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Wasted $150 on those 'premium' hoof pads from the catalog
Tried those fancy shock-absorbing pads on a client's TB with thin soles, and they just held moisture and made things worse. Anybody else had better luck with plain felt or leather instead?
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logan_wood2d ago
Aw jeez, I gotta push back a little on the leather thing though. You're right that felt is king for keeping things dry, but leather actually breathes way better than folks give it credit for. It's porous, so moisture can evaporate through it same as felt, just takes a bit longer. Main issue is people use too thick of a piece or they don't punch enough holes in it for drainage. If you cut some small holes and keep it to like 1/8 inch thick, leather lasts longer under a pad than felt does before it gets funky.
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abbyp613d ago
...And I used to be ALL about those expensive pads, thought they were the best thing since sliced bread. But after watching them turn a nice dry hoof into a swampy mess on a friend's mare, I completely changed my mind. Plain felt is the only thing I trust now for thin soles, lets the hoof breathe and dries out way faster than anything with rubber or plastic in it. Leather works okay too but you gotta swap them out more often or they get stiff and useless. Honestly, sometimes the simple stuff just works better and costs less, go figure.
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