I finally fixed a crack in a hoof wall that kept coming back

Had a client's mare with a quarter crack that I patched three times over six months. Kept thinking it was just bad luck or her landing funny. Turns out the shoe was sitting a bit too far back, putting pressure right on that spot every step. Took me a full afternoon just to watch her move on concrete and notice the pattern. Changed the shoe placement and trimmed the toe a bit different, and it's been solid for two months now. Anyone else had a crack that just would not heal no matter what you tried?

3 comments

3 Comments

jana_henderson521mo ago

But didn't the shoe placement change just mask a deeper hoof imbalance?

margaretk891mo ago

Ever deal with a crack that just kept coming back no matter how you patched it? I had one on a gelding that was a total pain until I finally checked his whole leg. Found out he had a super low heel on that foot, so every patch job was just a band-aid. Had to do a real aggressive trim to change the breakover and let the heel come up. That finally let the crack grow out clean. Sometimes you gotta look past the crack itself.

ivanl761d agoMost Upvoted

Right, but is a low heel really that crazy of a find? Most horses have some weird imbalance if you stare at them long enough. I've seen plenty of cracks that just had to grow out regardless of what you did to the foot. Sounds like you got lucky with the trim. Sometimes people overthink these things and start sawing on hooves for no real reason when the crack just needed time.