June 29th 2006: My true blue 12 y.o. gelding Cletus who I have had since he was a 4 month old, showed up to me dead lame and in major pain with heat when I went to let him out to his pasture. He also pulled his right foot shoe. He had been upset for a couple of days since my mare had left the farm. He was pacing and stomping is feet in the ground as he went back and forth at the fence looking for her. I promptly started him on 2 grams of Bute followed by one gram for 2 weeks.

June 30th 2006
The farrier shod him with clips.

July 7, 2006
He lost his right front shoe again and the farrier came back up to re-shoe. This time the damage was more extensive. He had to rebuild the foot and glue a shoe on. The integrity of the foot was shot. Brittle and shaley. I think the farrier tried to rebuild the foot for me more than the horse.

August 3rd 2006
The glue on shoe came off. This time the farrier said, no more. He suspected the horse had foundered. He could not afford the time to keep returning and adding a glue on shoe and to keep rebuilding the foot. He suggested two things 1) New farrier that would spend the time or 2) to pasture Cletus for at least a year with no shoes and add a supplement to his diet. Also he suggested X-raying his feet to confirm if he in fact had foundered. I chose option 2. Since Cletus was, and is, such an incredible gelding I could sacrifice 12 months of riding for his well being.

So my farrier suggested a supplement that is most popular here in the States. He said this was the one supplement backed by research and he suggested it to all his clients in my situation. My vet agreed. I knew very little about the subject other than to make sure what I did involved Biotin. Pretty sad but I must be honest. I took the next two weeks researching his suggestion plus other supplements including Formula4 Feet. I gave myself a couple of weeks to find what I thought would be best for Cletus. The farrier knows his business but I know my gelding. I was not going to put Cletus in more pain or feed him something that was unhealthy. I was told by many well intentioned people to add gelatin to his feed. For anyone who does not know gelatin is a made in part from hooves, bones, and tendons. I fail to see how a herbivore can breakdown meat to actually benefit them. Not to mention how they can digest and get rid of it properly. Nope, my gelding was getting something he could breakdown and utilize to his benefit. I went online and did my research. Formula4 Feet popped up in my Google search. I went to the website and was floored at the wealth of information and the product itself. I compared my findings of Formula4 Feet to the supplement suggested by my farrier and other top choices.

Aug 8th 2006
My vet X-rayed Cletus and confirmed he rotated but did not founded. He agreed with the farrier on the supplement of choice. He or my farrier had not heard of Formula4 Feet and were not very supportive of the supplement.

I chose to go against their suggestion. Imagine I was going against the suggestion of 2 top professionals in my area. They are both good which is why I use them and after all they are the pro's and I am merely a small town horse owner. What did I know. The feeling was a sinking in the pit of my stomach feeling but my gut said Formula4 Feet was the correct choice.

Some reasons why I chose Formula4 Feet: 1) It is approved by the Vegetarian Society. This means my horse can digest the supplement to the fullest and his feet will actually benefit the most they can get.

2) The ingredients out weighed other products.

3) Robert Eustace is world renowned (including by my farrier who has read his articles.) for his expertise and the Laminitis Clinic.

4) Website is very educational.

5) Non GM supplement and drug free.

Aug 10th 2006
I started feeding Formula4 Feet. Cletus still showing pain/heat and back on Bute. In fact I had him on it for 15 days in the month August.

September 10th 2006
The farrier came up for trimming and to shoe my mare Rosey who came back to the farm. (Mentally Cletus is much happier.) The farrier noticed Cletus's foot is more supple and healthier looking. His coat was more shiny that ever. He won't support Formula4 Feet but said whatever I did is working. (The only other thing I changed was I dropped the grain in half as per my vet's suggestion). Bute 9 days.

October, November and December. No Bute. Normal farrier visits.

December
The winter coats of my horses are in full. Cletus's coat is still shiny (his first ever.) Usually it heavy but dull. Rosey's coat is dull too. I start her on Formula4 Feet.

December 19th 2006
Farrier visit. We discussed previously that we would shoe Rosey with caulks for our winter, icy, mountain conditions and try Cletus on glue on shoes with caulks. He showed up and was in the barn for about 1/2 hour before I could join him. He had Cletus in the cross ties and on his right foot shoeing him. I was floored and speechless. He said Cletus grew such a healthy strong foot that taking a nail was no problem. I was in total shock. My next question was can I ride him. My farrier said go ahead. So for Christmas Eve I got the best Christmas present I could ever want. Cletus and I went for a quiet ride down my road. The farrier also notice Rosey's feet grew quickly, since the last shoeing. He averages 5 weeks between shoeing and trims.

So in the past 5 months I have learned 3 things:
1) My true blue gelding is still true blue. We had an amazing and awesome ride.
2) Any horse that takes residency at my barn will be fed Formula4 Feet.
3) Go with your gut instinct. Logically it felt wrong to go against 2 professionals but I knew my decision was right.

Thank you to Robert Eustace, you gave me my horse back.

Lori French

Good Morning Emerald Valley,

I have been meaning to email and tell you how wonderful your product Formula4 Feet is and what it has done for my Off the Track Thoroughbred, Gene! Back in 2007 Gene started developing awful abscesses in both front feet.. it got to the point where the farrier had to remove large parts of his hoof wall to try and get to whatever was causing this. After about a year of struggling, trying glue-on shoes, other supplements and hoof dressings, and still having a very lame horse on way to much bute for months, I found an article in a random horse magazine that was sitting in the back of someone's vehicle. I saw Formula4 Feet and went to your website.

After I saw the testimonials I knew I had to try this... I still kept the glue-on shoes, and my farrier contacted a friend at New Bolton and was told to try porous silicone putty and copper sulfite crystals to kill whatever was attacking Gene's feet. I think Gene has been on Formula4 Feet for at least a year and a half, possibly 2 years and he is doing so well!!!

This past September I took him camping, only glue-ons up front and barefoot behind and he never took a bad step! On Friday January 08, 2010 he FINALLY had the glue on shoes removed! I plan to keep him barefoot and on Formula4 Feet! Thanks so much for making it possible for me to ride my horse Gene again! I have attached pictures of Gene's feet from 2007, and pictures from just a week or so ago. Thank You so much for having such a wonderful product!! I tell everyone possible to try your product, because they won't be disappointed!

Very Respectfully, Laci Brumwell & Gene Brumwell Pennsylvania

All three look great.

My 22 year-old show pony who experienced laminitis a year and a half ago has been doing great. She is insulin resistant and only eats Triple Crown Safe Starch Forage... no grass, no hay, no grain. So the Formula4 Feet product is her main source of essential nutrients. Although this pony retired from the A/AA Medium Pony Hunter circuit at the age of 19 (state champion and USEF zone 3 reserve champion that year), she still enjoys her job as a short stirrup pony for an 8-year-old little girl. She remains highly competitive as an equitation pony and NO ONE believes this pony is actually 22 years old!!!!! Her coat looks great, wonderful muscle tone and plenty of energy to do her job.

My 21 year old appendix has had a healthier coat, brighter eye and more energy to walk-trot-canter/trail ride since being on Formula4 Feet. A previous injury prohibits him from jumping anymore. He's believed to have a pre-metabolic syndrome, and although he has a regular diet of hay and pasture grass, he only eats a quart of Carb-guard pellets and 2 cups of Omegatin a day. The Formula4 Feet is a great source of nutrients for him, many of which I'm sure he was lacking in his diet before.

I also have a 13 year old little welsh pony on Formula4 Feet. Being a small pony with a huge appetite, he grazes with a muzzle and has limited hay and even less feed, only a handful of Triple Crown's Safe Starch Forage twice a day. Again, I believe his beautiful coat and overall health is due in large part to being given Formula4 Feet and the balanced nutrition it provides. I have two show hunter horses I have not yet placed on Formula4 Feet, as they eat Triple Crown Senior in a large enough quantity that I believe giving them the added Formula4 Feet may over supply them with some nutrients. I have been supplementing their feed with individual supplements as needed. I intend on continuing the two ponies and older horse on Formula4Feet and would be thrilled to have a local feed store carry the product.

Thank you, Carrie Kline

I would like to take this opportunity to tell you what a great product this is.

When I first started to use Formula 4 Feet, it was for one of my appaloosa's. He isn't navicular, or have laminitis. However, his hooves were in such poor quality that my farrier made casts for his feet to keep them from falling apart. He lost shoes constantly, and his hooves literally fell apart if he came anywhere near standing water. In addition he was very low heeled.

After 6 months, my farrier was able to get him to a point where with 4 week visits, and special shoes, and constant maintenance on my end, he at least had hooves. They still looked very bad, but I thought that was probably the best they would get. Then I saw an advertisement in John Lyons magazine Perfect Horse. I decided to give it a try. I did not tell my farrier, because he is completely against supplements. I wanted to see what he noticed, what I noticed.

My farrier was out just 2 wks after I started him on it, and I had noticed nothing. My farrier made a comment that his horn walls are looking good. In the next couple of wks, I noticed he was getting more white spots on his coat, and he had an overall shine that he didn't have before. On the farrier's next visit, he took one look at my horse and said Your horse is breaking out in appaloosa. When he picked up the first hoof to work on it, he put it back down, stood up and said, What are you giving this horse?

When he read the ingredients from the bag, he told me to keep it up, and I should also give it to my other app, which had recently gone through colic surgery; saying it would be good for his hind gut. Today, you would never believe my horse had either low heels or poor quality hooves. My farrier has several of his clients using this product now, and both of my apps have great feet, shiny coats, and have Broken out in Appaloosa.

Thank you

Veva Buffington

skippinarnie@earthlink.net

352.238.4718

I just wanted to share photos with you. The Formula 4 Feet has allowed my 39-year-old mule to move about like a 20-year old. Duster spends much less time laying down and resting. His coat shines and he eats very well.

Sally D
Texas

Well I couldn't find the original, but it's such an easy product to write about if you believe in it that here goes again...

Due to numerous resets and constant riding, my Morgan's hooves were beginning to show the wear and tear and were not only chipping, but acrylic had to be used to fill in chunks that had come off. We'd had him on a well-known hoof supplement since he was under saddle, but after a time it seemed as though his system was no longer benefiting from it.

A horse in our barn was suffering from laminitis and I gave your ad to the owner since I thought it sounded like it would assist his healing process. I then figured, hey what about my own horse. He didn't have lameness issues, but surely needed stronger hooves!

Since a hoof grows fairly slowly, the first place I noticed a real difference was increased shine in his coat. He's always looked lovely, but now he shone like a newly minted penny. Then I asked our farrier to keep an eye on any changes he felt were visible. He began commenting on the new growth and was impressed. Riot has now been on the supplement for 9 months.

We've left him barefoot for the winter and all the problem areas have now grown out. He generally gets a few little chips in his white (normally softer) hoof, but this time the farrier came there were none. He told me that in the spring when Riot is re-shod he'll have a wonderful, strong foot. It's what we've wanted for him and thanks to Formula 4 Feet it's been achieved.

Stephanie Lavertu

To whom it may concern:
I hope you can use the story of my horse's miraculous recovery from a serious injury due to great care and your product Formula4 Feet.

On February 25th, 2009, a person threw a brick through the back of my husbands truck window. The noise must have spooked Chance in the pasture as I found him on three legs in pools of blood. My vet, Dr. Fredricks, determined he had a quarter crack and he was bandaged with a diaper filled with Epsom salts and iodine then duct tape. Chance was also put on antibiotics and small dose of bute.

At his 2 day check it was determined he had to be transported to the University of Wisconsin Morrie Waud Equine Hospital for special farrier services. We had to wait a week for an appointment.

On March 4th, at his appointment, it was discovered not only did he have a vertical hoof crack but also a horizontal crack at the coronary band. His X-rays also showed a fractured coffin bone.

Surgery was recommended to remove the fracture piece but my vet opted for a less radical approach to see if it would calcify and have surgery as the next option.

As you can see from the pictures they removed the back quarter of the hoof but luckily the sole was intact. They actually found pieces of wood and grass inside the hoof. The farrier Dean Johansson then fitted a shoe with a cut-out pad to keep pressure from the injured area. Bandaging continued every night and antibiotics continued. Due to the open hoof, the fracture could not be cast.

After his first hospital visit I had seen an a magazine ad for Formula4 Feet and immediately ordered it, willing to try anything. Chance started taking Formula4 Feet on March 10th, 2009.

On March 21st dead tissue fell out of the hoof. My farrier came to nail the shoe back in place, Chance had pulled the shoe and more hoof wall off. The shoe could only be nailed on one side there was not enough hoof left on the other side.

April 8th, 2009, Dean found a pocket of infection and it was cut open and cleaned out. There was also navicular fluid leaking. X-rays confirmed fracture was calcifying. The hoof growth was amazing. He was reshod with special shoe and bandaging every night was continued.

May 13th, X-rays were not even taken. The fracture was completely calcified. There was enough hoof re-growth to remove the pad and actually nail the shoe on all the way round. They were amazed at his recovery at the hospital. They released him to do light work.

May 27th at recheck my vet actually released Chance to be sent for training. He saw no reason why Chance could not be ridden.

At my horse Chance's first visit to the hospital I was told 6 months recovery. After 3 months Chance has been released for training to be broken under saddle. Both his vets and therapeutic farrier are amazed at his recovery.

I thank you for such a great product. This was a serious injury and I feel Formula4 Feet cut his recovery time in half !! I have had Chance since the day he was born and was devastated by his accident.

Kathie Tasovac
Marengo, Ill. USA

Case Study 12:

I'm sure mostly everyone has seen an episode of "Antique Roadshow" on television where someone brings in this piece of furniture they found in their grandmother's attic and the expert tells them they've got a Chippendale worth a fortune.

Well, I've got the horse equivalent--thanks to Formula4 Feet. In searching to buy my first horse last year, I found this sweet, six-year-old Quarter Horse mare in a hot, dusty lot. The owner had too many horses and they wanted to sell this one. Her coat was dull, her heels were contracted and she had short choppy gaits -- but I feel in love with her kind eyes and sweetness. They practically gave her to me even though she was a grand-daughter of Zippo Pine Bar on her Dam and Hotrodder's Jet Set on her sire.

Our first months together were punctuated by two separate hoof absesses, a possible coffin bone crack scare and a different shoe thrown every other week. Fortunately, I found a great trainer, Vicki Rea of Rea Equisports, who looked a this mare as a puzzle to be put back together. She said I had to get her on Formula4 Feet.

She has been on your recommended dose daily for 6 months -- I feed it to her as a treat that she nibbles from my hand! As you can see, she is gorgeous, her heels are spreading and starting to look like the textbook picture. As well, she has not thrown or loosened any shoes and I wish you could see her move right out!

People say to me, "Who knew that horse was inside the one you bought." They think I am a good judge of horse flesh but it was pure luck being turned onto Formula4 Feet.

Thanks for such a great product!

Connie Merritt Hughes, Laguna Beach, California, USA

Hello,
Knock on wood, I wanted to share with you that I've been giving your supplement, Formula4 Feet to my Trakehner now for the past 2 years, and he has not gotten an abscess since. We were plagued with them too, whenever we had a lot of rain, he would get one. He has 24x7 turnout and is barefoot. I compete him in Dressage and want to keep him barefoot forever. With your product, you have helped him remain sound for 2 years. He used to get abscesses at least 2 times per year, and each bout would put him out of commission for 2-3 weeks, and totally mess up our training.

I have been meaning to share this with you for awhile. I just hope to continue to be able to get your product here in the U.S. as long as you are there to produce it! I order from Emerald Valley Equine. It is well worth the investment!

THANK YOU!

Dawn Cabral-Quimby, Providence, RI