My percheron cross mare has a split in her right front hoof that appears to go all the way to the coronary band.  It is at the back of the outside quarter, has separated a section of hoof from the rest, and is growing differently - tending to grow forward instead of down.   She had this when I bought her.  I have a barefoot trimmer who has been making progress on optimizing her hooves.  Her hooves are generally in good condition, just needing to get her heels and bars back where they should be and developing more concavity.   She is showing no lameness or soreness at all.

But, neither I or my barefoot trimmer know what to do about this hoof split.  I have been told by another person that if I don't do something, it will not grow back together, and it will eventually break off exposing laminae and weakening the hoof.  That person said the only thing that could be done was to put shoes on for at least a year to prevent the

I am requesting advice and recommendations.   I don't want to put nail-on shoes on unless there are absolutely no other options.  

How do I post photos so you can see what this looks like?

Thanks,
Barbara Rosensteel
Baxter, TN

Case history? Need hoof picks at least.  Depending on what is causing the crack (coronet damage or poor past trimming) will determine what plan of action needs to be taken.  I have worked on many hooves with severe damage and have been able to help the hoof grow properly.
--
Diann Kuzma
One Hoof at a Time
PHCP Practitioner
Joined 2018

I did not start a case history for my mare in the main ECIR case histories as she is not IR and does not have PPID.   Would I need to start a case history in order to post photos?  Or can those photos be posted on the ECIR Hoofs group, separate from the main ECIR group?

I just got her in February and she came with us.  I have no history on it at all.  I was stupid enough not to get a pre-purchase exam done and because I now know I overlooked several things when I went to look at her, including this hoof split, I did not get to ask any questions about the cause.  It wasn't until my barefoot trimmer came that it was discovered that the split went all the way to the coronet.  

I wanted to get any information I could pass on to my trimmer, who will be here tomorrow (Thursday).   She mentioned casting, but I have read on Pete Ramey's website that he doesn't like to use casts for any longer than 4 weeks.  So, that would pretty much knock that out of contention.    I am starting to read about glue-on shoes. 

Perhaps you and my trimmer could discuss.  I will have to look at the Wiki to find the procedure for posting hoof photos.

Thanks,
Barbara

you can post pic of the hoof, i believe. Not sure on the protocol.  You can email me at dkhoof@...  
I will help you figure this out
--
Diann Kuzma
One Hoof at a Time
PHCP Practitioner
Joined 2018

I just got some good news from the veterinarian who was here to vaccinate another person's horses.  I consulted with her on my mare.  She said that the split does  not go all the way to the coronet so the hoof will grow out, connected once more.   She said just to keep up with the trim and it will eventually grow back.  So, no glue-on shoes or any other things are needed.   I think I will still make a photo album and keep track of progress (there are instructions for it in the Wiki)

Thanks for stepping up to offer help!

Barbara

Barbara
A mod has to upload them for you, Lavinia is on vacation 
so maybe start a new thread with the topic with maybe 
pictures to upload. I can’t remember who is covering.

That's great that the vet thinks it should grow out.  It's likely a light trim will need to be done every couple weeks to keep the wall near the split hoof out of ground contact, but I wouldn't go longer than 4 weeks between trims if you're trying to repair the split.  This is a case where shoes might work better for you?

Minerals balanced to your hay are also important.   My boy has a permanent split where hoof wall does not grow on the medial heel of his left front due to an old injury to the coronet band, and I noticed a big improvement in how much more robust/thicker/stronger the hoof wall is around the split after balancing his diet.  So much so that it almost grew in without the split!

--
Kirsten Rasmussen

Hi Barbara

Please get some photos of the feet for review here. I can upload them.

My boy Gabe had a permanent insult on his right hind from the coronary band that needed attention at every trim to keep it from opening the hoof up again.  We did not use shoes or equicast.  The cure for us was to remove the hoof wall from stress on break over.

Regardless of the path you choose, please get input from Lavinia and/or Dr Kellon. Lavinia will be back on the 27th if I recall correctly and of course will be backed up.

I will load your pics. Just give me heads up that they are ready. In case you need it here are How To instructions for photos.  https://ecir.groups.io/g/main/wiki/1472

Thanks
--
Nancy C in NH
ECIR Moderator 2003
DDT+E = effective treatment for PPID and EMS/IR equines: https://bit.ly/2J4ZgYT

 

Kirsten, 

Your boy's split sounds like my  mare's.  Same location and possible past injury at the coronet band.    In your boy's case, the split has never gone away?  Has it got narrower?  Has it affected his movement and performance?   

Since I wrote that message, my barefoot trimmer has been over and we both think it is split to the coronet.  I can just fit my fingernail in the crack as it narrows near the coronet.   She trimmed away the hoof there so there is no ground contact that would increase the split. I'll have her come out every 4 weeks to make sure there is no ground contact. 

  Mist is getting minerals balanced to the hay now that she is back home from the training barn.  While at the training barn for 3 months, she was getting pasture and hay and a about a pound of low sugar/starch feed as a supplement carrier.  There was no hay test but I gave her extra copper, zinc, and magnesium anyway, plus methionine and biotin.   Now she is at home, she is on pasture about 4 hours a day (she is not IR) and that is not included in the balancing.   She gets copper, zinc, and magnesium balanced to the hay plus methionine, biotin, and selenium.

I took some photos yesterday after my trimmer was finished, but am not happy with how they turned out.  I will take them again tomorrow and will be in touch then.

Thanks,
Barbara

Diann,

I will be posting photos with the help of Nancy.   I'll post when they are up.

Thanks,
Barbara

Hi Barbara,

The split improved dramatically with mineral balancing.   It's more like the hoof wall growing down is softer and easily broken away, so by the time it reaches the ground it was missing/crumbled off.  I don't think it's painful.  I do keep the heels on this hoof fairly low now as he has a tendency towards a broken-forward HPA on this hoof, so although I don't bevel it out of weight-bearing entirely, it doesn't gave a chance to grow very high and break open more.

Here's a recent trim, you can barely see the split:
https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/photo/82559/3463260?p=Name%2C%2C%2C20%2C2%2C20%2C0

Here's an older trim photo, also after mineral balancing, and you can see it is breaking up at the ground surface but most of the heel is there:
https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/photo/82559/3256542?p=Name%2C%2C%2C20%2C2%2C160%2C0

And here's an old photo from 2019 (different view) before mineral balancing:
https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/photo/82559/975469?p=Name%2C%2C%2C20%2C2%2C400%2C0
And from 2017:
https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/photo/82559/975379?p=Name%2C%2C%2C20%2C2%2C420%2C0

If you do take that heel wall out of weight-bearing, you should do both sides so that the medio-lateral balance is not affected.  Then add a wedge pad to boost the heel height, if needed, since lowering heels can cause or worsen an underslung/broken-back HPA, which comes with its own set if problems and can be very painful.  You can use radiographs to evaluate the HPA after lowering the heels and adding a wedge.

You can have the pasture tested for minerals and incorporate that into your balancing.

--
Kirsten Rasmussen

Hello Nancy,  

I am ready to upload the hoof pics.  Please let me know what I need to do next.

Thanks,

Barbara

How can my horse's trimmer join ECHoof? 

Thanks,

Barbara

Kirsten,
Thank you for your information.  I am going to share all of this with my hoof trimmer as soon as she joins the group.

She didn't take the entire heel out of weight-bearing, just the front half of the part that is "split off".  You'll be able to see after I get the photos posted.   I might have a time finding a hoof boot large enough for my mare.  When she arrived she was in #6 steel shoes.  

Thanks,
Barbara

Hi Barbara,

Send this link to your trimmer:
https://ecir.groups.io/g/Hoof
They should see a button at the bottom of the page where they can ask to join the group.

--
Kirsten Rasmussen

My hoof photos have been uploaded (Thanks, Lavinia!!)

https://ecir.groups.io/g/Hoof/album?id=278973

Any recommendations for how to have my hoof trimmer approach this hoof to result in the split eventually growing together or at least narrowing and not splitting again would be appreciated.   Some of you have replied that your horses have had similar splits and that, with the right nutrition and trim, your horses are sound now.   Advice on the particular trim and schedule is appreciated.

Thanks,
Barbara Rosensteel
Baxter, Tennessee
https://ecir.groups.io/g/Hoof/album?id=278973

Hi Barbara,

I've added a few mark-ups to Mist's album:

https://ecir.groups.io/g/Hoof/album?id=278973

You are dealing with a quarter crack, which results from significant imbalances in the hoof capsule that end up creating a crack at the weakest point between competing improper mechanics. The crack runs up toward the coronary band between horn tubules. Correcting it requires correcting the trim imbalances, then maintaining a tight trim until the crack grows out. That can take a year or more.

The toe is significantly run forward, heels are underrun and there is major wall flare all around, with the lateral wall flaring more than the medial one. HPA is broken back. The fix is to back up the toe thru what appears to be the white line at ground level, removing the flared material from ground contact all around so that there isn't constant leverage being applied to the detached walls. Leave the soles and frogs alone. Only remove any crumbling leading edges of the bars at a trim as at present, the bars are helping to support the entire foot due to the damage present in other structures.

LF dorsal: Green lines follow the angle of the new growth down to the ground. Blue areas are the flared wall that needs to be removed.

LF lateral: Again, green line follows the angle of the new growth coming in under the coronary bad toward the ground. This is a visual marker, not a trim line. Blue area is the toe that needs to be removed. Orange line is another visual for where the heels should be located. Can't move them there at this time as there is already too little vertical height in the back half of the foot relative to the height in the front half.

LF lateral sole plane: The dish in the dorsal wall is seen much more clearly in this view. The green line is the same as on the lateral view, with the blue area the excess amount of toe ahead of where the breakover should be located.

LF sole: Everything outside of the blue solid line should be out of ground contact (blue hashed areas). Yellow hashes run along the leading edges of the bars, where it appears they can be tidied up a bit more - but don't get over zealous, as those bars are structurally extremely important now due to the rest of the support structures being compromised.

The rest of the feet are likely similarly compromised (I could see part of the RF in one of the photos), so the trim needs major adjustments across the board.

Please let me know if you'd like more in-depth work on the rest of the trim.

--
Lavinia
Jan 2005, RI

Moderator/ECIR Support

I certainly agree with everything Lavinia said. There also appears to possibly be a defect in the coronary band at the top of that crack. Could you shave off the overhanging hair and take a picture that shows the coronary band?
--
Dr. K

Thank you so much, Lavinia.  I will sit down with my barefoot trimmer to review your markups and instructions and will get back to you with any questions she might have.  (I've asked her to join this group but don't know if she has done so yet.)  She has been working on Mist's hooves since March, about every six weeks, but we are shortening that time to 4-5 weeks.   We could make it every 4 weeks if needed. 

I will take the photo requested by Dr. Kellon in a separate message and send it to you in a private email for you to post in my album (unless there is a way I can post it there).

Thank you,
Barbara