My uncle told me to always check the frog before trimming a draft horse

He said draft horses can hide thrush deep in the central sulcus, and if you don't pick it out, you'll miss it. I worked on a Percheron last week and sure enough, the frog looked fine from the top, but when I really dug in with the hoof pick, there was a nasty black spot. It smelled bad too. If I hadn't checked, I would have just trimmed over it. How do you guys handle deep sulcus thrush in big horses?

3 comments

3 Comments

felix4141mo ago

My buddy's Clydesdale had that, and he swears by that iodine spray stuff.

valc911mo ago

But that iodine stuff can really dry out the skin and slow healing. It's pretty harsh for a lot of minor scrapes. A simple, clean bandage often works better.

emmam891mo ago

Yeah, that iodine is brutal on the tissue. It's better to clean it out really well and use something gentler that still kills the gunk. A lot of farriers are moving away from the harsh stuff.