how can l toughen a 4yr Thoroughbreds hooves. Now going from shod to barefoot. Kept as a pet and ridden occasionally, but there are stones on the 60 acres he is in, as we live in a stoney town. In Australia. Thanks.
To any shoeing suggestions, im going barefoot as it is natural and nailing steel to hooves only numbs the hoof any problems, and decreases blood circulation because the hoof cant expand and contract with steel nailed to it. Thanks to all for your .

put linseed oil in his food and paint on his hooves
neatsfoot oil this will harden them apply thickly 1-2 times a day esp in the heat of summer
you can also talk to the vet , there is a suppliment esp for hooves and hardening them

Umm. You can use Hoof Paint every day, that can help keep 'em strong.. Also, make sure you clean his hooves well so he doesnt get thrush. Umm. Sorry, cant think of anything. Ask your farrier?

l suggest you keep him shod to avoid problems.

Use a hoof moisturizer. Those r great for preventing cracks & make them tougher over-all. When u switch a horse from shoes to barefoot, it is actually a bit easy. Use to moisturizer for a week or two then take of the shoes. You want to make ur horse walk basically. Horses r travelers since they need fresh grass & all that. That is how their hooves stay tough!

What u want to do is put fencing in the middle of ur pasture & make a square with. Make it big! You want ur horse to have to travel around the square to get to other grass, instead of being able to cut right across. Next, u want to add some elements into ur pasture. In a lot of sections have grass as usually since they will be grazing, but in the corners put different things. One corner should have dirt. Another should have rocks & stones. (Make sure to daily check ur horse is hooves to see if a pebble is stuck). Another corner should have a muddy section (not big, just enough so they travel through it). And u will want another rock section.

By doing this ur horse will be forced to travel more for grass, & since there is only one way to get to the new grass they will have to cross over these other elements which will toughen up his hooves.

Keep it like this for a month or so after switching him over so his hooves get healthy. During this time moniter his hooves to see how they're doing & continue applying the moisturizer. If u see cracks or they begin to get brittle for whatever reason, immediately return ur pasture back to normal & see how he does. From what I've heard, only a very small few have had this happen.

After a month of that, return ur pasture back to normal. Your horse will have tough enough hooves to go just about anywhere! Or u can leave ur pasture that way if u want him to constantly have some wear-and-tear on his hooves to keep them super strong. The choice is yours!

Good luck!

venice turpentine is a great toughener. It wo not work overnight but after some weeks of application it will work.

If you need something for riding til he gets toughened use
VETTEC SOLE GUARD.
You apply it to the sole and let it dry 30 seconds. It acts as a pad and will deteriorate after a few days.

Another option is Hoof Boots. So many to choose from.

Then hoof supplements to the feed.

Hey laughing you are either nuts or you have a lot of time on your hands! Who can change their entire pasture around like that, its a crazy answer. l agree with the turpentine it will burn when you first put it on but will actually toughen them up over night! This is advice from my farrier.

The hooves will harden over time if u have a good barefoot trimmer that leaves the sole alone, allows the frog to thicken, & keeps the walls short & rolled so they do not crack. You may need hoof boots while the hooves r in the transition process. All hoof dressings will do is trap any moisture next to the wall & create an environment for bacteria & fungi to grow & feed on ur horse is hoof wall keratin. Any softening of the hooves from dressings is actually bio-degradation of the keratinized protein which weakens the wall, & does it no good. If u apply toxic products to the sole of the hoof, which transpires, they r absorbed into ur horse is healthy tissue & bloodstream. They do rapidly harden the tissue, but it is a temporary fix & there is the toxic down side to it. It does not sound like u have a mud or swamp problem, but only a problem with rocks. Be sure the horse is well nourished, trimmed regularly & correctly, & gets lots of exercise & the hooves will harden. Again, hoof boots will likely be needed for awhile as the hoof develops strength & durability.

Make sure ur horse has excellent & complete nutrition, gets plenty of turn out & exercise, good pasture & free choice to good hay. That is all he needs to grow the best quality foot possible, but it will Take 8-12 months to do so. It is great u r pulling his shoes. Now his feet can heal & grow strong. His whole body will be better now. Find a barefoot trimmer who truly is knowledgeable about the true barefoot method & within a few months, ur horse will have rock crushing feet to go anywhere & do anything. Be patient & help ur horse during this transition period. If he gets sore, get some easy boot epics with the gator to help him out until he is better. Good luck to you. You r doing the best possible thing for ur horse so he can grow a good healthy foot. Please do not put all those terrible chemicals on his feet, as they r harmful to the tissue. Eventually, he will be able to use those pasture stones to his advantage.