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Surface cracks on hooves

4K views 18 replies 5 participants last post by  SueNH 
#1 ·
So these have recently popped up in my gelding who's never had hoof problems. (Besides having big pan feet) These are his front feet and they're just on the surface and do not bother him. Looks like to me that his hooves are a bit dry, but I've never had this issue with him before. The first picture is the worst of the two.

Left front-



Right front-

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#4 ·
Those are tiny surface cracks and nothing to worry about. 2 of our mares get much larger surface cracks when there are large changes in humidity that cause no problems at all. I wouldn't put anything on them.
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#6 · (Edited)
Should I be worried though being its winter? I recently did switch there grain last month from something very high in fats and sugar to blue seals trotter, which they seem to be doing better on. I have hoof conditioner but not sure how much that will help. Around the cornet band is dry too and my mare has that as well.
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#7 ·
Hi,

Yes, agree with others, that superficial cracks like this aren't much of a worry to hoof integrity of themselves, but they are an indication of diet/nutritional problems, and can also come about if horses are in constantly waterlogged paddocks. FeedXL.com is a great resource for diet/nutrition specifics and low starch & sugar(grain, molasses free, etc) diets are best.

I would not use 'conditioner' or any other topical hoof goops, but addition of flax or other source of omega3 in the diet is helpful.

Hard to tell from those angles, but it seems that the quarters are quite flared & heels may be quite high, which, due to the imbalance & extra pressure, cause the superficial cracks to become 'real' ones as they grow down. Ensuring the mechanics are got in order should avoid further cracking probs.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Yes, I had a thread a few months back about his feet being panned. I had another farrier out who also said its normal (contrary to what everyone said on here) so yes his feet are flared and now on farrier #2 and even he said there's nothing we can do about his feet other them regular trimmings which, he's on a 6 week schedule. He also doesn't have a high heel at all. Pix are not good angles to see that, though.

So what can I add to the grain to help with the dry feet? My mare has dry feet as well and my new gelding could use something to help his feet out as well. It may be this new grain I switched them to but this new grain is alot better for them then what they were on.
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#10 ·
Maybe. Do you need to feed him grain at all? If he does need extra energy, I would personally choose a low starch, high fibre feed rather than grain if possible. I don't know what he's getting, so wouldn't know what else he may need. I suggested FeedXL.com for this, as along with extra omega3, there may be a number of nutrients he's deficient/imbalanced in.

If your farrier does a flat trim(on the ground surface) and if the feet get overgrown in between trims, particularly if the diet is not helping, there is not much that can be done about flares. But if the feet are trimmed in a balanced manner, with the quarters 'scooped' or relieved if/as necessary & the hooves trimmed adequately to prevent them overgrowing, they will be able to start growing down straight & well attached.
 
#11 ·
He is currently on blue seals trotter...here is the link to all the nutritional stuff. It is high fiber and low starch as you recommended.

http://blueseal.com/files/feeding-and-mgmt/equine/9_Trotter.pdf

It's not a grain if I remember correctly. I forget what they call it. He was previously on a high fat high sugar content grain which I switched due to the amount of sugar the grain had and he didnt need. My gelding is currently getting a quart of the trotter 2x a day. He's an air fern to begin with anyway. My other two get a quart and a half twice a day of the trotter and the new guy definitely needs some weight.
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#12 ·
Hi,

Apart from molasses being the 4th ingredient, doesn't look too bad, but high energy(alfalfa & soy) so I wouldn't be feeding it to the 'air fern'. If you input this & the rest of their diet into FeedXL it will give you an analysis & also has(depending on where you're from) a complete database of feeds & ingredients, so you can have a play with inputting other ingreds & work out a well balanced diet before buying anything.
 
#13 ·
Check the tag on the feed sack and compare it to the pdf tag. Something is different. I fed trotter for years and years and my horses did great, then something changed and they didn't look near as good. I attributed it to them being into their 30's but that hoof pic looks just like my King before I switched them to something else.

I forget how it was worded on the tag but I immediately realized they were using the spent grain from the Budweiser plant nearby. One of the feed mills is here in NH and so is the Bud plant, within a few miles of each other. That hadn't always been listed on the tag. The spent grain shouldn't be a problem but if that is changed something else may be too. Compare the tag on line to one on the bottom of the bag.

That's just how his feet looked with the tiny surface cracks. The pony's feet were fine but she has little black granite chunks for feet. Both had coats that looked faded and dry too.

Maybe add more fat? 3% isn't much. A cup of rice bran or some flax. Rice bran is easier to find here.

I never found that trotter made them hot. Even if molasses is the 4th ingredient I have to honestly say I never could see, feel or taste it in the pellets. Doesn't brick up in the cold like a lot of molasses feeds do. I could leave it in an unheated room and scoop the same as in summer. Molasses sticky feeds I'd have to keep inside the house or you had to break it with a hammer.

Never more than a suspicion about the change in the feed. Now that I see that pic I'm a little more suspicious. King died before I had him on a slightly different diet for very long, he was 35. Can't really blame the diet or any changes in it. He was still very strong and active. The pony has now been on something different for more than a full year. She is back to being a rich dark chocolate with dapples, she is 37.

I'm curious now. Compare the tags please!
 
#14 ·
Okay I will! I had them on sport formula but they're not in any heavy work and the sugar content was crazy so I was recommended to try Trotter. My new gelding needs weight so was wondering if the Omega max would maybe help that? In summer it's not an issue cause they're on plentiful grass. I also don't want to switch back to sport because I don't like the sugar content. I thought all my guys started doing well on trotter but now I'm worrying that they're not! Lol.
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#15 ·
I'm thinking maybe the brewing process is leaching out something needed in hair and coat. The pdf tag is the old tag. Same as I read it for years and years. Then I started pondering the horses condition and noticed the change in the tag.

I think if you were to add a cup of rice bran to his diet those little cracks will fade away and grow out. They really are just on the surface. King's coat was starting to get it's rich golden color back. He hadn't been getting the rice bran with his trotter long enough for his feet to change yet. Even with the cracks he had good strong feet.

Are you in the part of NY that is in drought? The western portion near the lakes? Add that to something lacking...
 
#16 ·
I constantly worry that I'm not feeding my horses the right regiment. Sport I was told was a big no no (by a blue seal nutritionalist) so I started them on trotter. I thought they were doing well on it but tomorrow ill have to take pix and compare to before I started them on it.

I'm in southern NY towards the city.
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#17 ·
You need to compare pictures during the same season. Big difference in winter vs summer coats on a lot of them. I know my app I have now and the one I had as a kid had almost 2 sets of markings.

Those crack are just surface cracks. I could actually brush them out with a rasp. I did once because my daughter was giving me crap about making feet look pretty. Did it just to prove to her I can.

I wouldn't worry about it. Trotter is a nice feed. For an older one that has been around a long time it is fairly low starch. I fed it for over 20 yrs with no issues. And what I noticed in my own horses could very well be caused by reaching advanced old age. King colicked in the night and kinked a gut. It was too late when I found him. 35 yrs isn't ancient but it's respectable. He went the distance.

I'm so certain the last round of trotter I bought did mention the spent grain from the brewery. I forget how it worded. It shouldn't be a problem because fermentation used up most of the sugar and starch. The tag online is the one I saw year after year unchanged. I do read them periodically. I think now I'm going to save one from time to time. Write the date on them and tuck them away.



That picture is King taken just 2 days before he died. Not bad for an old man.

and King at 17ish. Trotter fed the whole time. It's just that sneaking, nagging suspicion something was different. It could even be just me still mourning his loss. I do so miss the big dopey muscle head and all the chaos that came with him.

I don't mean to worry you needlessly. If I go into town today I'll have to read a bag of trotter. It's really bugging me now.

Trotter is still a nice feed. Don't worry.
 
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