Posted by Rick Burten on June 21, 2003 at 02:03:56:
In Reply to: Hard hooves that crumble after nails are clinched posted by Sinati on June 18, 2003 at 11:22:20:
: I have a 5yo QH gelding I bought 1 1/2 years ago. I have had major problems with his feet since I bought him that weren't visible when I purchased him. He had white line disease in all four feet and an abcessed hoof from a pasture injury. The farrier said that he was worried but he thought we caught it in time. First we treated him for the white line and have that under control. He has grown new hooves since then but we are still having problems. I had him hot shod for the first time last week. The farrier said that his feet seemed hard at first glance until he went to clinch the nails and then the hooves cracked and started to crumble. This horse is also very thin walled in the rear. Every time we shoe him it is a struggle for the farrier to get the nail into the wall and not in the quick. Does anyone know what may be causing this or what can help? I have him on an excellent feed that has biotin already added. The farrier suggested feeding even more added biotin and a topical to seal in the moisture without adding any to the hoof becaue we don't want to make the hoof wall soft.
If the wall is crumbling every time a nail is clinched , then either the nails are being driven too low, or the walls are still undermined and weak from the WLD, or both.
What do you mean when you say that you have the WLD under control? If the horse, after all this time still has WLD, then it is not under control.
Perhaps the nails your farrier is using are the wrong size for this horse. Perhaps , the addition of clips to the shoe would allow the farrier to:
1. use fewer nails (i.e.: 4 nails/shoe
2. Use a thinner nail, i.e.: a slim blade nail such as the Delta 5 city slim
3. Drive the nails higher on the hoof capsule thus getting more "meat" under the nail and allowing a better clinch.
Perhaps, gluing the shoes on would be a good alternative to nailiing. If this option is used, the shoes should be clipped(side or quarter and possibly toe too). Even then, a couple of nails could be driven to further stabilize the shoes. One caveat: the foot must be free of WLD before the shoes are glued on.
Do not seal the feet if WLD is present. Hooves with good circulation are moisturized from the inside out, not vice versa. Hot fitting the shoes is a good idea, but will be relatively ineffective if the feet are not correctly balanced and correct breakover, heel support, and frog and commissure support not addressed.
Rick