Hot, humid, & dry summers. Fly stomping. Traveling on hard and/or rocky surfaces. Add sand & dry ground and you have a nice cultivation of cracked, chipped hooves.
Best Oils For Summer Hooves:
Lemon
Frankincense
Myrrh
Rosemary
Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)
Lemon can provide a strengthening barrier by hardening the hoof (or nails for people).
Frankincense stimulates the immune system, may offer DNA repair and is an all around safe and versatile essential oil for animals.
Myrrh is an excellent essential oil for skin conditions, fungal infections (to aid in possible infections with the cracked hooves). It is also known for healing post surgical locations.
Rosemary is also anti-fungal & anti-bacterial along with reports to assist with hair loss and lung conditions.
However, it is to be used with caution on animals that are smaller, young animals, those with high blood pressure or diagnosed with hypertension. It has not been a common oil used as a SINGLE oil in animals. It has been a popular oil in blends amongst some of the larger essential oil companies.
Using on the horses there are no contraindications other than previously mentioned.
Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) is antibacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory. An excellent addition to add to any fungal or bacterial infections of the hoof area. Known for combatting ringworm, thrush, white line disease, hoof wall separation, deworming and infections of the skin. If you have more serious conditions of the hoof then this is one oil to add to your blend of oils.
I have used this oil with a blend of 5-6 other essential oils for eliminating hoof wall separation, or the beginning stages of white line and thrush. Using a blend of several oils, in a carrier oil, I have used with success on combatting thrush. Especially useful during rainy, wet seasons. Using it 2-4x/week. It took about 4-6 weeks before I noticed a difference. It can take up to 8 weeks and longer to eliminate the thrush.
Essential Oils Hoof Recipe
2 oz. glass eye dropper bottle (colored glass is preferable to protect from the suns rays)
10-12 drops of each essential oil (mentioned above)
Carrier oil (Wheat germ oil, or carrier oil of you're choosing)
Castor oil
Place approximately 10% of Castor oil in the bottom of glass bottle. Fill your bottle 1/2 full with your carrier oil. Add your essential oils. Fill the rest of your bottle with your carrier oil. Being careful to not overfill the bottle. When you place your eye dropper back into bottle, it will cause your solution to rise, so you want room for the solution to expand, as you place the eye dropper top back on the bottle.
Shake before each use.
Use a rag or hoof brush to clean hooves from dust and any unwanted debris, so when you add your oils and massage into the hoof, you are assured it is a clean, dry surface.
Use a full eye dropper to drop 3-4 drops of solution directly onto hoof. Being careful to not to touch the eye dropper on the hoof, contaminating your eye dropper. Rub in with your hand, making sure to cover entire hoof, including the top of the hoof where new growth will begin.
Place on hooves as often as you can.
Best to do a daily administration.
A 2 oz. bottle for 2 horses, using a minimum of 5-6 days/week, lasted me about 2 weeks, give or take. How much you use and how often you use it will depend on how long the bottle will last.
You will notice that hours following the application of the hoof oils there will continue to be a moist look to the surface of the hooves. After several days to a week of daily application, you will notice the hooves to have less surface cracks. If you are battling cracks beyond surface cracks, these will take more time and due diligence. It could take 2-3 months of applying oils at minimum of 4x/week, to notice a healing of the cracked surface.
Each individual horse and it's health will vary in it's unique response. Take note that more serious cracks and more serious conditions of the hoof will depend on a whole health program, recognizing the external application of oils to be a part of your horse's health program. Internal support may, and usually should be a necessary part of a healthy hoof.
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