Cracked Hoof

ALEX: A cracked hoof in a horse is something that has to be addressed right away, but it’s all dependent on where the crack is, and what type of crack it is, because you could have a quarter crack in the back part of the hoof, or you could have a sand crack in the front part of the hoof.

It’s important to know exactly where it is and work with your blacksmith or your veterinarian to determine what the next step would be.

If it’s a quarter crack, it can cause a considerable amount of soreness, which is caused from either a bruise coming out, or some structural changes in the way the hoof is, that causes the quarter crack.

STEVE: Typically quarter cracks are created by the blacksmith, or an imbalance that’s chronic, and the only reason the crack’s there is because it’s a deep bruise, where there’s a wall separation, and it finally has to find a place to break open.

I found with a blacksmith I had here, he got my head horse really out of balance and his right front one day, doing my normal routine, I look down and he’s got a blood line going down the wall, and I push on the coriander band above its sore, and as it turns out, he’s got a quarter crack. And of course, we took care of it, and we floated his heel, we got his foot balanced up and everything fine and good to go from there, but without that particular problem being recognized, he would have been lame, because actually, we were working on top of it before we laced up the quarter crack and got it fixed, he was lame on it. So, it can be performance hindering.

ALEX: If you find a crack in your horse’s hoof, it’s important to probably first get with your blacksmith and/or your veterinarian. And it’s important to determine if the horse is sore due to this crack. And if it is, address it right away.