365 Days in Horse Country – Hoof Cracks
Horses get minor cracks and chips along the edge of the hoof
all the time. This is normal as the hoof
grows out and begins to break off. What
isn’t normal are vertical cracks that start from the coronet band and extend
down toward the toe. These are called
hoof cracks, and can be dangerous. Hoof
cracks are often caused by inappropriate hoof care, such as a trim that is
wrong for that horse’s hoof and leg. It
causes an imbalance of the horse’s weight on that hoof, resulting in a stress
crack. If the crack develops toward the
back of the hoof, near the heel, it is called a quarter crack and must be
addressed by a farrier. Some farriers
put egg-bar shoes on horses with quarter cracks to help protect the hoof from
further cracking until it grows out.
Michael