Is there anything I can do for a toe crack other than put shoes on him? He's 24-years-old and has been barefoot and retired for 15 years. (He's been retired because he has sidebone and stumbles.) I've been dealing with a toe crack for about two years now. It's about 1 inch long, right in the middle. Three different farriers have trimmed him. I'm not blaming the farriers for the toe crack, though I have been having a terrible time finding a good farrier around here. It's been one thing or another with the farriers. I'm on a new one now and I don't know how she's going to work out. She trimmed four horses two weeks ago and I think she trimmed them all too short. She's new and I'm not sure if she's experienced enough. I don't know if I want her to put shoes on him but she's all I can find right now. Plus he's been barefoot for 15 years and retired and I really don't want to spend the money on shoes if I don't have to. But I think the crack got longer. She rasped a horizontal line above the crack when she was here, not deep, but the crack went a little above the line. What should I do?

You might ask your vet for a reference...they usually have good recommendations (at least in my area they do).

Thanks RunninHard. I've tried my vets. I've had a heck of a time getting a good farrier around here. Tomorrow the girl is going to put shoes on him. I'm praying she does a good job. 

I had one I finally had to shoe in a heartbar to prevent the heels from flexing so the toe crack could heel.  Regular shoes wasn't helping at all and barefoot was made it worse.

Wonder if a hoof tap would work?  I have one that gets a toe crack too due to having a club foot, so the foot with the crack is always back (never forward) when he grazes.  I keep my horse shod from spring through fall, but have wondered if the hoof taps would work of if they'd just fall off without a shoe over them.  Probably would fall off, but might be worth looking in to. 

Herbie, what's a hoof tap?

Well, I have shoes on him and I think I'm going to have to keep them on him into the winter and hopefully it'll grow out. I've been squirting alternating Kopertox and an antibiotic in it to try to prevent infection.