Karen’s Musings & Endurance Ride Stuff

Chief's hind hoof - prepped for a glue-on boot

Bet you thought I covered everything there was to cover on this topic, eh?  Well, almost.

I want to talk a bit about the glues that we are using to glue hoof boots on horses.  I think that there is a lot of concern regarding the use of polyurethane glue and horse hooves.  The two part Vettec type glues are fast reacting.  Once they are fully set, there is little to no chemical available for absorption.  The Vettec glues are not new and have been used for many years to repair broken hoof walls and for applying glued-on shoes.  For those who are concerned about safety of these glues, there are polyurethanes that the FDA has approved for food contact.  That means that if polyurethanes as a class were toxic by nature that it would be difficult if not impossible to achieve FDA approval.

The Gorilla type polyurethane glue on the other hand is a single part glue.  It completes it’s chemical reaction upon exposure to moisture.  This is a much slower process than the two component types (Vettec).  This gives more time for possible absorption of chemical components.  This should be tempered with the fact that the hoof wall is rather thick and provides a significant barrier into the live structures of the hoof capsule.

The real question then….are there any chemicals which can be readily absorbed out of the reactive matrix and continue to migrate deep into the live tissue within?  I think that it would take scientific studies to answer this question.

In the meantime, I think that occasional use of two part polyurethane type glues on a horses hoof is relatively safe.  The issue that I think should be considered is what happens to the hoof capsule long term from the effects of sealing it off with glue and hoof boots for extended periods or frequent use?

When I prep hooves for glue on boots on I am using the smooth side of the rasp (the less abrasive side) and then finishing up with 80 grit sandpaper.  The sandpaper causes less damage to the outer hoof wall and provides a better bond.

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