Keratex KHG 1000 Hoof Gel, 1 L

I admit I had my doubts. This stuff is expensive compared to Durasole. I did paint the soles of my horse's feet (only the sole, not the frog!) every day for 7 days as stated in the instructions. Then I painted them 3 days a week. Sometimes 1-2 days a week. It's been I guess a month or so? And yeah, my horse is no longer ouchy. He was ouchy before. He'd step short or he'd limp a little on rocks, or he'd turn funny to protect his feet. I did everything I could I used the other cheaper brands, and nothing really helped. The Durasole was good, but it was a pain. Needed a lot of layers and I couldn't do it with my schedule. So, I got this stuff. And I'm impressed. So one bottle is lasting me a long time. I guess it can even last 6 months? I don't know. But I have a lot left yet. Recommended? Yes. For soft soles. Great. I don't even paint the hoof wall, just the sole. This is truly the real deal.

It is just like nail hardner for your fingernails!! I started using it like very other day, then I bought the coconut oil to add moisture. So, I alternate the products. In the real rainy season I use the Hoof Gel that water proofs the hoof. These 3 products have sure made my horses foot easy to maintain this year. Last year his front feet broke off at the nail holes and I had to buy Easyride boots and put on him until his feet grew out- that was a pain. The hoof hardner also will tighten up a nail hole to keep a shoe from coming off. I highly recommend these products-my horse has not lost a shoe this year!!!

My farrier recommends Keratex Hoof Gel and nothing else. He says you have two choices with hooves: Keep them dry, or keep them moist. Alternating the two causes cracks, so people who use multiple products might be just weakening the hooves. Keratex is the drying/barrier variety. I've used it exclusively on my horse for 9 years after trying every other cheapo hoof product thinking I was saving money. I'd use them 6 months to give them a chance, and some did absolutely nothing. It was $10, $12, $15 a pop three times a year because I had to paint the hooves AND soles and hope my horse didn't kick over the containers while I had one of her feet in the air. I resisted buying Keratex despite the farrier's recommendation because it seemed too expensive, but it's false economy. One can of Keratex lasts me nearly a year because the farrier says to paint it only on the outside of the hoof, never on the sole or frog. Also, I apply Keratex only 2-3 times a week, and that's plenty to do the job. The only time my horse ever gets cracks is when I get lazy about using it, and we live in soggy Tidewater Virginia. Because it doesn't come with a brush, I bought a cheap applicator with a brush in the lid, and I've used the same one all 9 years. When I use up the Keratex, I wash the brush and jar with soapy water and refill from this metal can. My horse hates the smell but tolerates it. It smells like formaldehyde, but her feet are like rocks. She doesn't have shoes on her back feet, and there's never a problem with cracks. She loses shoes on the front only if the mud sucks one off, about once every three years. Since starting Keratex, she has never had an abscess or "gravel." Yes, it seems like an expensive product, but you'll use far less of it than others and have half the aggravation of applying it. You'll also lose fewer riding days to lost shoes, cracks, and abscesses. My friends all think that my horse has naturally hard feet. She has good feet,yes, but Keratex makes them close to perfect. I received no compensation for this review. Your reviews help me, and I'm just doing my part.

It has been great.

Ok this product is a game changer for hoof hardening, my vet and farrier both recommended this as we had moved farther south and my mare had a spout w her hooves! I will always swear by this stuff. 1. This is the best price one can find for this 2. It isn’t as expensive as it seems this stuff lasts forever, as it’s an every other day usage as well as it being a full liter. 3. I would recommend this as a preventive regardless if you find it necessary, it will save your butt! 4. Last little tangent, the smell is horrendous almost like paint thinner, I assume this would bother most people, I don’t mind, it is not nauseating or anything it is just a strong chemical scent, it’s worth it!

This stuff is incredible! I bought a mare that had been kept shod on all four for years. I had her back shoes pulled when she first arrived and the outer walls immediately started chipping and breaking away. I wanted to pull the fronts as well, but after a couple trims, I saw no improvement so a friend suggested trying this. I was apprehensive because of the size bottle and the price, but this stuff is truly amazing! I applied every day for a week and immediately noticed a difference. I then had her front shoes pulled. She had no trouble with the transition at all - no soreness, nothing and has not had a single chip, crack, or break. Her hooves look lovely. I still apply 2-3 times a week and her hooves are rock solid! If you've got a horse with soft or brittle hooves, this stuff is definitely worth trying! Just make sure you don't get any on the frogs of their hooves!

I have a thin-soled elderly gelding that I have been struggling to keep his feet dry and protected for years in central Texas where it gets nasty rainy and moist really quick. I’ve tried everything from sole paint to 7% tincture of iodine spray daily but none of those compare to Keratex. My farrier thought I had been packing his feet with sugardine (sugar + Betadine) to make them as dry and hard as they became in only two weeks of use every other day! I love this stuff. Yes, it contains formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, but as long as you’re using it in a well ventilated area and not exposing your lungs to the fumes for several hours a day non-stop for multiple years, your risk of cancer is non-existent. There is a study out of NCU on formaldehyde exposure in rodents and the risk of cancer that was very informative if you’re that concerned. I do recommend pouring a small quantity of the liquid in the cap and dipping the brush in the cap for application.

Since moving climates from super dry and rocky and cold to hot, humid and abrasive sand, my horse's feet have been literally falling apart. Mind you, these are mustang feet that I used to have to SOAK in water before a trim so that the farrier could trim him. We moved to where it's super hot and humid, with lots of rain, and a ton of abrasive sand. He developed a bacterial infection that has been destroying his hoof integrity. He was barely in 2 weeks from a trim with huge quarter cracks, massive front chipping, and the hoof actually looking like shredded carpet fiber because the actual cortex has been breaking down between the hoof tubules. Not fun. I can say after a month with using this and Sterihoof to fight the infection that his feet are loads better. I did it every day for over a week, and have been doing every other day since then. So while it's annoying to have to do it so often, it is doing the job, and my horses' feet don't look near as bad as they used to!

Very good product, does what it says on the tin.

Good price and shipping was fast. This stuff works amazing in wet conditions

This is an excellent product. My horse was suffering from a problem where her outer hoof wall was just sloughing right off, cracking horizontally and providing no real function. She had drastically reduced mobility and I thought I might lose her because noting seemed to be helping. Each time her feet grew a new crack was appearing and the whole process was starting over again. But then my sister said she had used this product on her pony when he was having hoof trouble. I started using this hoof hardener and within three treatments my mare was able to stand and walk again. It was an incredible turn of events. I've continued to use the hardener every week or two and she has been able to grow much stronger hoof walls again. She can walk and even gallop around now. I believe this product saved my horse.

My gelding has thin, sensitive soles. He doesn't have the greatest hoof quality despite a good diet and regular farrier care. I've noticed a lot less sensitivity especially on hard, rocky ground after using this twice a week. His hooves would constantly crack and chip. I started started applying it to the hoof walls and he hasn't cracked or chipped his hoof since. This stuff is great.

This product keeps my horse's hooves protected and healthy from mud and water damage. Provides a protective barrier to keep moisture out!