Good hoof care is essential all year-round but is often needed during extreme dry or wet spell. As we have been blessed here in the UK with unbelievable weather I thought a summer hoof care blog would be topical. Here are the hoof care products I use and why during the summer, (these are in no particular order).
1. Hawkins Organic Summer Holidays Hoof Gel
First off this smells incredible! It reminds me of the lemonade ice lollies you get from the ice cream vans here in summer and they are just so good! Anyway back to the hoof gel🙈 The summer hoof gel is perfect for anything this dry weather throws at our horses hooves like preventing cracking and dryness. The Hawkins Organic range is made from all natural ingredient which are FEI approved. Therefore this formula does not strip the hoof of essential oils or upset the natural balance of your horses hoof. It’s perfect for all horse stabled or turned out, no matter the colour of their hoofs and is super quick and easy to apply. Simply use a clean hoof oil brush or sponge and apply to the frog, sole and wall of the hoof. This is probably one of my favourites and the horses love the smell of it (not just me). If you subscribe to their newsletter you will receive a welcome discount of 10% off your first order.
Available in two sizes 150ml or 500ml
£4.95/£11.50
2. NAF Hoof Moist
NAF Hoof Moist is a natural formula designed to improve hoof condition and maintain the moisture content of the hoof whilst allowing natural moisture levels to fluctuate. One ingredient included in the formula is eucalyptus which is a natural antiseptic which will help to keep hoof infections and bacteria from causing problems. It’s ideal for use in the dry summer months or all year round especially for horses who are stabled on dry bedding for prolonged periods of time. This is a oil and grease free formula which is easy to apply with a clean hoof oil brush or cloth to the frog, sole and wall of the hoof. You can buy Hoof Moist in two colour which are natural or black.
After trying both I personally prefer the natural one as I can use it on all my horses and saves buying one of each. I’ve used the Hoof Moist for over a year now and can say I have seen a big improvement in my horses hoof condition. I like to use this in the summer and winter when the hoof looks dry.
Available in two sizes 900g or 2.5kg
£12.99/£28.99
Available from most tack shop and online tack shops.
3. NAF Hoof Dressing
This hoof ointment also includes eucalyptus oil. It help to prevent the hoof from becoming brittle and cracking or splitting by penetrating deep into the horn. What I like about this product is that it doesn’t create a barrier like some deep penetrating formulas.
I have also used this product for over a year and have noticed less cracking in most my horses hooves. The only one who still get cracked hooves but he is a thoroughbred, however I have noticed his hooves don’t crack as quickly between trims so there has been proof of this formula working. It’s another one I like to use and use it all year round to condition the hooves.
Available in 900g
£12.99
Available from most tack shops and online tack shops
4. Pink Hoof Clay
A hoof clay for use on your horses hooves and skin. This product is particularly good for more specific hoof problems such as drawing abscess, white line issues, and bacterial/fungal problems in the hoof. It can be used to aid health hoof growth in health hooves or to pack a area. This product does act as a barrier which lasts for 12 hours before naturally flaking off. Its a all natural product which contains essential oils and bentonite clay. It can be applied to the sole, frog and wall of the hoof with a brush it by hand.
I have used this a lot on my pony Basil who had a few different hoof issues last year, one which affected his white line. I bought some of this to see if it would aid in making his hooves more healthy again. It did! His white line area would flake away and it no longer does. I still use this once a week on his hoofs to help maintain good healthy hooves.
£23.50
The price varies a lot for this product but this was what I found on Amazon for a rough guide.
What to avoid when buying a hoof care product
1. Harsh chemicals – I prefer natural ingredients for my horses hooves especially after a bad experience with a certain well brand which made more issues with my horse hooves.
As the horses hoof is made up of 95% protein the chemical start to “cook” the exposed protein. This causes damage to the sole and frog tissue.
2. Don’t use ingredients that block oxygen – blocking the hoof from oxygen will denature the protein in the hoof and reduces the hoofs ability to breath.
These products include: Petroleum based tar, motor oil, axel grease, pine tar and bacon grease.
Jumping Dinosaurs 