Posts Tagged ‘Hoof Therapy’

Snow & Winter Hoof Care

As you probably notice, your horse’s hooves grow at a significantly slower rate in the winter and start to accelerate again with longer days and more sunlight. This may mean saving on farrier and scheduling regular work further apart, but it’s a double edged sword. Cracks and any other hoof defects take much longer to clear up.

Hooves & Snow : The Good Part

Freezing temperatures are not friendly environment for bacteria and fungus. Get your leg up on thrush problems and treat regularly to make sure your horse’s hooves are ready for the oh-soo-thrush-prone spring season.

Hooves & Snow : The Bad Part

Is your horse walking on snowballs? Wet snow tightly packed in the hoof (especially shod ones) can cause tripping, pain and may lead to injury. You may consider pulling your horses shoes off for the winter. It will decrease the chance of “snow-balling” and give the hooves some time to regenerate. If your horse requires to be shod at all times, ask your farrier to apply anti-snowball pads. You can try Pam cooking spray on the bottom of the hoof as a short term solution.

TIP: For healthy hooves try our Hoof Therapy Therapeutic Hoof Serum. It  moisturizes dry, cracked hoofs, softens hardened frogs, treats contracted heels and protects against the elements. Organic Hemp, Wheat Germ, Apricot Kernel and Olive Oil are rich in the essential fatty acids vital for healthy hoof growth.

Ride Green!
The EcoLicious Equestrian

Check out our full line of delicious, natural and green horse care products &  horse grooming products at www.ecoliciousequestrian.com

We love to hear from you. Here is an email from one of our customers and a vendor of EcoLicious products in Ontario. Thank you for sharing Diana!

“I should tell you about Hilo. He tried to slice his foot of 15 years ago on a barb wire fence. He has lived with a nasty scar over the inside of his heel and into the coronet band. This has always caused a crack in his hoof, a lot of movement and shoes falling off in two weeks or less. We had started using just lavender oil on the coronet band about 6 months ago. When I purchased your Hoof Therapy Restorative & Protective Serum we started using just that. His feet look amazing now. The farrier can get all the nails in, he keeps his shoe on for a full 4 week reset and they look so darn healthy. You have no idea how fantastic a change this is. It has been a  long time of trials and this is the first thing to make his foot look normalish.  He can be the poster child.”

Diana
HeronCrest Stables

Hilo and Diana's daughter

The EcoLicious Equestrian
Your Horse. Your Earth. Your Choice.

Our full line of natural equine care & grooming products is available at www.ecoliciousequestrian.com (shipping $15 anywhere in NA) or visit our website for a list of EcoLicious retailers.

I’d like to share with you a latest testimonial from one our customers – Shauntelle from the Harding Heights Ranch in Trail, BC. Here we go:

“My Mom and I run Harding Heights Ranch Ltd. and we strive to provide the most natural/holistic care possible for our herd of 15 horses.  I came upon EcoLicious Equestrian while reading my online subscription of Holistic Horse.  I was immediately captured by the fact that they were a Canadian company but more so that they were All Natural.  So, I decided to try them and I ordered a couple of their products.  The De-Stress Intensive  Mane & Tail Treatment quickly became my favorite!  Not only did it work and smell wonderful, it lasted!!  Yay.  I had been struggling with other products that did a good job at first but after awhile the manes were far worse than they had ever been!  Ugg.  I try not to touch my horses manes too often but every once in awhile they do need to be managed… this for me happens about once a year.” 

Harding Heights Herd - courtesy Harding Heights Ranch Ltd.

“I was so in love with the smell of the products and so were my horses!  My Stallion, Rowan, who is a Suffield Horse from the Suffield Military Block in Alberta and came from wild stock is a fussy creature who would rather flee, while at liberty, then see me coming at him with a bottle in my hand!!  So, armed with my newest product, Comfort Me Healing Balm, I approached him to tend to a surface wound on his neck only to have him bolt away to the other end of his paddock.  What a brat!  So I quickly put some Comfort Me on my fingers and tucked the bottle away in my pocket and proceeded after him with caution!  I gently approached, keeping my distance with my fingers extended for him to smell.  He stretched his head out to sniff my hand.  As he sniffed his eyes started to calm and his body relaxed as he stepped towards me with his head down!!  Wow, I was so excited!!  He loved it!  Yay again!!  I proceeded to fix his scratches and did everything I could find searching up and down his legs to find any excuse to use the product.”

“I now have the Hoof Therapy Serum which will be a great tool for all of our barefoot horses.  I am very excited about its antibacterial and anti-fungal properties and once again it smells amazing!  I was spoiled at Christmas as one of my very thoughtful friends bought me and two of our other horse friends the Hands On which is amazing and so silky.  And all because I had been raving so much about the EcoLicious line!”

“I love the products so much that I gave it as a Christmas gift to another one of my dear friends who is also an all-natural girl with her herd of horses.  I wanted her to see what awesome products they were and I knew that she would be just as thrilled with them as I am. She now has all the products that I do!  I have added EcoLicious to my favorite web links on my website as well as continuing to promote you on my Facebook page.”

“I have dealt with the customer care team twice now, once on the phone and once via email and they were so polite and helpful that it makes me want to support them even more!!”

“Thanks for developing such amazing products that work for all of us green horse people!   I am looking forward to getting and trying the Leave Me Be this spring.”

Cheers,

Shauntelle (Harding) LeRose

Harding Heights Ranch Ltd. (Trail, BC)

Thank you for sharing with us your EcoLicious experience Shauntelle! We are excited to be part of the holistic horsekeeping approach on your ranch.

Ride Green!
The EcoLicious Equestrian

Check out our full line of delicious, natural and green equine care & grooming products at www.ecoliciousequestrian.com

Here is our final part of our “EcoLicious Red Carpet Ready Guide”. If you follow these steps, your horse will look like a glamorous movie star at the Oscars when you’re done with him. Guaranteed. Most importantly -  have fun with your horse and make sure to have some baby carrots handy.

Step 6:  Finishing Touches

Yes, here I am working on the mane and tail again!  What kind of anal-retentive, over achiever would I be if I didn’t work on the mane and tail just once more? 

When the mane is dry, I like to wrap things up by braiding using In Control Braiding & Mane Setting Cream.  I’ve tried other products, but as far as I’m concerned this is a lifesaver if you do any sport where you have to band or braid.  Not only are hairsprays and gels toxic, sticky and smelly but they also don’t provide the subtle hold In Control gives you (OR add lustre OR restore elasticity to the hair!)  You caught me – I’m not a fan of using hairsprays or sticky short-cuts to braid hair, but can you blame me? Who wants a crunchy, sticky mane and tail after you’ve just put all that effort into getting it silky, shiny and soft?!?  Even if you don’t braid, gently smooth the settling cream along the crest of the mane to eliminate those pesky fly-a-way’s.

As I move back to the tail, I once again reach for my trusty De-Stress Intensive Reconstructing & Detangling Treatment.  I like to put a small dollop in my hand and work it through the tail, doing one last gentle finger comb as I go.  Once I’m satisfied that absolutely no raking is required, I will brush the tail with a flexible, natural bristle brush. As I gently separate every last squeaky clean, glistening strand I build show-stopping volume (a must for horses who weren’t blessed with beautiful tails and a bonus for those who were!)

Step 7:  Pièce de résistance

You didn’t think I’d ignore the hooves did you?  I leave this step until just before I go to the warm-up ring – in fact it’s the last thing I do before I get changed into my show clothes and put my bridle on.  If you are slightly less accident-prone than a certain blogger with an unhealthy finger-combing obsession I might mention, then you can feel free to do this step at any time. Although Hoof Therapy Restorative & Protective Serum is already a must-have in my grooming tote year-round, it has also become the finishing touch on my red carpet makeover.  Much like a good pair of stilettos, naturally glossy and moisturized hooves really finish the look.  No toxic paints, tars or sparkles required!  You cant’ go wrong with this product – not only does it naturally nourish and moisturize your horses hooves but I’ve found it resists dust and dirt accumulation better than most products on the market.  Bonus!  

Well there you have it folks!  That’s my sure-fire (and ever-so-good-smelling) method to transform your horse into a head turning, jaw dropping and eco-friendly show horse!  Step back and admire your work for a moment, and then go brush the hay out of your hair,  get out your Tide stick (ketchup doesn’t get itself out of white breeches!) and give yourself a makeover.

Make sure to check out Part I. & Part II.of our EcoLicious “Red Carpet Ready” Guide as well.

Naturally yours until next time!
Megan 

Check out our full line of delicious, natural and green equine care & grooming products at www.ecoliciousequestrian.com

Big thanks to EcoLicious  for their fabulous line of products. I am head over heels with the Hoof Therapy Treatment. Considering this summer with its continuing rain then a few weeks of drought where ground got to rock hard, Hoof Therapy kept my horses’ feet in immaculate condition. I even used it on the fetlock area of one of my QH where he started developing scratches. Couple of applications and it all cleared out. 

Thanks again for great products.

Joyce Rivers
Trails End Ranch

Thank you Joyce for your support!

Ride Green!
The EcoLicious Equestrian

Check out our full line of delicious, natural and green equine care & grooming products at www.ecoliciousequestrian.com