advice needed plz,foot trouble

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fabfjords

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Basically my young mare as had trouble with her front right foot since i bought her 3 years ago as they was in a poor state,and when she gets any growth on them her right one starts turning in and she as got this crack the full length down the front and it starts getting wider with growth.(had this crack all the time ive had her) but noticed its getting wider and i was just wondering if theres anything i can use? wothout having to resort to shoeing as her feet other than this crack are really strong,also she developed a splint just under her knee on the same leg in july.advice please im worried:confused:
 
We have a horse at our yard with a big crack - the farrier had to shoe to keep the foot together so that the crack grew out without getting worse. What does your farrier/trimmer suggest? They would be my first port of call for advice. If it has been going on for 3 years though, perhaps a new farrier/trimmer is needed?

You could also ask on the phoenix forum - it is a barefoot forum, and there are a lot of knowledgeable people on there.
 
My farrier is coming friday,and he as just said in the past just to keep her trimmed well!:rolleyes:so will see what he says friday.im hopeing she doesnt have to have shoes on as her feet are really strong besides this awfull full crack,and she only as chaff,hi-fi lite,nettles,garlic just enough to cover the bottom of her bucket,she doesnt really need anything but i like her to have her garlic and nettles and she as been on the same food for 3 years all year round,is there anything else i could give her in her food that could help?
 
I would take her off the garlic, studies have shown it destroys the gut bacteria and prevents it being able to function properly.

http://ihdg.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=fame&action=display&thread=107022

I would swap your hi fi lite for Fast Fibre, as the hi fi is molassed and is alfalfa based which many dont get on with. Add that to your garlic and you could have a poorly functioning gut which will be detrimental to the hoof health. Make sure your chaff is unmolassed too.

Some cracks wont ever grow down, if there is damage to the coronet band, however with the right trim they shouldnt cause a problem.

Pics would be useful :)
 
Shoeing is a fairly illogical solution to cracks. The hoof wall is cracking because it is not strong enough to bear the partial weight of the horse as it is supposed to. Shoeing forces the horse to bear ALL its weight on the hoof walls - putting even more strain on a structure that isn't even strong enough to bear part of that weight.

You need to sort the diet first so that the horse can grow in a well connected, strong hoof wall. Then your farrier is right - it's best to keep it trimmed until it grows out to relieve the mechanical forces acting on the wall which are perpetuating the crack.

I would do as TigerTail says, and also add a mineral supplement such as Pro Hoof, or have your forage analysed and feed a balanced mineral plan.
 
I never understand why farriers say you need to shoe to hold the hoof together to grow out a crack. I have grown out several cracks unshod, trimmed by amateur, while horse's companion - same grazing, same feed but shod has cracks that have not improved and if anything, have got worse.

OP - from my experience I would say two things. First, cracks happen because that part of the hoof is under unusual load... and you say the leg had a splint too. It helps cracks like this to deal with whatever body issue causes the horse to load unevenly. With my horse, this isn't possible, as he has sacro-iliac damage that isn't going to improve, we can only keep him fit and as well muscled as possible. But with other issues, it can be improved.

The second thing, from my experience, is that a crack doesn't start to open until you have flare in the hoof. And if you have flare in the hoof, something is wrong with the diet. I am guessing from reading your post that your horse does indeed eat something besides the chaff, nettles, garlic and hi-fi lite, and that that something is grass. How is your horse's condition score? Do they live out 24/7? Do you restrict grazing? eliminate the flare, and you will find the crack starts to close up again at the top and grow down... but the hairline crack will probably remain until body issues sorted out :) That's just my personal experience and observations!
 
Holding the shoe together with a shoe sounds like a good plan.

BUT think about what is going to happen - you are taking a structurally weak wall and loading the entire weight of the horse on it.

At least unshod, the horse is sharing the load between the wall, sole, frog and heels.

You can see the difference in this hoof.

Chronic cracks in January

Archieshoecracksjan201223.jpg


Same hoof in May

archiemaynocrack.jpg


Although it's difficult to appreciate what is going on with the OP's hoof without a visual aid.
 
well i got my farrier out today as i was so worried,and we are both in agreement to trim her more frequently,im going to change her feed to a hoof feed and will look at taking her off the garlic,shes a very good doer and is out 24/7 and usually in medium work,but this year we have moved twice ( had to give time to settle) and with all the wet weather not got out as much as last year,and then the splint appeared and i didnt feel happy to start doing alot with her with that,although my vet assured me it would be ok.:rolleyes: so all in all shes had it quite easy and still munched away so all the facters together asnt helped i suppose,will keep you all updated on her progress,and thankyou for all your messages.:D
 
Cool hopefully you will get it sorted, :) so what diet are u going to move onto? Diet for my lots has helped so much it's very under rated I think
 
Not sure yet im going to do some homework on all feeds ect 1st,as i want to be sure im getting it right for her and theres alot of stuff out there! i dont mind spending any amount of money as long as it does the job it is made for,and i get it all right for her in the end.as the saying says its better to prevent than cure.But shes been on the same feed for 3 years ??
 
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