Circulation in ....a hoof wall? Of blood? *lol* The bay leaf salve company (Keratex/Keralit) says it encourages growth. I don't recall if Americans put bay leaf on hooves. Keratex sells it but I can't find it in the UK so maybe it's only Germans who use this.
I have spent my adulthood thinking hoof dressing does nothing but make hooves pretty. I remember in the 90s buying a jar of Hooflex and believing it helped hooves in some way. Then I questioned whether soft hooves are a good thing, and quit buying it.
Have there been studies proving whether or not hoof dressings are healthy for hooves? Yes.
"Don't get it on the coronary band." "It only works if it's on the coronary band." So many opinions.
My old donkey farrier said bay leaf improves hoof circulation. Does he really believe this?
Dr Ramey's article makes fun of the hoof oiling people and I should have done what he said and asked her, "How does bay leaf increase hoof wall circulation?"
You might have noticed Mag's shiny hooves on our photo shoot day in October. My hoof rasp company sent me a free jar of hoof moisturizer - lanolin with essential oils. It is so much fun to paint it on and see Mag's hooves shiny, but I don't believe it does anything to help his hooves.
I can learn a lot from the things I see at a big barn (my cavesson was 1/2 inch too high on Mag's nose). And I can shake my head at things even though I'm sure I look pretty ignorant when I ask, "Why not the coronary band?"
SHINY
Coming soon - a post in which every single horse, except Mag, gets on the scale. And I scoff at why people pay money to do that.
6 comments:
There isn't any blood in the hoof wall, but there's quite a bit right under it. The best way to get that blood circulating is through movement. I've never heard of bay leaf oil being used as a dressing, but I've heard oregano oil being used. It's supposed to be an antibiotic. I assume the people who don't put the dressing on the coronet band believe it is an irritant, and people who do dress it believe that irritants are good for circulation.
Redhorse - MOVEMENT. Exactly.: ) Thanks for your thoughts on the topic, both ways.
Red horse, my trimmer had me put oregano oil on a vertical crack as it grew out. Otherwise, I'm not a hoof dressing person.
15 ish years ago I had a tb with weak feet (surprise!) My farrier at the time (Seattle area) had me massaging corona into her coronet bands to encourage hoof growth. Perhaps it was just time and what not, perhaps he was right... but by the time she moved on to a different life, her feet were markedly better
Camryn, did it work?
I think we all put that goop on our horses hooves in the '90's. Ugh. Does anyone use hooflex any more? 😐
Post a Comment