There are SO many products to treat thrush and/or fungal issues for horses feet. Some are caustic (bad!), some stain hands (yuck!), some work great and some don’t work at all. At the recommendation of my farrier to use copper sulfate for a specific issue, I found and purchased a copper sulfate spray solution and a copper sulfate clay from an online source. I won’t say where, I don’t want to take away from their products as they worked great, but it was EXPENSIVE. I was in a rush for literally anything that would help at the time and I wanted something ASAP so didn’t really take the time to research. Since it did work so well, I wanted to come up with something more budget friendly but still effective.

The ingredients on the purchased product label were: Copper Sulfate, Vinegar. That’s it? Really?? I paid $30 for a 16 oz bottle and $40 for the 16 oz jar of clay. I thought, “There’s got to be a better LESS EXPENSIVE way” so I took to google AND discussed with my farrier and here’s what I’ve come up with for the spray: 1 cup Copper Sulfate Crystals (Amazon- 5 lbs for $27) to a gallon of vinegar. Microwave or heat mixture until crystals dissolve. If not heated, the crystals don’t incorporate with the vinegar very well and are not as effective.

Pour into a spray bottle and spray on the bottom of the hoof. Obviously, pick/clean the hooves first! I loved the clay too, but I haven’t tackled coming up with a DIY version of that (yet!) but maybe later. The spray is super easy to use so I’ve just been using that.

BAM, about 7 bucks for a GALLON of solution. That’s 128 ounces, or 8 spray bottles of the purchased product, which would have cost $240 if purchased individually with the spray bottle included each time or the company has a gallon refill jug for $175. Talk about ROI/markup, WOW! Some people might be happy to spend that and NOT mix their own, but that’s too rich for my blood. I’ll spend that nearly $170 I am saving on a months worth of feed, thank ya!