Posted 2013-12-12 2:39 PM Subject: How to help a crack heal
A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701 Location: NC
I have a new mare who has cracks in both of her front feet. Right down the middle. And she has random chunks missing around the bottom from pulling shoes before we got her. (I personally have yet to have her pull one that OUR farrier has put on her *knock on wood* so yeah).
What's the best way to help these things heal up? She's keeping shoes on. The cracks separate & she's lame without them. The feed we have her on has biotin in it, but I've thought of adding a good supplement to help it grow out even more. Is there a type of dressing to put on it to help it not get worse? Is moisture good or bad in these situations?
Posted 2013-12-12 3:02 PM Subject: RE: How to help a crack heal
That's White "Man" to You
Posts: 5515
I have so many things I want to say about this.
Keep shoes on, and go with heart or egg bar so the foot can't flex. If it flexes sand and junk can get in there and form an abcess. Then the abcess will blow out of the top of the crack and you have a horse out of commision for a year or two. I learned this the hard way.
Get the best farrier you can afford. I used one that specialized in corrective shoeing. He takes if very seriously and kept my horse at his house for several months so that he could monitor it each day.
Posted 2013-12-12 3:25 PM Subject: RE: How to help a crack heal
A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701 Location: NC
Whiteboy - 2013-12-12 4:02 PM
I have so many things I want to say about this.
Keep shoes on, and go with heart or egg bar so the foot can't flex. If it flexes sand and junk can get in there and form an abcess. Then the abcess will blow out of the top of the crack and you have a horse out of commision for a year or two. I learned this the hard way.
Get the best farrier you can afford. I used one that specialized in corrective shoeing. He takes if very seriously and kept my horse at his house for several months so that he could monitor it each day.
Good luck!
I trust my farrier. He's a good one. Has turned several horses around. I've seen what GOOD work (and bad)can do so I plan to keep him around as long as possible.
The crack stays together as long as she has shoes. It started to separate at the bottom when she didn't have them on when we first got her. But they look alright with shoes. I just hate how ugly it looks and how they make it so she can't be barefoot. :(
Posted 2013-12-12 3:38 PM Subject: RE: How to help a crack heal
That's White "Man" to You
Posts: 5515
A good farrier is worth their weight in gold. I still strongly suggest a solid shoe. It was my good head horse that this happened to and she was "fine" with regular shoes until she wasn't. My farrier would also use some chemical to burn the coronet band to stimulate growth. I hear this method is questionable, but we needed growth quick, and it worked. I would add a biotin supplement to what you are already doing just to help.
How to help a crack heal
