Over the years I've tried almost every combination of sole hardener and or thrush remedy on the market. Sugardine. Venice Turpentine. Thrushbuster. Apple cider vinegar. Bleach. Durasole. White Lightning. Today. Tomorrow. Pete's goo. A few of which contain aldehydes.
*Technically speaking* we all know that sometimes the best remedy is a proper trim and diet. If the horse has wee little contracted heels and thrushy frogs sure you treat for thrush, but you also have to try to get those heels to open up too. If your horse has paper thin soles, well, maybe it would be best if it wasn't chronically laminitic and currently rotating and sinking. That sort of thing.
I'm lumping thrush and hardening under the same category because after trying multiple products over the years I find that one product addresses both issues better than anything else.
http://www.keratex.net/hoof_gel.htm
It's not even marketed as a hardener or thrush remedy. It's called a hoof protectant. But the result is a harder, thrush free hoof.
Why I like it best is that the majority of all the other products on the market create a "shell" on both sole and frog. There are times that creating such a shell might be desireable. I know of no better product to apply to a flimsy sole than Durasole. Apply it to the clean sole by the drop and use a wire brush to scrub it in. Wear glasses so it doesn't flick into your eyeballs. It's amazing how much relief the "shell" it creates provides the horse. It's particularly useful on an overtrimmed sole or the recently deshod horse.
Alas, but that shell! What I've found that shells can be great, and with repeated applications you can get them pretty thick. The drawbacks are twofold- one it creates the opportunity to have retained sole. The shell does not act like regular sole or frog and does not exfoliate like regular sole or frog. Exfoliation is a good thing, retained is not.
And under the shell, things can work their way in and hide. I have repeatedly found products that create a great looking frog, but through a crack, etc., thrush has found it's way to the inside of the frog and underneath that exterior the interior is being eaten away. The shell will pop off, revealing a ratty tattered frog underneath.
Keratex Hoof Gel does not do that. Soles harden but exfoliate. Frogs plump and grow but do not periodically "shed".
I still use the Today product or Pete's goo if I want to knock down a particularly rabid looking case of thrush, but for daily maintenance of the hoof, the Keratex Hoof Gel is my product of choice.
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