Page 231 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

STABILIZING THE DEFECT

Every effort should be made to correct any faults of hoof conformation, which predisposed
VetBooks.ir the horse to this condition. Once this has been done, there are a number of methods used to

try to stabilize the crack and prevent movement of the hoof wall on either side. These
include:

• the use of hoof staples to bridge the gap and stabilize the wall

• short screws drilled into the hoof wall on either side of the crack and wire sutures

• screwing a metal plate across the defect
• stainless steel wire sutures with small steel plates to stabilize the crack (Figure 6.27).

Tightening the wires closes the crack and any remaining defect can be filled with repair
material

• the use of glue-on plastic patches

• repair with fibreglass or acrylic materials that bond to the hoof wall; these may be
impregnated with antibiotics (Figure 6.28)

Figure 6.27 Quarter crack repair with wire sutures