet. These include bleach, thrush buster, sav-a-hoof, kopertox, etc. Some success has been seen using soaks made with White Lightening or Clean Trax but again, not inexpensive and time consuming and specific techniques are required to use these (usually found only in farrier supply stores). You would have to soak and would need some type of soaking boots but you can use a 50/50 solution of water and apple cider vinegar (no white vinegar) or 2oz. of lysol concentrate (yellow cap only in dark amber bottle - not all the other varieties on the shelves) in a gallon of water. Either soak is 3-4 times weekly for a minimum of 30 minutes each time. Good luck with your horse. If the thrush is in the central sulcus between the heel bulbs, it can be really difficult to resolve and it is really painful for your horse.
Can hoof supplements make a horse hot?
I have never had any get hot from biotin supplements. However, as charm said every horse will react differently. Almost all biotin supplements are alfalfa based and if your horse is on a grass diet it might be just enough to make him hot. Also while there are other vitamins in Shoer's Friend and Horseshoer's Secret they don't contribute as much to the actual growth as just the biotin. Try one of these, you don't have to feed nearly as much, they are much cheaper, and I have actually had better results with them than the 2 you mentioned. http://www.kvsupply.com/KVVet/product_fa... http://www.kvsupply.com/KVVet/product_fa...
Are horse supplements necessary?
Some horse supplements can be very helpful. When I first moved to central Texas, my horses started showing very dry, rough coats and poor hoof quality, due to some kind of deficiency in their pasture forage. I started adding “Horseshoer’s Secret” and it immediately their hooves and coat showed improvement. I have also had veterinarians recommend glucosamine supplements to help stave off arthritis (both of my horses are over 25 years old).Supplements are only really “necessary” when you are trying to replace something that is missing. Clearly in the case of my pastures, something was missing that was impairing their metabolism for hair and hooves. Supplementing sulfur compounds is helpful for older horses who are losing joint lubrication.I’m sure that other people can chime in with their success stories for other supplements. I always used to think that feed supplements were “snake oil” but I’ve seen positive results from using them, so I do believe that they can help improve a horse’s quality of life in certain circumstances.
Hoof suplements?
I have a belgian/Arab with hard chippy feet short toe and long sides. The farrier said to use a feed supplement. He recommended farrier magic. Does anyone know if this is a good supplement or if there is a better one out there? Is there one that is on the cheaper side that works well? What about goos that can be applyed on the outside of the hoof wall? Would that even help?
Best supplement for arthritis?
OK so I've had a lot of experience with arthritis! Glucosamine is really good! Also, devil's claw is good- it works as an anti-inflammatory. The good thing is you can just add them into your horse's feed :-) Devil's claw is probably cheaper than glucosamine, but glucosamine is probably going to work a bit better. Together is ideal, but depends on your budget. I don't know what sort of weight your horse is at right now, but it doesn't hurt to lose a little bit just to put less strain on the joints. I'm not talking starving the horse so you've got a skeletal horse, but just a bit so they're ever so slightly under weight, but not significantly. What else...keep him in work to keep his muscles toned. They will support the joints better if they are strong. However, don't overdo it as this can upset the joints. Hope this helps! In the ideal world, where all the money in the universe was available, there wouldn't be problems like ths. But I have moral issues with spending extortionate amounts of money on horses and thus have come up with ways like these to ease conditions such as arthritis in my horses.
What kind of horse supplements are safe for human consumption?
In the US packaged products that are labeled for use as horse supplements are not tested for safety in human consumption, nor are they required to meet the same stringent guidelines. Also, to my knowledge they are not processed on the same equipment as products intended for human consumption, and the processing might not have to be done the same way. That said, there are many products developed for horses that have been tested, approved and packaged for human consumption - and the reverse is also true - that many products developed for humans have been packaged for equine use as well. Some examples would be Biotin, Glucosamine Chondroitin and Psyllium (Metamucil).A list of such products would be extensive. If you need a list, I would recommend an internet search of the words "Equine Supplements" and cross-reference that with "Human Supplements".Whenever people ask me a question like this one I start to get nervous thinking that they might try to use a horse supplement because, "It's cheaper - why not?" So let me tell you why not. Supplements meant for horses are designed or modified in ways that make them highly effective for horses but can make them dangerous for human consumption. For example, a vitamin supplement for horses may have very nearly the same analysis printed on the label, but it is designed for an herbivore that ways 1,200 lbs. We are omnivores weighing about one tenth as much. The dose of Selenium, for example, that would be safe for a horse could kill a human. What about Psyllium? It is a natural fiber with little nutritional value, so why not eat equine psyllium? Well, I don't know how much processing it goes through, but I can tell you, they don't look the same. So if they go through different processing, who's to say the equine psyllium processing plant is as careful to wash off mouse droppings and dead bugs before processing?
Biotin & MSM Supplements?
Research has shown Farrier's Formula to be a better choice as a hoof supplement, since it contains the actual amino acids needed to form the hard structures of the hoof. Biotin is only helpful if the horse is deficient, which is rare. But it isn't harmful since excesses are just excreted by the kidneys into the urine. MSM is one supplement that is inexpensive and safe if purchased from a reputable company. I give it to my 23 year old mare, and her joint mobility has improved. I would not give glucosamine/chondroitin joint supplement to any horse that hasn't been tested to rule out insulin resistance, since it can be made worse with these, and they are not recommended in those horses. In fact, they may bring on insulin resistance in some horses. My mare is insulin resistant, but she can take MSM safely. I would say she was on it for a month or so before we noticed that her ability to have her feet picked up and have her legs stretched had improved. Our farrier has noticed a considerable improvement as well. You should always consult with your vet before giving any supplements to your horse, of course ! Here is a recent article on biotin............ https://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.asp... Here is an excellent one on "feeding the feet" with research findings, and is the one recommending Farrier's Formula....... http://www.thehorse.com/viewarticle.aspx...
Purina "Amplify" weight gain supplements? Hot horse? Anyone use this?
My 9 year old OTTB gelding is a super hard keeper. He already gets fed stable mix and alfalfa/oat hay daily and has been eating that for a year now (gets fed the most at the barn) He still never seems to gain weight. Our vet highly recommended the Amplify by Purina for him so just 2 days ago we began feeding it to him along with his other food. He is usually a VERY calm thoroughbred. Nothing fazes him and he is such a quiet and relaxed horse that he is happy walk/trot/cantering on a loose rein. I rode him yesterday (2 days of being on the supplement) and he was a mess. Bucking, crow hopping, and rearing (he has never reared under saddle ever!), and all sensitive to cues. I am not sure if this is the supplement speaking or maybe just a fluke in my horses temperament. All of the reviews of the product online seem great and no one mentioned "hotness" in their horse. My trainer wants me to keep him on it for another week then we will decide if we will take him off of it. Just curious to hear what you guys think. What do you guys think? Anyone use this? Fluke or supplement?
What is the best hoof hardener?
The place to start is good feed - make sure that your horse is getting all the vitamins and minerals that she needs. Possibly you could add a supplement such as Farrier's Formula or Biotin to redress the matter. Keratex is renowned for being a great hardener and cornucrescine applied to the coronet band can help to improve the strength of the growing hoof.
What different types of cut are used for meth?
The most common cuts, meaning something that is intentionally added after the product is done, are MSM, sugars, sucrose, salts and N-isopropylbenzalamine.MSM is a livestock supplement that is also marketed to people, but it’s effectiveness, if any, is widely disputed. If smoked, it makes you feel speedy at first, then gives you muscle cramps, headaches, stomach issues and then makes you feel sleepy. MSM is the only cut to actually co-crystallize with meth, which is quite a trick. So it’s hard to clean out, and it looks a lot like meth — in fact, it looks like TOO GOOD of meth. It’s too clear, too hard, too perfect. Which is why the untrained eye mistakes it for good meth, not cut.Suagar and sucrose are added because it’s cheap and looks close enough to fool people. But it, of course, doesn’t burn worth a damn. Turns black and gooey. But, really not that harmful compared to some of the other stuff.N-Iso is a chemical that is used in the industrial production of other chemicals. Nobody has any idea what it’s effect on the human body is (last I knew) because it was never intended for human consumption by any means. It’s just goddamn scary, especially when I think of people IVing it. But, it’s an analog of meth, melts at a higher temperature, and will fool even a moderately trained eye. It’s a scourge, for certain.And there are so many others, but those are the most common. I used to know a guy cut his with ACRYLIC POWDER. I cringe when I think of people shooting that up. Or how it must have tasted when smoked, not to mention what it would do to your lungs. Dealers are a strange breed though. He was convinced it was his “trademark” and what made his stuff so desirable. (They all think that way, but the truth is, sell people good dope and they’ll come back; sell them bad dope and they’ll come back and buy five times as much. Sad but too often true…)There are also a wide variety of impurities and by-products that can be produced depending on the type of manufacturing used to make the product. These aren’t really cuts, because cut is added afterwards to make the product go further. Byproducts are just leftover from the process that the manufacturer either didn’t bother to clean out, didn’t know was there, or didn’t realize was there.