While the Southern Highland’s long, wet summer has delivered a lovely humid staycation for some, for our horses, the resulting soggy fields and ongoing exposure to damp conditions can have negative effects.
Extended contact with these wet conditions can soften the hooves, making them more susceptible to damage, infections, and other hoof problems.
Similarly, injuries to the hoof might not heal as quickly or effectively due to the challenges in keeping the area dry.
Creating further risk, slippery surfaces can also increase the possibility of injury to a compromised hoof.
Hoof health issues can cause poor condition in livestock as a result of their decline in mobility.
A key supplier of livestock nutritional products to the Co-op and our community, Olsson’s is one of the oldest family-owned and operated salt and lick block manufacturers in Australia.
Based west of Parramatta in Yennora, Norman Olsson is reported to have made the first pressed multi-nutrient block in the country.
Olsson’s Hoof Health Plus is a supplement containing bentonite & biotin and assists with hoof disorders like cracking, ulceration and abscesses associated with wet ground.
According to Olssons: “Hoof Health Plus provides protein meal, magnesium, iodine and zinc to assist with growth and reproduction rates, as well as biotin and bentonite for optimal hoof health.”
Olsson’s hoof health products are available at the Co-op.