As winter approaches, it’s time to keep an eye on thrush. The smelly, oozing ailment in the frogs of your horse’s hooves needs to be kept at bay, or you’re going to have one lame horse! Plus, once thrush gets started in the frog, it can easily invade any cracks or nail holes in the hoof wall, starting up a chronic condition often referred to as “seedy toe.” That can make it difficult for your horse’s hoof to hold a shoe.
Even if it’s muddy, make sure you continue to pick out your horse’s hooves. Keep up to date on farrier appointments so that overgrown frog tissue can be pared away. That will also keep thrush from thriving in the folds of tissue. If you observe—or smell—the telltale signs of thrush, consistently apply one of the over-the-counter solutions available at your local feed store. However, just as effective in most cases is a much cheaper remedy: hydrogen peroxide. Its bubbling action brings oxygen to the affected area, killing the thrush.