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Discussion on Large Crack in hoof of new horse
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Member:
mysi
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Posted on Saturday, Nov 21, 2009 - 10:51 am:
I just brought this horse home on trail, and how I missed this I have no clue. He has a large crack running from his coronet band all the way down about an inch & a half from the bottom on his front right. He is sound and doesn't seem to be bothered by it. He is barefoot, but the owner sent him off for training and they put him in shoes for 2 months. He been out of them for about a month. I plan to have my farrier come out early this upcoming week but have never seen anything like this. He is 4.5 yrs old and a wb/perch cross.Can I still ride him? 
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Member:
mysi
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Posted on Saturday, Nov 21, 2009 - 1:16 pm:
Correction...he has them in both feet and they are from coronet band to the ground. Here are more pics. Let me know if you need different pics to see more.    
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Saturday, Nov 21, 2009 - 2:34 pm:
Usually, these cracks are caused by impropper trimming which leaves the hoof out of balance and puts too much pressure on parts of the hoof causing the wall to crack - something has to give to the pressure. It can be from the horse not being trimmed for a long time. A good farrier should look at him and it would also be a good idea to get x-rays to see where his hoof angles should be. If the cracks are deep the farrier might have to treat them with medication and stabilize them to prevent hoof desease and to keep them from getting worse. If they aren't real deep, they will just grow out with proper trimming. Going back and forth from wet to dry can sometimes help cause these cracks, too, but usually cracks caused by weather conditions are only on the surface and don't go deep. I'd put the horse on a good biotin supplement to help him grow good hoof, get some x-rays if possible, and get the farrier out asap.
There are a lot of people on HA that know a lot more about trimming/shoeing than I do, but even I can tell that his feet have a little flare to themm he needs more heel support, and it looks like he had shoes on for quite a while before his last trim. Don't dispair, though. Looks to me like it's all correctable with proper foot care.
There's a good article with illustrations on proper trimming and hoof care if you haven't yet see it. On the directory at the left of the page, click on horse care, then hoof care and you'll find it.
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Member:
mysi
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Posted on Saturday, Nov 21, 2009 - 3:05 pm:
Thanks Sara! Yes, his hooves are all kinds of mis-shapen! His hind ones have no cracks but are terribly shaped as well. I got the horse yesterday and have got a call into my farrier (who is wonderful) and hope to have him out Monday.
I've just never seen such a thing...my other horses are barefoot and have great feet. I see they are called quarter cracks after reading the articles.
This horse is here on trial. I got him from a lady who has several horses and trying to get out of the business because of lack of time and undependable people helping her out. He's a fabulous horse...I just hope this is a fixable issue. 
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Member:
vickiann
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Posted on Saturday, Nov 21, 2009 - 5:25 pm:
Those poor feet look very out of balance.
My horses used to have problems with quarter cracks when they weren't properly balanced.
Now I never have this problem.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Saturday, Nov 21, 2009 - 6:02 pm:
Hello Melissa,
Wow those are pretty bad and a matching pair to boot. There is significant flare and lateral imbalance and so it is easy to see why these cracks may have formed.
Assuming nothing odd about the horses gait, no pathology we cannot see including scarring of the sensitive laminae deep to the crack, and good trimming the prognosis for correcting the situation is fair to good. However these walls are substantially weakened and it makes everything much harder that this is a heavy horse. This might require kid glove care, including easy riding, till the crack grows out for about 8 to 10 months. Before further consideration you must commit yourself to this possibility and if you decide it is your cup of tea, have both your farrier and veterinarian examine this before the final decision.
DrO
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Member:
mysi
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Posted on Saturday, Nov 21, 2009 - 9:03 pm:
Well... what is easy riding? Is a 30 minute walk trot canter work in the ring easy? I can live with that, but I can't see possibly buying a horse that I can't ride for that long...seems stupid. Do shoes stabilize this are they usually necessary? Sorry if I seem silly about this I just have no experience with this.
He came from a pretty yucky pasture, not so great but alot of grain, no grass, terrible looking hay and I guess not so great hoof care. He's thick but I guess that doesn't mean good nutrition. I hope good nutrition will help too.
Now another stupid question...what would an odd gait be? or look like? He moves like a Percheron, lots of knee action.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Sunday, Nov 22, 2009 - 9:33 am:
Melissa,
It is impossible to know before hand what may or may not propagate the crack, there is just too much unknown. But if you purchase the horse you have to be prepared for the fact that there is a increased chance the hoof will not stand up to normal wear and tear. It certainly has not stood up to what ever they have been doing so you might use that as baseline as to what you will not be able to do. Some will say that correction of the feet will go a long way to decreasing the stress, which is absolutely true. But even though the stress has improved you are dealing with a weakened hoof wall.
Once the hoof is well examined and trimmed correctly a more definitive guess at what may be undertaken might be made. But in all cases careful monitoring to be sure the crack is not increasing will need to made and adjustments based on those findings need to done.
DrO
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New Member:
randysaf
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Posted on Sunday, Nov 22, 2009 - 7:18 pm:
Hello Folks, Hope everybody is doing good. Thought I would throw my 2cents in. If it was me I would not buy that horse. In fact, even if they gave him to me I would turn it down. Now the Doc knows more than me about this stuff, but my guess is that horse was sold *because of the hoof crack. He's been foundered several times before and the shoes were left on longer than usual because the were hoping it would keep the hoof together and help it heal. It won't. Not that big of a crack. The only thing that *might* help for any crack is twice a day soaking in 2 table spoons of lysol concentrate to one gallon of water so as to kill the fungus. But I would not even try that if the crack is more than 50%....and this one is a 100%. So like I said, sorry to butt in .... hope anything I say might help. Laterzzzz
Randy
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Member:
ajudson1
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Posted on Sunday, Nov 22, 2009 - 8:28 pm:
I think it's fixable but a lot depends on how much time, energy, and money you have to put towards fixing it. And do you have a really knowledgeable farrier to work with? I believe there are hoof epoxies, and with some special boots, (I hate to see nail holes in those hoofs!) but you need an expert opinion before you purchase this horse.
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Member:
mysi
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Posted on Sunday, Nov 22, 2009 - 8:32 pm:
Wow Randy...that bad??? I'm pretty sure the horse hasn't foundered, I could be wrong but she feeds him like 10# of grain a day which I'm sure you wouldn't do with a habitually foundering horse. But I could be way off. He's with me on trial and I can keep him up to 6 months or so. I was thinking that I could try my best to correct it in that time and make a decision after that. Does that seem terribly unreasonable?
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Sunday, Nov 22, 2009 - 8:42 pm:
Melissa, my guess is Randy said that because the first picture shows some suspicious looking hoof rings and the toe dish he has. If he was getting that much grain it is possible he had laminitis..with or without rotation. Getting rid of so much sugar in his diet would be a good place to start. I have seen hooves like this come out of it, but it will take a good farrier and patience.
I think your plan sounds reasonable if you don't mind putting the money into him for 6 mos. I just hope the people aren't the kind that would decide not to sell him if you are able to get him fixed up and spend money doing it. I would get some kind of contract written up first so that wouldn't happen
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Member:
juliem
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Posted on Sunday, Nov 22, 2009 - 10:37 pm:
I don't think those are founder rings. Notice how they are spaced the same at the heel area as they are the rest of the foot. Founder rings are spaced further apart at the heels since the heel of a foundered horse grows faster than the toe. You can often see rings like these on many horses with healthy feet.
I too think if you can give him six months of good trimming and nutrition you will have a good idea of how far he can come back. As Diane says, have everything in writing. He's so badly balanced that I'd love to see what would happen with good trimming. Also, I wouldn't do any soaking unless Dr. O or a vet who can examine the horse recommends it. Until you know what you're dealing with, soaking could do more harm.
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Member:
juliem
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Posted on Sunday, Nov 22, 2009 - 10:39 pm:
And Randy--Welcome to HA--look forward to more posts as I see in your profile you're a natural hoof care advocate.
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Member:
mysi
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Posted on Monday, Nov 23, 2009 - 7:04 am:
Thank you so much everyone. The first thing I did when he got here Friday was cut his grain. She was giving him two coffee tubs full twice a day(the huge plastic kind with handles) of pellets. He's on about 2# plus a balancer and tons of hay. I will see how his weight does I do not mind putting the money into great trimming or shoes and I have the patience. I just want to that it is likely worth the trouble and the feet will get better. And I will definitely get everything in a contract. I am still waiting for my farrier to call.
He's such a great horse, I hope this works out.
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Monday, Nov 23, 2009 - 7:19 am:
Kudos, Melissa, for taking on these hooves. Please keep us updated on what you are doing to treat them and occasional pix so we can see the results. Best of luck!
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Member:
ajudson1
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Posted on Monday, Nov 23, 2009 - 7:20 am:
Randy,
I forgot to say welcome to HA! I am glad to see another natural hoof care member on board. I am a self taught barefoot trimmer and love the journey I have been on.
Melissa,
I think he's a nice looking fella, can see why you like him so much.
I also agree with Julie, I don't think those are founder rings. A good balanced barefoot trim, someone who understands the importance of a good mustang roll (beveling) and all around good hoof care & maintenance I believe will go a long ways to getting his hoofs healthy.
Can you post a picture of his hoof from the side, up on a hoof stand? Like the last picture in the group, only on a hoof stand.
And 2 pictures of cleaned out hoof, a sole shot so we can see the bars, and then a shot looking from the heel to the toe...on that one, shouldn't see much of the sole.
It will give us a better idea of what is going on under the horse.
BTW, does he have any swelling in his lower legs? Can't tell for sure from above picture.
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Monday, Nov 23, 2009 - 7:41 am:
I did not think he had foundered either, Randy thought maybe he had. I suspect those rings are "diet rings" in the first picture they look quite outstanding, and with the toe dish, mild bouts of laminitis could be possible, especially with the diet he has been on. Causing distortion in the hoof wall and a stretched WL...would definitely contribute to the cracks
Angie I saw that swelling too, wasn't sure if it was the picture, it appears worse in the back fetlocks.
Melissa let us know what your farrier says. He is a handsome fella, good Luck with him
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Member:
kpaint
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Posted on Monday, Nov 23, 2009 - 2:06 pm:
I know nothing to contribute that is of any hoof help. However, he is a lovely color!
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Member:
mysi
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Posted on Monday, Nov 23, 2009 - 7:08 pm:
Thanks for all of the compliments on him. I think he's quite handsome myself. I saw pics of him at 2 and he was jet black!
No swelling guys, must have just been the shot. He has super clean legs, nice big bones. I'm a body checker...every am and pm when I feed I check everyone head to toe. He has had nothing of any concern since I got him here on Friday. I've ridden him everyday since Friday (walk /trot)for 20 minutes and he is sound as a dollar. I even lounged him yesterday to watch him and he's smooth as can be. Nothing seems off except those feet!!!
I am sending the horse that I ride daily back to my friend and her owner next week (her horse died of a brain anurism 2 months ago and she wants to keep riding). So I really want another horse to ride everyday...FOR MY SANITY! lol. My old boy only goes on walking trail rides on the weekends and I love daily hacking!
I am diligent with the care of my horses so I will be on top of his hoof care. I just want to be sure it's fixable...and that I can still ride him daily. I'm perfectly fine with walk/trot/canter for 30 min in the ring until it's grown out.
I will get all of those pics up for you Angie on Wednesday when I'm off in daylight. I go to work in the dark and get home in the dark and the lighting in my barn is not photo worthy!
I will definitely take pics all along this journey if I decide it's going to be worth it.
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Member:
mysi
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Posted on Friday, Jan 1, 2010 - 11:10 am:
OK...so I'm slacking on updates! No new pics as he moved around and knocked the camera out of my hand and stepped on it. I intended on getting a new one but a surprise injury on a different horse and there went my Christmas cash!!!
But, my farrier came out and said the cracks are superficial. He said he calls them sand cracks. He's been trimmed twice and is looking good. Very balanced now and the cracks have begun to grow out. He said the ripples look like they are from feed change and definitely not founder. He explained why but I didn't listen well because I couldn't repeat a word of it I was just so relieved!
I will keep you updates and hopefully with get some pics soon too!
I think he's a keeper...
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Saturday, Jan 2, 2010 - 10:41 am:
Thanks Melissa and glad to hear they are superficial as it certainly makes growing them out easier.
DrO
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