You have a horse with damaged and crumbling feet that won’t hold a shoe but also can’t go barefoot. You need a solution and you need it pronto!
Hooves that lack strength and are cracked or brittle can be due to a number of reasons:
Firstly we have to take into account the genetic ability of the animal to grow strong horn
Then we need to look at food intake over the last 12 months, and rather than looking at carbohydrate and protein, we need to focus on TRACE ELEMENTS
Then we can make a plan to rectify and improve your horses feet, but the reality is, there is no product which you can feed which will change the quality of the horn that is already on the foot. Hoof dressings ( grease / balms / Oil ) can certainly be useful to condition what is there to give it a little more suppleness or waterproofing, but the strongest focus needs to be a long term process of supporting and nurturing strong, healthy new growth.