Bleeding quarter crack

[CindyCRNA]

[QUOTE=CrowneDra![](on;7927431]
No.
Floating the heels is a well-accepted method for unloading pressure in the area above it, the exact opposite of what your propose. It is also the standard go-to to treat an issue like this quarter crack. My ass-umption is that the farrier recognized this coronet jamming and floated the heels to help unload that area. I am not sure if there is something lost in translation regarding what “expanding the heels” means here. I have seen some farriers float heels to help with contraction as well, but less commonly.

Some reading for you:

http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/resolving-quarter-cracks-takes-more-just-stitch-time

http://www.roodandriddle.com/hoofcapsuledistortion.html
http://www.kerckhaert.com/Images/Downloads/naturalangle/Natural%20Angle%20Vol8%20Iss4.pdf
http://www.americanfarriers.com/pages/Features-Different-Ideas-On-Treating-Quarter-And-Bar-Cracks.php[/QUOTE]

While not a farrier, here is my experience with floating the heel. My gelding is pidgin toed. His twist is from the fetlock. [IMG]http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/CindyCRNA/photo-5.jpg) While we tried floating the heel on that side, he ended up collapsing onto the shoe anyway. I took him to a farrier clinic (I don’t know who the guest farrier was they flew in but he was “famous”) and they changed him to a special shoe that is beveled on the edges and wider in the back (I wish I could explain it better) . We were in bar shoes that he kept pulling. He is now in jumping lessons and doing great but his quarter crack never bled.

[jennycash]

Wanted to give an update. Went in for x-rays and found quite a bit of information. Now I will be doing x-rays for shoeing quite often to make sure we are on track!
Vet said his palmar angle on this foot is at 0 degrees, imbalance on the inside (obvious with the crack) and also his pastern angle is almost vertical because of being slightly over at the knee.
The shoer was there to correct these issues with the direction of the vet. Even after the diagnosis he still did not do what was directed and the horse became lame. So I have found another shoer who worked for other clinics that I am hauling to currently.

X-ray
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/jenetmraz1/IMG_6095_zps4487c049.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/jenetmraz1/IMG_6386_zps58f9ef45.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y259/jenetmraz1/IMG_6480_zps4530267c.jpg

He is completely sound after floating the heel and letting it drop. The next issue we are having is the wall separation at the top. After the first shoer dremmelled, wired and patched it, the wall separated (which caused it to bleed again). I haul him back in this week for the next step in fixing this poor hoof. What would YOUR next step be after getting the hoof to drop and expand yet still dealing with it cracking at the top?

[sascha]

My big horse was better with heavy stainless staples than wires. They held much better and gave better stability where it was needed. IIRC (many years ago), they were easier to remove and replace as necessary when the hoof grew.

Good luck … and again, don’t be surprised that as the foot expands back to normal you get more cracking before you get to the point where the hoof is properly shaped so it can grow without stressing that crack. Just my experience.

[CindyCRNA]

 Kevlar patched it [IMG]http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/CindyCRNA/photo2_zps19d0f700.jpg) and put him in a custom heart bar shoe [IMG]http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/CindyCRNA/photo4_zps97bd1d64.jpg)

[jennycash]

D![](d it grow out and never split again?
The first shoer laced and put a patch on, but he was lame after. Second shoer pulled everything off and let it expand. Since taking everything off he has been sound. But it makes me nervous to see a small crack at the top again.

[QUOTE=CindyCRNA;8015219]
My gelding was hauled to Rood and Riddle in Lexington for quarter crack repair. They wired it [IMG]http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/CindyCRNA/photo1_zps2f7d84fc.jpg) Kevlar patched it [IMG]http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/CindyCRNA/photo2_zps19d0f700.jpg) and put him in a custom heart bar shoe [IMG]http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx78/CindyCRNA/photo4_zps97bd1d64.jpg)[/QUOTE]

[findeight]

[QUOTE=jennycash;8016758]
Did it grow out and never split again?
The first shoer laced and put a patch on, but he was lame after. Second shoer pulled everything off and let it expand. Since taking everything off he has been sound. But it makes me nervous to see a small crack at the top again.[/QUOTE]

It should make you nervous as small cracks tend to become bigger cracks. It’s a long haul with quarter cracks and you only just found the root problem, got a competent (I hope) farrier and started down the right path to recovery…but it takes forever to grow a crack free hoof. And sometimes they come back. Be sure to keep that little crack clean so he doesn’t develop an infection that will really complicate things.

Stay on it, patience. Good diet builds a good hoof too, be sure he’s getting the right nutrients in proper amounts. I’d take it easy working him too, watch the footing and don’t overdo it.

[2enduraceriders]

[QUOTE=jennycash;8016758]
The first shoer laced and put a patch on, but he was lame after. Second shoer pulled everything off and let it expand. Since taking everything off he has been sound. But it makes me nervous to see a small crack at the top again.[/QUOTE]

Come on!!! Use a little common sense. The first shoer is the reason you horse went lame in the first place. The shitty job of balancing the hoof was the reason the quarter crack developed. Why would anything that did not address the unbalanced state of the hoof be expected to work?

Any competent farrier could have fixed your horse long before he developed the crack.

If the ex-rays are a nice way for you to spend money and feel better about things then keep doing so. The new farrier has your horse sound and I am sure is competent to heal the crack caused by someone’s incompetence. Please do not doubt the skill of someone who has already proved all your horse was lacking was a balanced hoof.

Be honest and think about all the money in veterinary bills, ex-rays and PAIN to your horse not to mention lost riding time that you have now lost because you did not have a decent farrier.

All he has to do to insure the crack grows down closed is to keep the now 2 pieces of hoof from moving in opposite directions. This can be done as simply as placing a nail in the heel area with or without a bar shoe or for soundness while strenuous riding then a bar shoe and either lacing or staples to keep the coronary band from moving. To be honest how much is done is often a decision on the veterinarian/farrier part on how much of a monetary lesson you need to learn.

[2enduraceriders]

[QUOTE=jennycash;8016758]
The first shoer laced and put a patch on, but he was lame after. Second shoer pulled everything off and let it expand. Since taking everything off he has been sound. But it makes me nervous to see a small crack at the top again.[/QUOTE]

Come on!!! Use a little common sense. The first shoer is the reason you horse went lame in the first place. The shitty job of balancing the hoof was the reason the quarter crack developed. Why would anything that did not address the unbalanced state of the hoof be expected to work?

Any competent farrier could have fixed your horse long before he developed the crack.

If the ex-rays are a nice way for you to spend money and feel better about things then keep doing so. The new farrier has your horse sound and I am sure is competent to heal the crack caused by someone else’s incompetence. Please do not doubt the skill of someone who has already proved all you horse was lacking was a balanced hoof.

Be honest and think about all the money in veterinary bills, ex-rays and pain to your horse and lost riding time that you have now loast because you did not have a decent farrier.

All he has to do to insure the crack grows down closed it to keep the now 2 pieces of hoof from moving in opposite directions. This can be done as simply as placing a nail in the heel area with or without a bar shoe or for soundness while strenuous riding then a bar shoe and either lacing or staples to keep the coronary band from moving. To be honest how much is done is often a decision on the veterinarian/farrier part on how much of a monetary lesson you need to learn.

[ASB_Stars]

Ditto on the heart bar- they are, IMHO, the only way to go with this issue. I had a horse with a nasty quarter crack many moons ago, and we did the heart bar, unweighted the area- and I kept a hacksaw blade handy, and ran it under the heel every couple of days.

My blacksmith thought I was crazy (take a number) but I also put magnet bell boots on the horse, and the quarter crack grew out in record time- my blacksmith, who was also a Vet, had never seen anything like it.

We did not wire it, or dremel it, but YMMV as to the width and depth of the crack.

[whbar158]

One note about Vet recommended farriers is my vet recommended a farrier she has previously worked with and liked their work on several horses. He could NOT do my horse well, other horses done by the same farrier were fine, mine was not. When I had her look at him when he was lame, she was horrified by his feet, they were worse and said she was not going to do more diagnostics (blocked sound in the heel) until his feet were better. Found a new farrier and there was no need for future diagnostics.

[CindyCRNA]

[QUOTE=jennycash;8016758]
Did it grow out and never split again?
The first shoer laced and put a patch on, but he was lame after. Second shoer pulled everything off and let it expand. Since taking everything off he has been sound. But it makes me nervous to see a small crack at the top again.[/QUOTE]
This is brand new 2 weeks ago so time will tell. He has never been painful. So only time will tell. Rood and Riddle said he may be one of those horses that have to always have a Kevlar patch in place.

[jennycash]

At what point in time did I ever say I doubted what he was doing? Clearly you missed the part when I said he was sound.

[QUOTE=2enduraceriders;8016898]
Come on!!! Use a little common sense. The first shoer is the reason you horse went lame in the first place. The shitty job of balancing the hoof was the reason the quarter crack developed. Why would anything that did not address the unbalanced state of the hoof be expected to work?

Any competent farrier could have fixed your horse long before he developed the crack.

If the ex-rays are a nice way for you to spend money and feel better about things then keep doing so. The new farrier has your horse sound and I am sure is competent to heal the crack caused by someone else’s incompetence. Please do not doubt the skill of someone who has already proved all you horse was lacking was a balanced hoof.

Be honest and think about all the money in veterinary bills, ex-rays and pain to your horse and lost riding time that you have now loast because you did not have a decent farrier.

All he has to do to insure the crack grows down closed it to keep the now 2 pieces of hoof from moving in opposite directions. This can be done as simply as placing a nail in the heel area with or without a bar shoe or for soundness while strenuous riding then a bar shoe and either lacing or staples to keep the coronary band from moving. To be honest how much is done is often a decision on the veterinarian/farrier part on how much of a monetary lesson you need to learn.[/QUOTE]

[sascha]

My horse grew out 1/4 cracks on both front feet. It took forever. Be patient.

There are a couple different roads to Rome. It may take some experimentation to find the right one for your horse. My road for my horse was staples and no patches, keeping the area under the cracks floated, and stabilising the whole foot as much as possible.