Keratex Hoof Hardener Strengthens Equine Hooves - Transparent, 250ml

Keratex Hoof Hardener – Transparent, 250ml

This is the product Keratex are known for, and it is worth understanding what it actually does. It is not a varnish and it does not add anything to the outside of the foot. It penetrates the wall and reacts with the keratin that is already there, forming extra cross-links between the protein chains so the existing horn becomes harder and less willing to absorb water. The hoof is still breathing and functioning normally afterwards; it is simply tougher.

The 250ml bottle comes with its own brush. Keratex’s schedule is daily for a week and then twice a week to hold the result, and it works in wet and dry conditions alike. It does contain formaldehyde, which is why the application instructions are specific about keeping it off the coronary band and the frog — follow them rather than treating it as a general hoof dressing.

Performance & Benefits

• Patented cross-linking chemistry: it reacts with the hoof’s own keratin rather than coating the surface.
• Strengthens weak, worn, chipped or cracked horn from within the wall.
• Reduces the horn’s uptake of excess moisture while still letting the foot breathe.
• Keratex state it reduces shoe loss and abscess risk and improves nail holding.
• Works in both wet and dry conditions, so it is not a seasonal product.
• Supplied with its own application brush.

Suitable For

• Thin, weak or shelly walls that will not hold a nail.
• Horses losing shoes or chipping badly between shoeings.
• Feet that have gone soft and spread on wet ground.
• Barefoot horses working on hard or stony going.
• Not a conditioner or a moisture barrier — Keratex Coconut Oil Hoof Balm conditions, and Keratex Hoof Gel is the hydrophobic treatment.

How to Use

• Apply to the lower half of the hoof wall and the sole, avoiding the coronary band and the frog.
• Daily for the first week, then twice weekly as maintenance.
• If the foot has had oils or greases on it in the last three months, degrease with acetone before starting.
• Do not use oils or greases on the foot while a course of Hoof Hardener is running.
• Apply to a clean, dry foot and let it dry before turning out.

Specification

• 250ml plastic bottle, supplied with a separate application brush.
• Keratex barcode 5036486000017.
• Composition as published by Keratex: formaldehyde (formalin), an inorganic complexing agent, a plasticizer and a disinfectant.
• Keratex publish no percentage figures for those components, so none is stated here.
• Keratex do not describe the product as containing keratin — it reacts with the keratin already present in the horn.

Care & Caution

• Contains formaldehyde. Wear gloves, apply in the open or a well-ventilated area, and avoid breathing the vapour.
• Keep it off the coronary band and the frog — Keratex’s directions exclude both, and it is not a product to splash about.
• Keep out of eyes and off skin; wash immediately with plenty of water on contact.
• Do not use on a foot with an open crack, a wound or an exposed sensitive structure.
• Store the bottle closed, upright and well out of reach of children and animals.