by William A. Moyer, DVM
"I have
a four-year-old Quarter Horse gelding that I've owned for
four years. He had a crack in his left front hoof, about
an inch to the outside of the toe, when I bought him. My
farrier keeps cutting the crack out when he shoes the
horse, but the crack never goes away. The horse isn't
lame or sore, but what can I do to get rid of the crack?"
Hoof cracks are not all unusual in the horse world,
and they come in a variety of depths, positions on the
hoof, lengths, and causes. While hoof wall material is
flexible, it, like most materials, possesses a given
breaking point. In this case, vertical shear. The number
of corrections that have been employed over the years is
a rather lengthy list. A simplified version would
include:
- Corrective shoeing only (usually a bar shoe and
side clips);
- burning or rasping a horizontal notch at the
upper limit of the crack;
- full rubber or plastic pads of various designs to
place weight-bearing away from the crack;
- taking weight off the affected area by removing a
portion of the wall at the crack site;
- utilizing implants (screws, wires, suture
material, clamps, and even shoeing nails);
- various prosthetic hoof wall repair materials
(epoxies, acrylics, fiberglass, rubber, etc.)
In some instances, combinations of the above are
utilized.
Persistent toe cracks, like mentioned above, often
have an underlying problem-that is, the crack is the
result of underlying hoof wall damage. In many instances,
the toe wall for varying reasons is separated on its
underlying softer tissue attachments. This separation, if
it exists, could be a result of mild rotation of the
coffin bone (founder) within the hoof capsule, so-called
"white line disease," the result of past hoof
trauma (similar to having your own big toe stepped on
with subsequent separation), and other problems affecting
the hoof wall. In any case, there may be an underlying
cause that needs to be addresed. Perhaps the best way to
get further information is with radiographs (X rays) of
the involved foot.
The initial attempt at repair utilized in this case
was appropriate-it just simply didn't work on this horse.
The basic principle of hoof wall crack repair is to
stabilize the forces which keep the crack in place. Of
all the methods listed above, my favorite employs the use
of what is termed a composite repair.
The process begins by thoroughly exploring the
involved area and removing any debris or foreign material
that exists in and around the crack. Often, if sufficient
instability is apparent, I will suture the crack (via
drill holes in the walls) to help establish such
stability. I will then fill and cover the defect and
suture material with an acrylic compound. This, in turn,
will be covered with a space-age fabric (Kevlar, Spectra,
etc.) which is impregnated and covered with the same
acrylic material. Following an appropriate curing of the
material, the horse is appropriately shod. This
technique, in my experience, has been the most likely to
provide results.
It is important to reiterate that the success of
repair is dependent upon two basic principles: 1) What is
the cause and can we deal with it; and 2) establishing
stability at the crack site. At this point in time, the
gelding is not experiencing pain and lameness, but keep
in mind that equation could change rapidly, therefore it
is worth the attempt. Before proceeding further, I would
have your veterinarian and farrier thoroughly examine
this particular foot for underlying defects-the nature of
the defect could alter the chosen method of repair.
William A. Moyer, DVM, is head of the large animal
medicine and surgery facility at Texas A&M's College
of Veterinary Medicine, and he is chairman of the
American Association of Equine Practitioners' Equine
Insurance Committee.
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