Mustad Australia

Products

Dealers

Find a local dealer Dealer network Distribution centre

International network

Mustad in the world Marketing regions

Carl's Tips

Using Modern Technology to Enhance Horse Shoeing

There are several products on the market to day that are a great help to shoeing horses with hoof problems. I will start with the hoof-bonding agent called Equithane, which is one of several bonding products available. I use Equithane because it has no toxic fumes associated with it when you are using it. This product has several uses from rebuilding the wall of a hoof to gluing on horseshoes; you can also use it to build up the heels on horses that have no heel.

This is achieved by cleaning up the base of the hoof where the shoe is to sit with your rasp, then make sure that the hoof is dry by heating it with a heat gun, then run Equithane from the heels forward to the toe, you will need to hold the hoof up until the Equithane dries this takes only a few minutes. You then take your rasp and level the base up lightly, you can then make sure that you don't have sole pressure, you are now ready to run several layers of Equithane until you have the required amount of height on both heels. Then you take your rasp and level the base of the hoof ready for the shoe, which you can then nail on.

As this product adheres to its self very well you can then glue the shoes on if you want, I have found it best to drill three five ml. holes in the shoes so that the Equithane can fill them and help to hold the shoe in place,

I always try to get at least two nails in the shoe as this also helps to stabilize it. As this is a synthetic product you need to ensure that the area in which you keep the horse is reasonably dry, for if the hooves are continusely wet the product may not stay adhered to the hoof. This procedure should only need doing a couple of times as the heels of the hoof should have grown down by this so that you will then only need to shoe the horse normally.

This same product is also very good for rebuilding the hoof wall, I have taken up to eighty percent of the hoof capsule off horses and used this product to rebuild it with, then I have successively nailed the shoe to the Equithane, depending on the amount of bonding that I get to soft tissue determines wether I will have to replace the bonding after four weeks. Providing the Equithane is still firmly adhered to the hoof I will then only need to replace the shoes. The most important thing to remember about any of these products is that you must be sure, that there is no infection in the soft tissue before you apply the bonding. I always make sure that the soft tissue is painted with Iodine for a couple of days before the bonding, as this hardens the soft tissue ready for the bonding material and reduces the risk of any infections appearing.