Hoof crack- Is this concerning?

[fivestrideline]

Fair enough! Like I said, I posted in case anything jumped out at OP. I agree that every owner should do what they think is best. If their horses have crappy feet, it’s time to really study the management instead of blame it on the breed.

I need to go find it but there’s a study out there that showed (on average) horses’ hooves begin to distort at 3 weeks post trim. I know this is true for mine - 5 weeks is often WAY too long and they’re taking a ton of foot. If the horse isn’t growing enough foot to trim at 4 weeks (especially shod), I’d start looking at diet, trim, and workload (is the horse just wearing off their foot).

Hoof boots can be miracle workers, but they take some commitment and dedication!

[SusanO]

Yes I know. But try getting a farrier out to trim one horse. Mine did not really grow enough foot to be done that often, although I guess I could have changed the cycle for all of them. Horse (who was a PITA) went back to owner. Problem solved.

I may be in the market for a new horse. Perhaps. I am NOT buying anything that does not have fabulous feet.

[outerbanks77]

Some horses have a crena, which usually corresponds with a notch in the coffin bone, so it is not something that goes away. A crena predisposes them to a toe crack, so it means more maintenance is required. My gelding has one and if I let his feet flare out at the to pillars, he would certainly develop one. Sometimes he has a tiny crack there, but I keep his toes appropriately short and the breakover behind the waterline, so it never expands, and I can usually rasp it out in one trim.

OP, if you look at how the hoof is flaring near the toe clips, you’ll understand how the toe crack is developing from essentially being leveraged apart. I would guess that there is a lot of white line separation under that shoe. The flaring and hoof balance needs to be addressed to remove the stress from the toe.

[PaddockWood]

Holy crap. My mouth dropped seeing the picture of that foot. My intention is good here so please please read my words with that in mind. If you @TB_hunters and anyone else on this board doesn’t look at this foot and feel alarmed, you need more education on what a good foot looks like and how to get there. There are so many online resources now and access to education.

First, get your diet tightened up - copper and zinc and biotin will help you grow a good foot. JB has great advice and please take it and make the changes today.

What are your other farrier options? Do you board? Who is around you to help get someone in who knows what they are doing. It really is scary how common it is that farriers don’t do quality work. What is it? Why is this such a problem everywhere?

I hate long toes and they are so bad for the horse for so many reasons.

[hokie98]

OP…I feel your pain. I have a QH with TB’y type feet. I have been told for the longest time “it’s just the way he is”. It’s maddening. I’ve cycled through a handful of CJF…all seemingly qualified. But I’ll be candid, it’s SO HARD. Right now I’m hauling my horse 2 hours away to a farrier every 4 weeks, who has put him in pour in pads with steel shoes. It’s completely changed his hoof, and he’s finally getting nice sole depth (he had leather pads on a few years ago, recommended by our vet, and those combined with winter mud wrecked his feet and thinned out his soles). I had a conversation with my current farrier about finding one closer to me that would be competent with my horse, but we aren’t coming up with many options. They just all seem to let that toe grow out. I don’t have any good answers for you, except to say it’s really hard to find the right farrier, but it does make a big difference once you find one. My last farrier was even a super popular “rehab type” that worked out of a local vet clinic - he’s the “go to guru” for problem horses, but even with him, I was struggling by the end of our cycle. He would chop toe off, but that wasn’t the complete answer. It’s so frustrating when you’re using “qualified” folks, doing what you can, but it just doesn’t work.

My only thought is if your horse wearing aluminum, you may want to consider steel shoes…they will absorb more concussion and help hold the foot together a little better.

Good luck. It’s so hard. Again, you’re not alone if you’re discouraged.

[beau159]

@TB_hunters

My horse has recently developed cracks in the center of both front feet. My farrier says those are just his feet. Do I need to be more concerned? Is there anything I can do to help get rid of them?

I echo many of the same questions as the other posts so would love to hear more info (new farrier? how often trimmed? etc).

I have a gelding right now, who is age 18 and has had navicular most of his life. During the “season” he gets special wedge pads with this shoes. And yet he still has some minor superficial cracks. My farrier tells me it’s just the disease state inside the hoof and it is going to cause some separation and you really can’t stop it. My farrier is amazing, and I’ve been using him for 12 years - certified journeyman and he’s constantly teaching others!

Now with your picture, I do see a lot of “red flags” and things wrong with the hoof, but it’s going to be much more helpful to have more details from you!