Page 76 - August 2017

The use of a gel pad can provide hoof support and help keep the area Cleaning the hoof well and using a shoe with side clips can help hold the hoof
free from debris.
dimple in the white line because there is also a dimple in the coffin bone underneath.”
These types of cracks can cause an abscess
if debris finds its way into the crack and moves up into the sensitive tissue. “This creates a dimple and weak spot in the white line where the inner structures are bonded to the hoof capsule,” Boudreau warns. “If a little bit of dirt gets pushed up in that crack or if a grain of sand works its way in, it can move up into the sensi- tive tissue and cause an abscess. If that creates an opening into sensitive tissue, the first thing you know (perhaps after a rain when the horse is walking in mud) there is contamination and an abscess. On a crack like that, you are taking a chance for an abscess to form if you don’t address it.”
After trimming the foot, there will still
be a little crack in the dorsal wall. Often, he uses an electric dremel tool to clean that all
out. “Sometimes I use my nippers, turn them sideways, and just make a little V on the ground surface of the toe at that spot, and then use a hoof knife to get all the black debris out,” he says. “If you clean it out really well before it
gets into sensitive tissue and apply a shoe with side clips, this will usually resolve toe cracks. Sometimes I also put a little bit of acrylic in there. Then, it won’t collect dirt and it cosmeti- cally it looks nicer.” The side clips on the shoes help hold everything together.
There is no need for side clips most times. However, the owner should be mindful that this could be a concern. “Some horses that have that little dimple in the white line will always have a problem with a toe crack at that spot,” Boudreau says. “It’s a very common thing that many peo- ple never notice. It never becomes a problem for most of them, and owners don’t need to worry that the horse will wind up with a toe crack or need side clips. But occasionally it can, so this is something I always try to be aware of.”
together and aid in resolving bad toe cracks.
The important thing is to keep feet in balance and the coronary band as supple as possible. “Good hoof maintenance at appropri- ate intervals is important so the feet don’t get too long,” he says. “We also try to keep the feet out of the fence, too, because that’s just another cause of trauma that might injure the coronary band and create a quarter crack.”
Burton started using pour-in products about 10 years ago to develop parts of the foot that need to accept the load. “I shape the material
to the bottom of the foot so it still has some concavity and flexibility,” Burton says. “That’s the key. It’s not a rigid substance. The foot must move and you need to accommodate that movement.
“I load the rest of the foot, which is the same premise behind putting on a bar shoe, but I do this with materials that mimic the sole or the hoof wall and use a product that still has some flexibility after it sets up,” Burton explains about his pour-in method.
Material that is hard is not forgiving enough because it doesn’t flex with the foot and will cause the hoof to develop fracture lines. “This
is one reason I leave the frog exposed,” Burton says. “When I pour material into the bottom of the foot, I pour it around the frog and mimic thickening of the sole. Horses working on proper footing will develop a stronger, thicker sole. I just try to encourage this with the first pour.”
Burton likes to minimize the number of times he pours the material into the hoof. “Sometimes I’ll do a second and third pour, but I want to get away from this as soon as possible and let the horse develop more sole on his own,” he says.
Burton pours material into the hoof at dif- ferent thicknesses, depending on the individual horse. “If the foot has an 8 to 10-millimeter sole depth and I pour another 4 millimeters, I’ve cre- ated 12 to 14-millimeters of protection—some- thing that can handle the weight,” he says. “If a
sole becomes too thin, less than 8 millimeters, you’re in trouble. Some horses are okay with 10 millimeters and some are not. If you can get 12 to 15 millimeters of sole, those horses can walk on rocks and gravel and not get tender.”
Burton gets an exact impression of the bottom of the foot when he pours the feet and this can be used for comparisons. “If you look at the first and second pour side-by-side, you may not see a significant difference,” he says. “But if you compare the first one and the fifth or a later one, you can see how much change has occurred in increments over that period of time - changes in the dimension of the frog, heels, and in the depth of the digital cushion.”
Burton mimics how the hoof would thicken and toughen naturally. “I am pouring a synthetic sole over the foot,” he says. “I sculpt it to retain some concavity and leave the frog exposed so it takes some weight and stimulates the foot to work properly.”
The next pour is usually not as thick and is just enough to enable the horse to keep moving around without becoming tender. Movement and exercise are the keys to healing and for stronger hoof development and, in turn, help resolve the problem with cracks.
“If the horse doesn’t move and exercise, the foot won’t heal,” Burton explains. “If the horse is in pain, he won’t move and the foot won’t develop properly. Once the hoof starts degenerating, it’s like a house of cards and it all starts to fall down.
“It starts atrophying (weakening),” Burton says. “We need to go the other direction and get the foot to start working again. This can help the digital depth increase.”
With attention and proper foot mainte- nance, most hoof issues are easily resolved. However, there are instances that require care from a farrier, or a combination of the veterinar- ian and farrier working together, to help resolve the hoof issue.
74 SPEEDHORSE, August 2017
equine health