Horse has vertical cracks starting at the nail holes. just on the outside hind, and just the one split on each hoof so far, but I’m obviously worried about when we reset the shoes and put new holes in his hoof wall. Although I’m sure my farrier can come up with something involving epoxy and whatever else magic tools he has in his box, I’m curious as to how much of an issue this is in other horses. Is there a special goo I can smear on his hooves to help? Horse has good feet and is only in shoes due to being worked on extremely rocky terrain, unlike his relatively soft home pastures.
Problem could be the wet/dry times of recent weather changes aiding cracking. Is he getting the exact same hay he got at home? Good pasture, some protein, same grain? . Even minimal feed changes will affect hoof quality. Being wet long times weakens walls as cells expand and contract around the nails. Sometimes a hoof sealer can help over wet hooves stabilize, reducing absorbtion.
Sorry to say there really is no magic cure you can rub or paint on hooves to fix problems. Growth and quality of hoof all comes from the nutrition he eats. You have to grow good hooves. I would ask the Farrier about the cracks, consider his suggestions for improving hoof quality as you go from here.
