Maintaining Frog Health in the Winter Months

Published in Saddle Up Magazine December 2014


            Maintaining frog health through the winter can be a challenging task in our climate. A healthy robust frog is one of the main supporting structures in the back of the hoof. As the horse strides out the heels and frog impact the ground first, absorbing the impact energy and dissipating the forces on the horses’ joints. A weak or infected frog will cause the horse to alter its stride and can cause the horse to land toe first. This is detrimental to the functionality of the limb and can wreak havoc on hoof health as well as cause a myriad of body issues.

            A healthy frog is calloused and firm to the touch with no snags, flaps or crevices for debris and manure to get trapped inside. The central sulcus (small “V” shaped crevice at the rear of frog) should be shallow and wide. The collateral grooves (indented area on each side of frog) should be open and be easy to slip a hoof pick in for cleaning. If they are too tight your trimmer might open them up to allow you better access for cleaning during the wetter months.

            An unhealthy frog is one with flaps and tags of material that appears ratty and loose. In many instances thrush and other fungus and bacteria can get trapped in deep grooves and fissures creating further infection inside the sensitive. Once the frog and its underlying structures become infected it can be very hard treat and heal. A balance of cleaning with topical anti-fungal and anti-bacterial solutions as well as keeping the hooves clean and dry is the best remedy. In the winter with the mud and snow manure management can be difficult, but keeping your horses’ heavier trafficked areas clean and dry is a priority as well as picking their feet regularly.

            A great strategy is to treat the horse preventively twice a week as the ground becomes wet with a mild anti-fungal like apple cider vinegar. The vinegar kills the bacteria and fungus but will not harm the healthy tissues. There are many products on the market for treating thrush, but whenever possible I prefer to recommend something natural when using it as a preventative measure. If you are dealing with an active surface infection the apple cider vinegar is still effective, but more frequent treatment is needed. My preferred method of application is to put the vinegar in a spray bottle or a bottle with a pointed tip to apply it only to the infected area. After applying I use an old toothbrush to massage the vinegar into any small cracks or crevices. Too much vinegar on the skin or heel bulbs could cause irritation or sensitivity and should be avoided. The aim is to apply only to the infected areas of the frog or hoof.

            For deep central sulcus thrush causing toe first landings or altered stride serious effort must be put into healing the hoof before lasting damage is done to the horse’s hoof, joints and body. In this instance I recommend a soaking boot and a solution called White Lightning. White Lightning is a liquid that when mixed with equal parts white vinegar creates a Chlorine Dioxide Gas. This gas kills the fungus and bacteria on contact without irritating the sensitive tissues that could be sensitive from the underlying infection. Soaking is recommended daily for 20 minutes until the infection is starting to dry up and the cracks can start to close. As the infection starts to clear treatment can be gradually reduced until the crack is healed. A word of caution: During soaking keeping the solution low on the hoof so that is does not irritate the skin is of great importance. The liquid can discolor the hair and can irritate the skin if left saturated for too long. A little solution goes a long way, on average I use 2 tablespoons of WL mixed with equal parts vinegar. It is also important to note that this solution must be mixed up on an as needed basis and will not be effective if mixed ahead of time. It is the chemical reaction that causes the gas and so the soaking boot should also be wrapped to trap the gas inside while soaking. An old polo wrap or vet wrap works well for this. With any medical treatment, consult your veterinarian or hoof care practitioner if you have any questions or concerns or if the infection persists.

Left: A healthy frog, Right: Thrush infected frog

More Ideas for treating thrush

Another product that I recommend for thrush is No Thrush powder. It is the only thrush product on the market (that I know of) that is a dry treatment for thrush. The powder comes in a bottle with a pointed tip so that you can insert the tip into the crevices and expel the powder. This needs to be done daily, or in some cases multiple times per day in order to treat severe infections. I like to use this powder on an infected hoof and then as a base in a hoof boot in wet or muddy conditions in order to keep the hoof clean and dry. 

No Thrush is available to purchase through our online store.

For central sulcas thrush with deep cracks I also use a cream made up of equal parts clotrimazole and triple antibiotic ointment. The clotrimazole is used for athletes foot infections and can be found at most pharmacies. I mix both creams together and put the mixture into a large syringe with a pointed tip. The syringe allows me to inject the cream deep into the crack in the frog and the cream kills the fungus and bacteria. This treatment is effective long term, but needs to be done daily and the hooves kept clean and dry.


A liquid thrush product I use regularly to treat thrush and as a preventative is No Thrush. It is a deep purple color and works very well for surface thrush and as a preventative. I apply it to a clean, dry frog with a toothbrush so that I can scrub it into the frog and any cracks and crevices. Be sure to wear gloves and don't get it on your clothes as it stains everything it touches!  

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Thrush Off is available online at http://www.well-horse.com as well as at most tack stores.