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.