Page 74 - August 2017

HOOF
CRACKS
by Heather Smith Thomas
There are many causes and types of hoof cracks and more natural support for the sole.
in horses. Some are more serious than others
and may take more effort to resolve, and include quarter, toe, heel, bar, and horizontal cracks. Certain hoof cracks can occur in superficial structures of
the hoof, some will go across the horn, and others
go all the way through the wall and intra-tubular horn. Horses can also have micro-fractures, or small fractures in the hoof wall, that may be precursors of future problems since the hoof wall is weakened and at risk for more damage.
Pat Burton, a Texas farrier, suggests that most cracks can be caused by a variety of issues, such as hoof imbalance, blunt trauma to the external surface, sheer force due to the heel being out of balance, or laceration of the coronary band. Burton also notes that horse nutrition can contribute to cracking. “The entire wall sometimes has fractures or superficial cracks if it’s a nutritional cause,” says Burton.
Superficial cracks are usually not debilitating.
If they penetrate into sensitive structures, however,
the resulting damage can be serious and can cause pain and lameness. “Superficial cracks can usually
be repaired with routine farrier care and sometimes veterinary help with x-rays to guide the repair,” Burton explains. The hoof should be balanced to resolve most cracks, and prevention of excess moisture or dryness to the affected hoof should be taken into consideration.
Serious cracks demand attention from both the veterinarian and farrier working together to find a method to stop progression of the crack so the hoof can begin to heal. “You’ve got to trim the feet often so there is very little pressure on the crack,” he says.
About 80% of quarter cracks are on the medial,
or inside, of the hoof. Some horses will have mul-
tiple cracks in one area on the same foot. “These are caused by long-term damage and lots of pressure,” says Burton. “If you take the pressure away, they resolve. That’s the beauty of better hoof management—to take the cause of the crack away.” He accomplishes this by careful trimming, good nutrition, routine hoof care
Movement and exercise are the keys to healing and for stronger hoof development and, in turn, help resolve the problem with cracks.
Tommy Boudreau, a certified farrier in Mineral Wells, Texas, says the number one thing a person generally thinks of when a horse develops hoof cracks is dry feet, rather than the feet being out of balance or another potential cause.
“Horses that come from desert regions, like Arizona and New Mexico, may have quarter cracks just from their feet being extremely dry for a long time,” he says. The hoof wall becomes brittle when it gets dry, like human hands that get too dry, which leads to cracking.
Heather Smith Thomas
A poor diet or a nutritional imbalance can lead to hoof cracks and can cause the entire hoof wall to fracture.
72 SPEEDHORSE, August 2017
EQUINE HEALTH