gelding with heel crack

[lorraine]

My friends 16hand appendix gelding has had a heel crack for a year...She gets his feet shod every 6 weeks but the problem is not improving...to our knowledge he hasn't had any injuries...any ideas how to deal with this problem..Thanks Lorraine...P.S he doesn't seem lame on it...

[calshoer]

A *close up* picture would be very helpful. Patty

[lorraine]

Thank-you for your response I will send some pictures...Just an update the horse is 16.3 hands,1300 pounds and 9 years old. Thanks again Lorraine

[lorraine]

finally here is a picture of the hoofcrack.

[calshoer]

It just looks like he might have an old scar in the coronary band (probably an old cut)that created a permenant flaw in the growth of the hoofwall. (very common)
There will always be a weak line there, but they are manageable. The secrets to getting these to stay stuck together as they grow down is to re-balance the foot and unload the hoofwall behind the crack to remove movement in the two halves. . .Rebalancing the foot nvolves reducing stress in the heels by lowering the heels to somewhere near the sole, engaging the frog, and moving the point of breakover under or near the coffin bone tip, usually by rolling or rockering the toe of the shoe. Or a natural balance shoe. Then unload the back section of the crack. This involves using a bar shoe or a aluminum or rigid plastic plate under the shoe, (no soft pad) and "float" the section of the hoof wall behind the crack.
Patty

[lorraine]

Thank-you for your reply it will be very helpful.We were also thinking it would be right to remove a little bit of hoof under the crack to take away the pressure.Thanks again... Lorraine ...

[Richard K]

Thank-you for your reply it will be very helpful.We were also thinking it would be right to remove a little bit of hoof under the crack to take away the pressure.Thanks again... Lorraine ...


I'd love to see pictures of what ends up happening with his foot.

[Rick Burten]

Thank-you for your reply it will be very helpful.We were also thinking it would be right to remove a little bit of hoof under the crack to take away the pressure.Thanks again... Lorraine ...

Its not enough to just remove a bit of hoof from under the crack. "Floating" the wall will involve removing wall from the point at which the crack reaches the bottom of the wall, rearward. IOW, the entire wall , rearward of the crack, should not be in contact with the shoe surface. This is why a bar shoe and frog support is essential.