Hoof Crack

[air78]

I know this has just been done...... but please help!
Firstly, this is my TB, who does not have very well shaped feet. He is shod every 5 weeks, is fed top spec balancer, I use kevin bacon dressing, and the feet are generaly well cared for.
They look a much better shape than this when they are first done, but after about three weeks they always look long in the toe.

So, he has had a little 1cm crack up the centre of his hoof, which has been there for a few shoeings. I asked farrier about it, but said he couldn't do anything, as K is very sensitive and gets foot sore if he takes very much off.
Then today it looks like the pic, which is 4 weeks exactly since last shod. it has shot off at an angle for about anther inch and a half.
What should I do? Could this be anything to do with my farrier?

I had the vet out for something else today, and he commented on his feet and said they looked ropey/ poor. I was not happy.

 

[slimdizzy]

i found cornecressen spelling bad sorry .my horse had an old crack but further up from an old injury this dark tar nurishes all as it has biotin and makes them grow quicker but tougher my farrier recomended it and hes a pro

 

[henryhorn]

We started to find our horses with hoof cracks around 18 months ago, and one mare had a fine crack where your's is.
She was competing in dressage and ODE's and suddenly started to shorten her lovely long action, and appeared unlevel just occasionally.
Our vet was stumped and the farrier just said ignore it, but eventually we had all four feet xrayed, had the back people out ive times, changed the saddle twice etc, only to discover the crack although thin was actually squeezig together pinching like a too small shoe on a human foot would.
She ended up with remedial farriery at the centre 40 miles away every six weeks for over a year, she had to be sedated whilst the cracks were drilled out (we did both feet) pinned and glued back ogether, and has had 18 months off, a year of that totally stabled whilst the stabilised foot grew down.
She is being hacked now and turned out and today the farrier is coming on an emergency call because she has half ripped a shoe off (gulp).
In our search we had four farriers, three vets etc investigate her, and all blame our original farrier's unbalanced shoeing.
My advice is ignore a crack at your peril. Our horses' feet looked reasonable but the inbalance caused the cracks to appear, since changing farriers they have gone.
Oh and the cost? over £1200 in shoeing at £76 a PAIR, for vets, transport etc and a horse stabled for a year..
Go and get another farrier to look at your horse's feet before it gets worse.
As a guide our farrierwas leaving one side shorter by a small amount, that's all it took to cause the cracks.

 

[pottamus]

Crikey henryhorn don't put the fear of good into the poor person!!! Yes...it is a cause for concern and if it were my horse I would be getting my farrier straight out...if he is saying don't worry about it...then get another farrier our because it does need some preventative work to stop it turning into a bigger problem. I am sure that another farrier could improve the general appearance and shape of your horses feet too...but that is just my opinion.

 

[fizz-tally]

eek, you have me worried now

jay had a huge crack in his hind when i got him,he was unshod,it has almost gone now with alot of care from our farrier

 

[jackscrag]

id get another farrier down a.s.a.p simular thing happened on my yard and it was farriers fault

he actuallly ruined 2 diff horses feet even tho they'd been shod by him for a while, also add seaweed to feed it strengthens feet if used daily it is cheap from all good feed stores and works wonders, my mare when i bought her had huge chunks missing form her hoofs after putting her on seaweed her feet are perfect, it aint a quick miracle cure but u'll see difference in a matter of weeks and keep using it
jackie

 

[air78]

I've got a differnt farrier coming out tomorrow.... He's meant to be really good- does all the referal work for the equine vets, the only thing is he's a friend of my farrier, so I will have to be tactful.

I already feed seaweed........and black sunflower seeds........ and topspec has loads of biotin........ and any thing else I can think of! I'm a feed merchants dream lol