Help my farrier and I are desperate. I have two Missouri Fox Trotters
that were born and raised until age three in Missouri and then brought to
Southeastern Ohio. They have both developed bizarre hoof problems that
we cannot seem to solve. I have five other horses (part arabs, twh and
belgians) that are fine. The two fox trotters are not related. They
both have separations in the walls at the white line in one or more
hoofs. they are only in the quarters, usaually on the outside edge. The
farrier doesn't think its white line disease because they have no flaky
white stuff in the separations. The hoofs are in excellent condition
otherwise, good hard horn. Some of the separations get quite large- one
is now 3/4 of a nail deep and about an inch long. He has packed them
with Fosners medicated packing, pine tar and okum, and thrushbuster and
hoof felt packing. We have gotten them to the point that the hoof looks
ok and them if the horse is left unshod it starts again like a gravel.
Do any of you have any ideas what the problem is or what a solution might
be- Has anyone had a similar problem. The horses are not unsound but
this is certainly not a normal situation.