I, unfortunately have
had to deal with several quarter cracks in my 23 year old Doc Bar mare, Sierra.
She has small hoofs and thin walls,
but a great mind and body, but that is another story for another day.Anyway, the local vet who was a farrier came out and used just about all the tools on his
truck to lace the crack together. First the dental tools to make the holes
for the wire on either side of the crack. He then wired it together and put a
surfboard resin patch over the whole thing.The patch was them shaped to smooth out
any rough edges and match the hoof.A bar shoe was then applied and we were good to go.The whole thing stayed on for over 6
months.
Sierra has had several quarter cracks over the years.I have found that biotin is necessary to
strengthen her hoof walls.Unfortunately
with her advancing age the dosage has also increased.If I lower the dose below 50mg I will
have a crack in several weeks.This dosage will most likley not
be needed for just about any other horse alive!She now has bar shoes on the fronts all
the time.But she is sound and loves to take kids
and newbies on the trail. She is wonderful with the young horses ponying them through the creek and
teaching them manners.I wish I had
her when she was young!What fun we
would have had.
Oh, the other issue that can add to the crack is pacing in a
stall. The rotation on the hoof can
cause significant torsion to the hoof wall and contribute to cracking. Stomping will also contribute to cracking
as will dry, brittle hoofs. So, you
may need to look at many different issues to deal with quarter cracks.Good luck and feel free to contact me
off the list.
Nancy Reed
Lazy J Ranch, Elfin Forest (most trails still too wet to
ride)
