Horse has bad cracked hooves...?

Question

Horse has bad cracked hooves...?

Answer 1

I presume the cracks are in the center of the fronts AND superficial so I'll respond with that in mind. You have to look at a hoof from the hairline down. What is at the ground is a view of the past which can be from 9-12 months old. A wall crack is never the problem, it is a symptom of the problem. Most cracks form because hooves are improperly or inconsistently trimmed and the wall begins to flare out or you can have a stretched white line that is a sign of dead tissue and so you have no hoof wall connection so there is no supportive tissue to hold the wall in proper alignment. If the cracks have been there for a long time, there can be bacteria or fungus that has invaded the opening, and now this is complicating the situation. Again, long term, the bad guys can grow up faster than the hoof wall can grow down. Without knowing your definite situation, it is impossible to advise you on this particular area. (if this was the case, soak the hooves 50/50 apple cider vinegar and water for 2 hours twice weekly. Otherwise, you should never soak dry feet and this horse's feet definitely sound dry. So, take this info and decide wisely. If no invasion exists - no soaking. Feet can never be too hard or too dry.) Most brittle, cracking feet is due to too moist an environment, no because the area is too dry ( an all too too common misconception in the horse community) or the horse is too often going from wet to dry to wet to dry, etc.



When hooves are allowed to get too long, the horse will try to adapt to his environment. It is the nature of the animal. He will do this by slowing the production of hoof material and grow in thinner and weaker hoof wall so it will wear to properly meet his environment. When your horse begins to get his feet trimmed properly by a good barefoot trimmer, within a short period of time, you should notice a definitive line between old and new growth from the coronary band. Barefoot trimming is, to the best that we can, a simulation of a harsher, more normal environment like that that would result in a more normal wear pattern as well as good growth stimulation.



Regarding supplements, if your horse has a balanced diet with good nutrition, the supplementation is actually harmful and will produce an imbalance and therefore more problems. I have one client that was giving so many supplements and struggled with her horse for years with what every other farrier called while line disease and seedy toe. I took the horse off of all of them, changed his diet, and had her turn him out as much as possible. As soon as the old junk grew off, his feet were beautiful and she was a lot richer. Again, with supplements, you have to know if you have a deficiency and what it is. Also, all horses do not require and thrive well on the same feed, supplements, etc. They are all individuals and have to be treated/fed that way. With hoof supplements, lysine is a limiting amino acid. Without proper lysine in the diet, you can give buckets of biotin or whatever is most popular at the moment, and it will have no effect as it cannot be used because of the shortage of the limiting amino acid, lysine. Also, you must have proper amounts of zinc and copper. The best copper, zinc supplement I know of is Focus HF. In no uncertain terms, never never ever use hoof oils or conditioners or topicals. They are all harmful. None of them are helpful. Try to resist putting chemicals on or in your horses.



Again, generally, cracks are from poor or inconsistent trimming. The last thing this horse needs is shoes. Shoes will just make more damage. You have to determine the problem, then fix it. A good barefoot trimmer (not the same as just being trimmed and shoes left off.) giving a consistent trim which may be more often at first. You will need to have all that damaged wall removed maybe every 3-4 weeks to help stop the cycle he is in now. Also, with a barefoot trim, the wall is finished with a true mustang roll technique. When this occurs, when the hoof strikes the ground, because of the roll, there is actually a compressive force on the hoof wall that compresses the wall and presses it back into itself. If the roll is not properly applied, each time the wall strikes the ground, the hoof wall splinters and breaks and cracks. Most of the time, the toes are much too long or there is high heels and long toes together. The horse is landing toe first instead of heel first, again, more breaking and cracking.



I am curious as to why you took the horse from a dry pen? Again, as much turn out as possible. Keep him moving freely for the best stimulation. Also, curious about "really bad", then "A" crack down the middle of the fronts? Just a little confused and I really want to try to help, give you good information. Hope this helps. good luck.

Answer 2

Dear Friend, you adamantly point out he has shoes and then go on to say you have tried everything. But you haven't!

Please consider the experts' advice and study up. Pull the shoes, bring in an experienced equine barefoot podiatrist and take care of that horse. Sounds like he works very hard for you. Don't you owe him the care he deserves?

Answer 3

I agree with Bliss and her assessment of what is needed. Cracks form from the inside out, and they result from stresses inside that result from imbalance of forces affecting hoof tissues. Shoes don't improve the quality of the tissues within hooves...they interfere with hoof functions that are essential to good blood perfusion and delivery of nutrients to tissues. The concept of holding a crack together with shoes is faulty and counter-productive. The root of the problem needs to be addressed, and that doesn't happen with shoes. I recommend finding a certified barefoot trimmer to work with your horse to restore the condition of his hooves from the inside out.

Answer 4

Is your horse barefoot, or does your horse have shoes? I prefer a barefoot trimmer if a horse is barefoot. The reason for this is a farrier that shoes horses, trims differently than a barefoot trimmer. Ask your farrier, they most likely have had years of experience. Get a vet out to have a look at your horses diet asap. Just because you feed the same thing to every horse, does not mean it works for every horse. All horses are different, and they have different needs depending on important factors like weight, breed, size, height, age. Turnout is important because it encourages hoof growth by increasing blood circulation in the hoof. If your horse is not sound to ride because of this problem, try some light lunging if the horse is sound with that. But most definetly I would have a vet, and the farrier come up with a process to help the horse.

Answer 5

My horse will get cracks like these when I let her feet get too long, but in that case it's just wear and tear, and they're not that large. If this horse doesn't have neatly trimmed feet, this might be the case; then the crack will grow out with the proper hoof care. The hoof has just cracked to relieve the extreme pressure on the rest of the foot and leg. But if the horse already has a neat and trim hoof, the problem is a bit more severe. It shouldn't be very expensive or difficult to treat, being as a crack will always just have to grow out. My best advice is to consult a competent farrier. Have the farrier evaluate the horse before you buy it, then have them administer the proper treatment to the hoof after you've bought it. This might include a special type of shoe, filling the crack, or wiring it. Since I can't se the crack, I can't give you my best guess, but if the horse is a good and otherwise sound horse, I'd go ahead and get her. Ask the owner if you can have around a $50 discount since she'll require a small amount of fixing. Then maintain her feet with a good moisturizer like rainmaker (there are a ton of good ones available.)

Answer 6

Get him on a hoof supplement. You need something with high levels of biotin, methionine, amino acids, and sulfur. A product that works really well is Biotin II 22x. My mare had hooves that would crack when exposed to stressful conditions, and I put her on this supplement. After about 2 months she had no cracks, no excessive shedding of her sole or frog, and her hooves are not as dry. My mare also has shoes on, and it works better when your horse has shoes on to prevent excessive wear.

Answer 7

My horse has problem hooves he had severe splits (I wouldnt call them cracks) not to far off the coronary band when I purchased him. Had him 5 months and although were still fighting seedy toe/white line we're going well this is a link to some photo's of his progress over 5 months

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47187208@N0…

I am a beleiver in barefoot but it was necessary to shoe him to help grow the damage out I also supplement with biotin include a teaspoon of geletin in feed daily and use http://www.worldsbesthoofoil.com/where_to_buy.html?id=24A82EC9A5B2E4E1035C95ACE011E0D3

Now we've just got the seedy toe to be rid of and he'll be well again.

Answer 8

Aside from calling your farrier, I'd suggest removing any shoes and using a crack/hoof separation filler (can be ordered and will seal the crack while it grows out) on all the major cracks and rasping out the little ones over time. Maybe his feet are too dry and need oil more often than the other horses? If you posted a pic that would help :-) Most cracking problems can be solved with frequent rasping over weeks, slow adjustment to rougher terrain, and keeping moisture in or out of the hoof (whether thrush is present or not). Also if his toes are too long that could cause the problem. Good luck!

Helpful book:

http://www.amazon.com/Horse-Owners-Guide-Natural-Hoof/dp/0965800768%3FSubscriptionId%3D19BAZMZQFZJ6G2QYGCG2%26tag%3Dsquidoox11738-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0965800768

Answer 9

Some things to consider:



Are the angles of his hooves correct for his conformation?



Is he being trimmed every 6-8 weeks?



Is he overweight?



Do you ride him a lot, or over rocky/ rough terrain?



Shoes may or may not be the answer. I would discuss it with your farrier and vet and consider getting a second opinion from an outside farrier that stands to neither gain or lose anything by his honest evaluation. Depending on the severity and location of the cracks, they might be able to recommend some alternatives to shoes (epoxies, resins, corrective trimming, etc) that you may want to consider. You may also want to talk with a nutritionist to see if your horse lacks something essential in his diet (zinc, biotin, magnesium, etc.) or his body with which to make good hoof.

Answer 10

Edit~

Just so you know, one of the top champion barrel racers recently, keeps her horse barefoot. I'm sure you could find something about her, if you search barrel racing and barefoot. If you'd like a link to it, let me know and I'll look for it.



If you decide to go barefoot, allow room in your competition plans, for some time off so these cracked hooves can grow out. There's a good chance that the horse will

A. be somewhat tenderfooted just from the transition, after however-long he's been shod, and

B. the stresses of those tight turns could apply some strong pressures on the already-split hooves. I have heard of people running barrels with good times in hoof boots, but it might take some trial-and-error to get the right kind to allow serious competition.



With boots, most horses are able to transition comfortably to barefoot, and remain in light to moderate use throughout.

~~~





Shoes will most certainly not assist in growing out cracks. They will slow healing and growth, and perpetuate the stresses on the hoof that are causing the cracks to continue to form.



Try to find a qualified barefoot trimmer, or if your farrier is open to a barefoot solution, this is how to trim to grow cracks out:



First thing, trim the hoof walls short all around, then take the crack area walls out of ground contact, rasping or nipping back to the white line. Put a good breakover in, roughly at 10:00 and 2:00 or across from the tip of the frog. This will remove the torque forces that are causing the crack to continue to split up. A good short, physiologically correct hoof trim will also promote circulation, which will speed healing and hoof growth.



Do not pare the sole! It should never be pared anyway, but much moreso when the walls are compromised. The horse needs his soles to share weightbearing!



If he is sorefooted, get him some boots. If it's just the fronts, you can get by with just front boots. Movement is crucial to healing and growth! He won't move if he's sore. If the boots alone aren't enough to make him comfortable, you can add boot pads that help to relieve the pressure from the cracked walls. The pads can be cut out from cheap anti-fatigue matting. If he's sound, either with or without boots, then ride him!



Try to soak his hooves in water daily; adding apple cider vinegar 50-50 if there's any hint of thrush. If you can use those hoof boots soak. If you don't need boots, perhaps you can use buckets or shallow feed pans, or a pond or "clean" mudhole - just soil and water, no manure or urine. If you soak him in mud, rinse it off before it dries, or it will draw more moisture from the hooves. Wipe off the excess water, then apply your hoof dressing oil to seal the moisture in. Oil alone will not add moisture.



Removing the torque of over-long toes, adding moisture, and improving activity level and circulation will give your horse the best assist to heal and grow out his hooves quickly.

Answer 11

have u had the farrier put a notch above the crack so it wont get bigger? if not then do that it will prevent further cracking... also the best hoof creme i have found is the main and tail stuff it comes in a short fat white tub with a lotion pump... u leave it on and it soaks in ... works much better then hoof oils that seal the hoof and can actually prevent water from entering the hoof...

Answer 12

f your horse has shoes on than is is not normal the shoes help protect the feet and they shouldnt get cracks. If your horse does not have shoes, you need to call your farrier and get shoes on the horse immediately. also you can get sole paint and put it n the frog after you hoofpick. this will harden up the inside of the hoof and it will hopefully make the outside a little better.even though you are feeding it to every horse the food may not be working the same for you horse. have a vet check it out.

Answer 13

Have you tried a farrier?

Answer 14

contact your farrier right away and get shoes on him. they wil prevent it from growing out and groing apart more.

Answer 15

FARRIER