Why EXACTLY Toe Cracks In Horse Hooves Happen And How To Fix It Properly
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- čas přidán 26. 01. 2021
- In this video I talk about some toe crack causes and how to fix them. Cracks in horse hooves almost always happen due to what is called mechanical leverage, essentially the walls get long and deformed and they break apart due to the forces applied. I do my best to explain this in a few different ways to break down what causes these cracks in the toes of horse hooves and how to solve and fix it. Here's a course I made to help people learn all about hoof trimming myhorsecoach.com/courses/hors...
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In this video I talk about some toe crack causes and how to fix them. Cracks in horse hooves almost always happen due to what is called mechanical leverage, essentially the walls get long and deformed and they break apart due to the forces applied. I do my best to explain this in a few different ways to break down what causes these cracks in the toes of horse hooves and how to solve and fix it. Here's a course I made to help people learn all about hoof trimming myhorsecoach.com/courses/horse-hoof-trimming-101/
I totally agree with your assessment of this problem. I’m dealing with a Percheron draft with some bad paws and I’m chasing flares every other day. This makes the most sense of all the ideas I had. Thanks for your work!!!
my pleasure
This is one of the reasons why I took your Horse hoof trimming 101. Finished all videos in 1 day and just waiting to get some tools. My girl has had a crack like this for 3 maybe 4 years now. Now that I know how to get rid of it. Maybe it will grow out this year. Thank you
Holy smokes! In one day... that is impressive indeed. Well, if you have any questions then let me know anytime :)
@@StableHorseTraining I do have a few questions. I want to make a video so you can see what I'm talking about. It was -32 F this morning so the batteries in my camera don't like to work so well. Or my fingers...LOL. How cold does it get at your place?
I do have a question about ice balls. Here is a short video on how I will take them down level so they are not walking on them. Am I ok doing it this way? I try to tap across the walls to chip ice off. I also try to dig ice out with a strong pick (like yours) but it is so packed in and frozen. Do you get these and if so how do you deal with them?
czcams.com/video/gaQcKp9lvkA/video.html Thank you for getting back to me
@@StableHorseTraining I sent you an email with videos of my horses' feet. You can answer this question with one of them. Thanks
⭐️ Thanks for the educational information on cracks in the equine hoof ~ including demonstrations, theory, science, cellular structure on the horse’s hoof.🌟🐴🌟
You're very welcome!
Amazing results for a long technical work. Thank you Graeme for your pedagogy as you clearly explain the whole process. Your comparison to wood is really helpful to understand how it works inside too. Great 👍
Thanks! I'm glad it helped and was understandable
@@StableHorseTraining yes, this time, as a foreigner, it is very clear 😄
Thank you Graeme, that was truly enlightening. My shire mare has a little crack started and my new barefoot trimmer told me she is working on getting rid of the flare. This is right on the mark with what you showed us in this video.
You're welcome. I'm glad this was useful to you and it's great to hear it coincides with what you're experiencing with your trimmer
Awesome video, well done! It’s so refreshing to get an easy to understand and brilliantly descriptive answer to this issue. Keep posting, we’re big horse people, my kids are watching this with me and it’s the answer to the question I didn’t have 👏👏👏
Excellent! Thank you.
Thanks for that informative video. My barefoot draft cross has a toe crack that the trimmer did the 'v' technique and it did not help at all. Makes perfect sense now why. I have rounded it off and reduced flare. It already looks better. We'll see how it goes.
love your examples of the wood. Bamboo is a really good example too of a hoof wall, because it is conical like a hoof and it also has easy to see tubules, layers to it like a hoof and tends to splitting. great to hear a talk on mechanical forces and leverages, this is what it is all about when we are striving for balance. surprisingly not a lot of people are aware of these concepts and the geometry of the hoof.
Thanks! That's an excellent point, yes bamboo would be a good example to bring out for that.
Great explanation -many thanks!
You're welcome
Great explanation 🙏
Glad it was helpful!
This is great to know. I got a mare last year that had a crack straight down both of her front feet. It was probably due to the lack of proper foot care before I got her. She had the same shoes on for over 6 months without being reset. We currently have gotten one of the front hooves to stop cracking and heal but the other we are still working on the other. We used shoes for 6 months to help the hoof grow back together
Six months with the same shoes on is crazy... Good to hear you're working on it :)
It's fascinating....the hoof and it's structure. And I understand it a lot better now that you related it to wood. It makes way more sense. When a good cracks like this, roughly how long does it take for it to fully heal? Thanks for posting this!
You're welcome! Depends on the depth and severity, up to a year is a good thing to think. Sometimes less as the crack likely doesn't go all the way up. I've had a few grow out in a few months and then it's just good solid maintenance.
This was a great video.
Thanks!
It's interesting this topic show up from you today. I just got a new horse, from less than optimal conditions. Turns out she has a crack on each hoof in the same place on the outside. The farrier said it is NOT abnormal and that I should keep it rounded off like you mention here. Nice work
cracks are VERY abnormal... maybe I'm not understanding what you mean though. For what it's worth, a hoof should never ever have a crack in it, if it does, it's 99% of the time human caused due to negligence in one form of another of either trimming incorrectly or not enough trimming.
I think what he ment was, he sees this in horses that have been neglected.
That makes sense
Love the wood prop...very creative on your part to find the similarities of hoof and wood when it comes to cracks.
Why was this the only hoof that had the pillars trimmed improperly and allowed to grow out too much causing a middle crack in that hoof? Would the other hooves have eventually succumbed to cracks too?
Thank you for sharing and as always very informative.
Thanks! It was a lucky find by Hailey actually. I'm not sure exactly why the other one didn't split. It could be due to the trim this foot received for a long time.. the other one should have split but maybe it was so flat that it didn't.. Not sure. Yes, in time hooves will split and crack unless they chip off. Chipping off is normal in fact and protects the hoof. This horse was likely on soft ground for too long and the chipping just never had the chance to happen as there wasn't hard ground to make it happen on. I'll do a video on the back feet soon I think. They had rot in the walls that was relatively quickly grown out, similar problem in a way.
Stable Horse Training
Koodos to Hailey for paying attention to the horse and absorbing what you are teaching her and us with your videos.
Thank you for taking the time to reply.
Hi nice presentation and explanation. Makes sense. ( Most farriers cut it open to let air in, as you said)
But don’t you try to treat the thrush in the crack ?
I was taught to remove as much of the thrush as possible and regularly soak briefly with very small amount of largely diluted copper sulphate to kill the fungus . I have had good success with this.
If there is actual bacteria or fungus in there, then it can be treated. Many times there's nothing and it just needs to grow out.
You are such a good professor Graeme! I learned a lot. Since Covid I have become my Dreamers prime farrier and am doing my best. Her back feet are both cracking because they are long. I trim her front ones more regular than her back ones. So, this was a good learning lesson for me. You are very good! Thank you so much...!
Thank you Susan! I appreciate they. Hooves can be troublesome and a bit difficult to get just right. Trimming less more often can be easier for all and allows you to track changes in smaller increments
Do you have an updated video of the crack gone? Do you have videos on other types of cracks?
I don't have further videos of the foot with the crack gone but I've been taking pictures as I go. I'm not always there to care for the horse anymore so the documentation isn't as complete but I hope to be able to post again on it. This type of crack requires very timely trims or it just keeps going. I have a new course up online over at myhorsecoach.com for trimming. It's just released and will have more lessons added to it over time and cracks and chips is a topic I will be covering for sure if you're interested in that.
Thank you for the thorough and organized information! I just got a young TB who has been in a field for the last year since retiring from the track. His feet had been neglected (probably months since his last trim before I bought him) and his fronts have vertical cracks up the the sides (although I'm not sure they'd be considered quarter cracks?). He is sound, but one is quite high and has visible movement when he shifts his weight. I don't want to put him in serious work until I can improve or stabilize that crack. I had one local farrier look at him, and after a glance he said he would always have the crack. I am not ready to resign to that since I don't see any disruption to the coronary band. Would you mind if I send a picture to get your opinion?
Do you have any suggestions on how to find the right kind of farrier in my area who will work through this?
You're very welcome. If you take very detailed pictures, then yes. Video is good too to be able to see all angles. Here is a video about taking pictures: czcams.com/video/w6O6-Fi_LAE/video.html
I have no idea how to help you find somebody good. Perhaps if they have been taking pictures of rehab cases, asking questions gets you good answers that you are satisfied with. I started this path 10 years ago because I had a farrier that said "that's just the way it is" to a foot of my horse that was anything but "the way it is". It was infuriating to be treated so dismissively but I learned later that the farrier just had zero knowledge or experience in any rehab and just put shoes on everything as the solution. Such as it is.... I highly recommend learning yourself to be honest, anybody can do it.
@@StableHorseTraining that's exactly it -- being dismissed is frustrating! I had never thought about taking up my own trimming, but I will definitely look into it now! thank you for the link -- I should be able to take some good pics this afternoon or tomorrow and send them over 😊😊😊
Hi Graeme, do you think it's a good idea to use epoxy glue to fill the crack/hole to avoid dust, moisture and tiny rocks to slide in? (of course, with some kind of strong cleaning solution before filling the crack)
Not really but I do sometimes put temporary cotton pieces in a gap to block outside material without creating something solid. I would worry that something hard like that would make the situation worse.
Something tells me everything you do in life is well researched and thorough.
Sometimes! Thanks for the compliment though!
Would you ever soak the foot in copper sulfate to prevent an infection while dealing with the crack?
Never. That also destroys healthy cells. Do you see a single human doing this technique to "prevent infection"? I bet any doctor would laugh that idea right out of the room, but for some reason people do it to horses.
Do you mind if I ask what boot that was you used to demonstrate Velcro? Is that a boot you would recommend for a horse with thin soles? Could a horse be turned out with that style of boot? I was looking at EasyCare / EasyBoot Clouds but I don’t think they will hold up.
THANKS for your videos!!
Easycare boots and cloud boots are fantastic. They hold up to a lot. That is the boot I used in the demo. You can turn them out with them on for sure but it's important to maintain them and remove to dry and clean regulary.
For some reason, I’ve been doing the opposite now I know thank you very much, would COPPER SULFATE BE helpful to prevent fungus high into the the hoof cracks???
Proper trimming and it will grow out just fine. Lots of people over treat things. Copper sulfate kills healthy cells too so it’s not advisable at all. If you doubt that, put it on an open wound and see if it ever heals. Not a single person on the planet would use it on themselves but somehow it gets recommended for animals…
My older gelding has developed an inch long toe crack in both front hooves. I'm doing my own trimming because my trimmer quit coming. Despite all the time and effort I've put into getting him to lift his feet, he just does not want to most days. This makes it very difficult to keep up with the hooves. The information on the pillars is very helpful and I will check for that next time I go out. I was glad to hear you do not recommend carving out the area as that is a common technique I'm not a fan of. Do you ever use CleanTrax? I have some and wonder if it would help with the growth of bacteria in the crack area. Thank you.
I have seen it, seen it recommended, tried it and quickly learned through my experience that it really had no use that proper trimming didn't just clear out in the same amount of time and less effort. If you are having trouble picking up the feet, you can put them on a 2x6 and hang the toes off the edge of it to be able to rasp them back a bit. Check often you aren't going too far by looking at the bottom of the feet. Soft ground usually works better for horses that are struggling to pick their feet up. I once had to switch between the front hooves a horse about 30 times to get them both balanced and trimmed correctly and then he'd hold his feet up for a bit longer than 5 to 10 seconds. From that trim on I didn't have as many issues in that regard.
@@StableHorseTraining Thank you so much for your reply. I'm going to try that 2x6 idea. What you describe with the 5-10 seconds really fits my horse. The other thing he does: as I ask for one foot, he weights it and offers the opposite hoof. This has me running back and forth until I just get tired of the game. I do not lose my temper with him. Usually he is most willing to pick up the left front and weight the right, so today that was the only foot that got done. May I send you a photo of his toe cracks? I also have questions about frog, to trim or not to trim and how much. Varies so much between barefoot farriers. Thanks again.
My horse has a toe crack, no signs of bacteria at this time. Barefoot trimmer said she would keep it mustang rolled for no but if it got longer than 1" long I should go to shoes. I'm hopin gto stay barefoot. Does it help to ride in hoof boots? Would cleaning then a casting tape and or hoof armor help keep the crack from extending while we are working towards repair. Thanks for your video and opinions.
No, it doesn't help to ride in hoof boots unless your horse is more comfortable in them. Shoes do not solve cracks, they make them. Trim also creates cracks, or lack of it. If you had a farrier managing your horse and the crack happened, they caused it by either not trimming enough or trimming as often as the foot required. If you're going beyond 3 weeks on a trim, you're going far too long. For cracks I trim every week for months a little bit at a time to get rid of the mechanical leverage that caused it in the first place.
As I have no idea what your horse's hoof looks like, there's really nothing further I can recommend. I hope the video helped in the case study that I showed.
Do you put any moisturizer or some kind of product on the Horses hoof while it is growing out ?
Never. Anything out there being sold as a topical treatment to benefit hooves is pure snake oil.
How do you treat the crack? My loan has become lame and we think it’s due to the crack - it’s quite similar to the one in the photo! His had it a while aswell :(
Without seeing it, I can't say what's wrong with your horse, but the horse I'm talking about just needed very regular trimming to stop the mechanical leverage from happening and get the foot to go back to its proper position under the leg. Nothing else to do.
Look up Becky's Homestead Do It Yourself hoof crack repair. It was taught to her by an old farrier. I would think using your mechanical treatment and her treatment (digging it out, and soaking and packing with Copper Sulfate every 3 or 4 days) together would work well!
That method is damaging and destroying to healthy tissue and it should be taken off the internet as it convinces people that such a method is an acceptable practice. It isn't. Please don't recommend it to anybody, there are far superior ways to dealing with the problem.
@@StableHorseTraining Thank you for the feedback!
@@StableHorseTraining Did you watch the video?
@@yogibear8686 yes, a really long time ago when it was being recommended to people. Copper sulfate has long been determined as destructive. If it isn't then I'm sure human doctors would be all over it to apply to people and we'd be all fixed up in a jiffy. Take that stuff to a doctor and they'll let you know exactly what copper sulfate does to healthy cells. Using something on a horse that would NEVER be used on humans is absurd at this point, we have too much knowledge in the hoof world now to leave stuff like that up and look knowledgeable. Becky is irresponsible for leaving that garbage up for so long...
@@yogibear8686 You should also almost never dig anything out of a hoof. Patience and healthy trims get rid of these problems. Surgery isn't for people who don't have access to an x-ray machine.
Thank you for your knowledge. I have a 8 year old mare that has a crack that my farrier has been working on for quite a while and it was getting better, then I broke my back and couldn't help with trimming and so he hasn't been doing the trimming so the crack is getting worse, but I don't see any flair in the hoof. He always blames seedy toe for cracks. I haven't trained this horse for riding yet because I have had health issues. I'm getting better and started training her, but then I broke my back getting a bag of feed out of the car. I would like to send you a picture of her hoof. Would you mind if I did. I do need your email address. Thank you.
hi Starlene. Sure, you can send it off to graeme@stablehorsetraining.com. You'll need to get down low and take a non angled shot if possible. If you can get a shot of the bottom of the hoof too, that would help. Sometimes when we can't see flare in the hoof, it's because the whole hoof capsule is flared from the top to the bottom.
How do you fix a crack that is on the side of the hoof?
Trim the walls to reduce leverage on either side of the crack. Likely the toe is out of control and the heels are stuck. To get a quarter wall crack the trim really has to be bad for years and years
@@StableHorseTraining Thank you for your quick response and advice. Your videos are awesome and very informative! Thank you!
I won't be able to pick her foot up because of my back. I will be on light duty for another week, so I will wait until I can work with her feet. My farrier blames all cracks on seedy toe, but they have no bad odor and I did have seedy toe with an older horse and the inner wall had turned black and had a bad odor. He does trim them nicely and gets along with my horses. I should be able to take the pictures next week.
Seedy toe is flare. That's not an opinion and can be very easily explained with science.
@@StableHorseTraining I knew it wasn't seedy toe. The crack is right in the center of the front of the hoof. I go back to full duty, as my pain tolerance permits me on Friday. If the horse gets stubborn a out lifting her foot, I'll get my daughter to help me and send the pictures. I appreciate your knowledge and how much work you do for horsemen.
You're welcome 😊
Is the horse still rideable when one uses this technique?
Yes, this horse was still rideable. I can't comment on any other horse unfortunately. If the foot is healthy outside of having this crack then I expect they would be rideable but there are other factors, primarily of how the crack happened that might contribute to further lameness.
Did you trim round all the hoof wall extern and the white line too ?is the horse walking on his sole then ? It seems a little too much from up view, I wanted to see the foot from down can you show us please ? And what about the fact the wall should always touch the soil all around the hoof so that give information at the coronar to grow wall all around the same to prevent high heels ?
Did you come here to learn or just tell me what you think is best and then expect me to defend? It's super hard to tell what you want and why you've commented. Your facts aren't worth my time to refute to be honest, that's super old theories and have been long proven to be not true.... so... good luck? not sure what to suggest to somebody coming in that seems to know it all.
@@StableHorseTraining excuse me if i offended you ,that was not the purpose. English is not my motherthong so i Ve been perhaps too hard with my questions. I have a horse with a crack and I am only searching what is best for him ! That’s why I wanted your opinion on these others theories…. I did not pretend to know….. but wanted to understand. Now ? Here it’s 11pm , good evening!
hmm... ok. Well, then here goes:
1. Yes, you trim all the way around the hoof to get close to the white line.
2. Horse already walk on their sole all the time unless you have them on full concrete every day all day. If you think about it, if the horse is on soft ground AT ALL, then they are walking on their sole. This is one of those "facts" that should be deleted from the horse world that a horse can't walk on their sole.
3. The hoof wall should NOT always be touching the ground. You can have them share the load between wall, sole, frog and bars for sure though.
4. Hooves grow the same amount all the way around whether the wall is on the ground or not
5. Heels grow under due to bad trim, nothing else.
@@StableHorseTraining ok thank you. The lady who trim my horse always leave a flat wall and make the V shape at the crack. No as she as a baby I trim myself for a few months. I will try to round the pillars as you show in the video. Not sure I can take off as much I’m afraid to do wrong… usually I trim less but every 2 or 3 weeks. Be sure I will tell you about the result in a few months. Have a nice day, Nicole
@@nicolecourt7829 I get what you're saying and about being worried, but overly conservative trimming practices (but mostly just lack of trimming) are the cause of cracks and underrun heels. Do it right for your horse. A baby should NOT have cracks...