Horse has struggled with chronic quarter cracks for several years. With consistent good trimming and addition of Farriers Formula cracks grew out and hoof looked great. Forward to 8 months later, crack started again ! Farrier thinks that for horse to stay in work lacing the crack is needed.
Can anyone relate their experience with lacing a hoof and approximate cost ?
TIA
Is this the same farrier? Quarter cracks are usually a result of hoof imbalance.
I found that a proper balance, and equilox sometimes reinforced with kevlar is effective.
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Stainless staples worked in one I had years ago.
I hauled to a vet school for a farrier consult recently about a quarter crack. They said with the new epoxys with antibacterials mixed in, lacing isn’t the best thing for cracks - you don’t actually want to close the crack as that pinches the tissues but you want to stabilize it to grow out. They did a fiberglass/epoxy patch that will grow out and be trimmed with the foot.
The quarter crack on my horse was caused by permanent scars of the cornet band in the back quarter + finally growing enough hoof wall back there to contact the ground + bacteria. My farrier didn’t quite get it trimmed right and it started bleeding in December and we tried aluminum + epoxy patching for 2 months. She suggested we go to the vet school with her to have help getting everything done at once - xrays, trim, make rocker shoes, and patch crack. I’d have your vet take a look and see if there is a clinic or vet school that you can have work with your farrier to get everything done at once to start growing it out. If there are permanent scars at the cornet band, I think you’ll have to consider always floating the hoof wall under it.
As for cost, the farriers’ time (2 work together at the school) at the vet school was a little over $200 plus materials for the shoes, pads, and patch and a set of 4 radiographs on top of that. The whole thing was $670; I’m located in the midwest.
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Wow, I thought lacing was way old school and out of fashion. Surprised a farrier would recommend it! Barring damage to the coronary band, isn’t it well accepted that quarter cracks are all due to imbalance of the hoof capsule?
I’d really think hard about switching farriers before I’d lace a crack.
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They’re actually common depending on the circle you run in. In theory they should work better than patching. I’ve not seen this in practice. I believe many are to due trimming/shoe fit. I’m sure there’s some which it’s difficult to figure out why a quarter crack happens. Bony column and hoof capsule don’t always cooperate.
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Not an expert here. Only dealt with one quarter crack that was severe enough to need lacing. Regular farrier tried floating the hoof under the crack. He tried epoxy and later staples. When those attemps didn’t work regular farrier had the good sense to send us to an old school farrier that did lacing. That did the trick for us. Remarkably the horse was able to remain in work with the lacing.
I seem to recall the lacing was $200-$300 sans any vet work about 10 years ago.
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Lacing was the first, unsuccessful step for my horse years ago. We ended up at the vet school, resection, corrective shoeing, etc. It was a 2-year adventure. Skip the lacing and solve the real ptoblem.
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I am with those that say lacing is old-school, there are now better fixes for the hoof. Can farrier tell where the imbalance is, that causes the crack blow-out? I would definitely try something else before settling for a lace job.
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DO you have x-rays of the foot? Thats the first step, then get a farrier to balance the foot. I wouldn’t lace but use a patch. Double up of the hoof supplement and keep horse moving and getting good circulation to the foot.
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A patch stops the outer hoofwall from spreading. Lacing prevents the outer and inner from spreading. I agree the trim is usually the cause. I haven’t seen good trimming with a patch not work. The doesn’t mean lacing isn’t as good or better. Everyone needs to be careful of demonizing something because they saw it not work. Good Farriers can’t do what they need to do because owners were taught by bad Farriers.
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