My horse is very prone to thrush, and l just got rid of his latest ''breakout'' as you may put it. Thrush Buster works great for me but it, like most thrush remedies, dries out his hooves a good deal.

What is a good hoof moisturizer/conditioner l can put on his hooves to help the dryness disappear? l know a bit of mud is good for their hooves but l can not leave him even in that without him getting thrush, so l have to stable him until his pasture dries up. l need something l can put on to keep his hooves healthy (and prevent/stop any cracking).

The last of these products l used was ''Hoof Heal'' but all that did was...well, nothing at all. In fact it only made his hooves really cruddy.

I am not worried about price! If it means it is going to help his dry hooves better than the other stuff l used, I will spend the extra bit. I am leaning towards something possibly ''all-natural'' so if you know of something like this that WORKS WELL, let me know.

Thanks!

My horse has had REALLY cracky & dry hooves until we started using Hooflex hoof conditioner which works really great! Lots of people at my barn use it & all have great results & so have I. You apply it about two-three times per week ( l think) & if u want to, u can apply it everyday.

Hooflex is not too expensive & is great! l would really suggest it! My horses hooves r not dry anymore (unless l do not use Hooflex for a couple of weeks.if l forget) & they do not crack at all.

l use ''rainmaker'' in the summer when it is really hot and dry. It works very well if you put it on the inside of the hoof as well as the outside. It is the most expensive but it works the best.

The mane n tail hoofmaker is more like a lotion that you hand rub into your horse is hooves. It can even be used on people is hands! It moisturises and strengthens hooves.

the thing l found works best is peanut oil! just plain old grocery store cheap peanut oil just pour some into one of you other empty hoof brush bottles and just paint it on like you would anything else its great and cheap! :D

l absolutely swear by!!

-VITAHOOF ( good for after the thrushbuster)

and

-RAINMAKER ( good for before hosing and durning rain [duh :D])

both excellent for the hoofs and very inexspensive, and there is an all natural formula, you just have to search it up under the name :D

If u have a superficial thrush infection that is in the collateral grooves, u can have some measure of success with thrushbuster. However, never put this product into the the central sulcus of ur horse is foot, especially if it is infected with thrush. The internal structures of the foot r very delicate & thrushbuster & other general commercial products will kill healthy tissue along with some of the infected tissue. The next bit of moisture that hits the feet, another breakout occurs because u have all that dead tissue that is food for the new bad guys just waiting for a chance to become active. Sound familiar? Seems like u r experiencing this perpetuating condition already. You can help ur horse by not putting these terrible chemicals in his feet any longer. To help with the thrush, keep him as clean & dry as possible. You can use a soak of 50/50 apple cider vinegar & water for 30 minutes at least 3 times a week. This will change the ph in his feet & help him heal. Conditioners & moisturizers r the enemy of the quality of ur horse is hooves. The feet can never be too dry or too hard. If they r breaking, it is due to the drastic & frequent changes from wet to dry, nutritional, or a trimming/shoeing issue. The best way to have healthy feet is to have balanced nutrition & good barefoot trimming. Long periods of wet weather can be very challenging, but the answer is not to put chemical commercial topicals on ur horse is feet that will make them softer. There is no product that will adequately retain & disperse moisture in a hoof. Good luck to you.

l agree with barefoot. Actually, mud acts as a poultice, but then draws moisture out of the hoof if it is allowed to dry on it. If it remains wet, it can contribute to development of thrush.
There has been tons of research on this, & none of the hoof moisturizers do any good, & may do harm if applied to the hoof wall. They harbor germs that biodegrade the wall keratin, so the softening is actually the tissue being damaged, & not from moisture & suppleness like people think.
If u want the hooves moist, be sure ur horse gets ample exercise on good ground..not too hard & not too soft. This increases circulation inside the hoof to perfuse the tissues with blood. Get some hoof boots if u can not get him out of the mud, but the worst thing u can do is keep him locked up with no exercise. Let his hooves breathe & function as they r designed to do, & they will become strong & healthy.

l have heard nothing but raving reviews over RAINMAKER.

l was using just a plain ol hoof oil for the past few years. My pasture is sandy and dry. Their hooves get horrible. l apply oil to their hooves at least every other day during the summer and also mud up the area around the water trough.
This summer l will try RAINMAKER for myself.