Solution for cracked hoof but won't keep a shoe on

[Calzini16]

Hi guys

I’m kind of at a bit of a loss. My 5yo has the strangest front feet ever. One is clubby and the other is fat. We’ve been battling a crack on the front of the clubbed foot for about 6 months now. He was originally barefoot but when the crack wasn’t going away with regular trimming, we tried a shoe. He pulled it within days of having it put on 4 times… I tried multiple pares of bell boots. No such luck. My question is, what else can we do to get this crack to heal?! I live in South TX so he isn’t out on wet grass, it’s all dirt here. I’ve heard of putting sutures on to get a crack to close but I’ve never personally seen in done. Any other suggestions?

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[luvmyhackney]

Find a new farrier to shorten that toe and fix the balance. You have to trim a club foot different and it’s not going to look like the others. That’s ok.

You need to soak for white line to clear it up and kill any bacteria that is currently residing in the crack.

If he is sore on it, I would soak and then cast the hoof.

[PNWSunnyDay]

What has your farrier suggested other than shoeing?

[lenapesadie]

My horse is shod up front, so I’m not sure if this process will work on a hoof with no shoe.

My oldie came to me with some long ass toes (amongst other issues) and while we are getting them backed up nicely, he developed some cracks in the toes. Farrier used his hoof knife to kinda open the crack a bit, blasted it with a blow torch and then packed it with resin. Once the resin dried, he rasped it smooth. It held up beautifully and prevented the crack from getting larger. At the next visit, we were able to trim most of the crack off.

[Lord_Helpus]

We are all just throwing suggestions out. Best you take your horse to a vet clinic with a farrier and get someone with knowledge of hoof problems to set you on a program. My farrier would have consulted with a master farrier a long time ago.

[hoopoe]

Agree. You need a vet and a therapeutic farrier to work with you over the next year

[Baybear]

if there is no disease process, maybe try glue-on’s for a time, but agree with others, you’ve been battling this for 6 months, time to have a vet check it out

[findeight]

You need some better service providers to help and provide better information to you. There is also much better information out there then you’ve been given just on Google if you stick to links to legitimate sources, like well regarded research by known and respected vets and vet school studies.

Offhand, how the heck would you suture a crack? Staple, yeah, seen that, not sewing it up. Didn’t work BTW.

Something is wrong inside the hoof causing it to crack from the stress of the weight its not supporting properly. Until that is addressed, its going to keep cracking.

This board is a great resource of firsthand knowledge. You can even link to pictures of his feet over on the Horse Care Forum for opinions. There is much to learn and speaking with those who have dealt with things like this can teach you much. Just remember free advice is worth what you pay for it but this would be a better place to seek information then wherever and whoever is giving it to you now.

[TheHunterKid90]

Did you try clips? I’m normally not an advocate for them but I had one with toe cracks that came to me, the clips helped pinch everything together and the clips also help keep shoes on mine that like to wing them off just days after the farrier.
Bell boots technically don’t keep shoes on, their main job is to protect the bulb of the horses heel.
You could try rubber overreach boots.
Also shoeing him tight to the heel could possibly keep him from catching a shoe.

[bluepece2]

@TheHunterKid90

Bell boots technically don’t keep shoes on

Not technically but if you get long enough ones they do a rather good job. My mare RUNS in the field and will pull half her foot off with the shoe if we’re not careful. She has neoprene over reach boots that are technically at least a size too big for her so they go all the way to the ground. Two years later she still has those front shoes on!

[Einhorn]

From your picture, it’s hard to tell if the toe is long, but that crack looks like it’s being pushed on. I agree that your farrier isn’t helping this situation, it looks like you need a vet.

[Greys4Days22]

Ok - not a professional, just an idea… I have a friend whose horse battled a similar issue and the farrier did glue on shoes and filled in the crack with whatever they use (i wish i knew!) and after a few months his feet were healthy enough for regular shoes.

But like everybody else is saying, you should probably talk to your vet and maybe a different farrier.

[Lord_Helpus]

Totally agree. I had a young horse who was on and off lame. Farrier either told me that nothing could be done, or he tried something new.
FORTUNATELY, I lived in KY back then, and I (finally) made an appointment with their “in-house” farrier. I was amazed at what he analyzed, what he said,
and what he did. It was an entirely new approach to my horse’s feet ---- and he turned into a sound horse almost immediately While I had been involved with horses for decades I had always trusted my farrier and trainer.

Bottom line ------- find a major vet center near you, with a podiatry center, and take your horse there. If that is impossible, research your farrier to see what groups he belongs to and how often he takes updated seminars. Do your due diligence; I bet your farrier has not kept up with new skills, and peer review. Failing that, ask him who he would suggest for a second opinion (and research that guy, too.) Do not keep using the same guy. You know what the definition of ‘insanity’ is…’

[ladipus]

Address the diet …I’d recommend the Anti Inflammatory Hoof Rehab Diet …Pete Ramey has great articles called feeding the hoof …as does Alicia Harlov …has a podcast called the humble hoof …most hays /diets & hoof supplements are lacking in copper & zinc …Vermont Blend & California Trace Plus are great and have far more copper and since than most of the popular hoof supplements

[red_mares]

Definitely a new farrier. As hoof supplements go, I’ve always had good luck with NuFoot. It can be a little hard to find.

Glue on shoes are great, good luck horse getting those off. What I don’t see on the hoof picture is anything at the top to arrest it’s progression. A hole drilled at the top or a horizontal cut will stop the crack from going higher.

[Lord_Helpus]

Get a consult with a master farrier. Big vet clinics/hospitals usually have a farrier
ike that.

[endlessclimb]

Even still, do your research.

I paid $700 for front shoes at a clinic, and had to take them off within 24 hours because the drastic change in angles created a bleeding quarter crack.

As it turns out, the farrier employed by the vet clinic was not the best - he used to be good back in the day but had gotten worse with age and they didn’t know how to can him.

I’ve never felt ripped off going to the clinic until that day, and I told them so.

[SuzieQNutter]

Dodge came with a split from the coronet down the front of his hoof. Hubby paid for very expensive shoes but they came off within days.

We fed biotin and put The world’s Best Hoof Oil, on his coronet and hoof. Here he was out of the mud he was kept in. It has been closed for years now. We still treat him the same.