I’m really happy to say that Carr & Day & Martin are sponsoring us for 2015 with their hoof care products!
It’s really hard to give helpful product reviews for supplements or long term prevention focussed care products when a company comes to me and says ‘if I give you 1 tub/box/packet of X can you review it?’. One off product testing of products that are designed for long term use has no benefit for anyone. For me I don’t benefit from the long term effect on my horse, and by providing a thin and unsubstantiated product review on my blog it doesn’t help readers make an informed buying decision, so it’s a lose lose situation imho.
For that very reason I was really happy when C&D&M approached me and suggested sponsoring D and I for a year with their hoof care range. An adult horse’s hoof grows at approx 6 to 10 millimeters per month, and it takes between 9 and 12 months (at the toe) for hoof horn to grow down from the coronet band to the floor. By using C&D&M products for the next 12 months I should be able to see real results and provide useful insight into their effectiveness.
Their 3 step hoof care system consists of a daily supplement that you add to feed, a hoof ointment that you apply to the coronet band, and a choice of daily topical hoof applications. Dustry’s feet aren’t too cheesy for a thoroughbred, and thanks to my fabulous farrier he very rarely looses a shoe, but with 4 white socks, giving him 4 white feet he does sometimes find it hard to walk on stony ground and when he gets a bruise it is highly visible as a pink spot on the outer wall of his hoof. I am hoping that the supplements will help to improve the quality of his horn growth and also help his feet to grow a little stronger and quicker so that any old cracks and bruises grow out faster.
The Cornucrescine Hoof Supplement comes in little pellets and I need to feed 2x small scoops daily. Dustry will eat this straight out of my palm so it is very palatable and nice to know that they are getting the full dose. I think that with powdered supplements you’re never quite sure they get all of it.
The Cornucrescine Hoof Ointment smells DIVINE! Seriously I cannot get enough of this stuff so C&D&M please can you bring out a scented candle with this fragrance? 😉 This I apply with my hands or a rag to the coronet band. It also helps hair growth so where D had some rubbed patches on his shoulders from his winter rugs I applied it and hey presto, the hair has grown back. I might suggest to my mother that she takes it home to apply to my father’s bald spot too! hahahha
For this time of year I am using the Cornucrescine Daily Hoof Barrier which prevents too much water absorption into the hoof in wet and wintry conditions. I put this on almost daily (sometimes I forget!). When the seasons change there are 3 other daily applications all specifically designed to work for different conditions eg cracked hooves caused by dry summer weather.
I’ll keep the blog updated with progress and will be posting some videos with more info on each product in the coming weeks. If you have any questions about the C&D&M stuff that I’m using feel free to post them in the comments below and I’ll do my best to help.
