HOOF CARE A rash of abscesses

Q:I have a 13-year-old Clydesdale gelding who, up until last year, had never had any health issues. Now, however, he seems to have developed a susceptibility for hoof abscesses. At one point he had one in three different hooves, one of which took the better part of seven months to clear up. Then he developed another one, which seemed to be doing OK, but a month later, the same one is back and it seems bad.

Why is this a problem all of a sudden? Nothing in his life has changed, from workload to feed. I have tried everything from Animalintex pads to packing his feet with raw potatoes! I hope you can give me some insights on this issue. Charlie Van Dien Saint James, Missouri