Growing out a crack in a hoof - Barefoot

[GoodRedBlackRatio]

I very recently adopted a horse with some substantial cracks that were due to severe neglect by past owners - a month ago his hooves were giant, flat, cracked pancakes.

He just had his second barefoot/mustang roll trim (first trim beginning of july, second end of july), and I should really be recording the progress like you have done! The trimmer tells me it will take a full year to grow the cracks out, which are all the way up to the coronet band.

[logriffy]

well done I had the same issue only a front center crack was there for 3 full years on a 7yr old horse shod since 4. long toe high heel.... the same old thing. We started our barefoot journey because of this horse. farrier said hooves are too dry put pine tar on. used three jars of pine tar just kept cracking..started with Petes book and a rasp and started to bring back the toe and lower the heel. in 8 months totally removed the crack it never came back the horse was never shod again til sold

[prettyponybaby2007]

the horse i lease goes barefoot and at one point she did have a crack that we feared would turn into a quarter crack... our farrier said it would be fine... she was also having some sensitivity to the footing in our outdoor arena, so i got mustad's tuff stuff as i had heard good things about it... well, the crack has gotten better and the last time i rode her in that arena she was ok :)

[LaRanaTJ]

Fabulous. Great to see this. Would be good to give a little more information. I see people are asking the time frame etc Any and every piece of information possible to get more people down the barefoot road, I say. I am an equine podologist and compete in Endurance. Horses I have transitioned (including one who suffered quarter cracks for 2 years before he came to me) compete in jumping and dressage - BAREFOOT

[gemtwist49]

i know lots of unskilled farrier and lots of unskilled trimmers. Ask for thier qualifications. its takes more then a few weeks to learn how to trim. and trim alone. shoeing takes even longer to learn .

[gemtwist49]

I am a conventianal Farrier who proforms physiologically corrective trims as more often then not shoes are not an option. if a horseowner commits to a hoof maintenance schedule for growing out a crack or even founder with skilled hand alot is possible. Skills come from practise and informed research.

[semtech30]

Bravo!

Barefoot's ok but as you say, must trim little and often to maintain the angle and shape. Do not allow any flaring.

Address any heal contraction which accompanies these cracks.

Laminitis lurks behind every crack.

[ztr003]

May I ask how long this took to grow out?

[nadjakarin]

All horses can go barefoot if the owner does a little bit of work... Use hoof boot in a period of time or when needed... I have a Norwegian Dale horse... In Norway we have a lot of rain and soft and muddy terrain in autum and spring. Raw ice in winter and hard dry terrain in summer... And my horse had 8 years in bad shoe before he got barefoot...

[mlaroche2k8]

you fcuking retard how the fucks it abuse my anglo arab mare does show jumping all over the country barefoot is better .. mongface

[hoofforeeya]

could we see the sole views please?

[barefoot4horses]

This horse when wearing shoes had cracks for some time it has only been with trimming little and often that it is knitting together and the crack it almost gone. This has been achieved through trimming, diet and exercise.

[XxTheNewGenerationxX]

This is abuse if your horse dosen't have tough enough feet. If your horse dosen't have hard feet dont go barefoot if you have a mustang or a quarter horse thats lived outside all their life they perfere barefoot.

[boskox]

how the hell is it horse abuse? you really need to educate yourself more on horses hoofs and horses in general. shoes can cripple a horse shoes are not natural, so going natural with treatment better serves the horse... go cry elsewhere you idiot.

[XxTheNewGenerationxX]

If a horse dosen't have tought enough feet and it gets a rock or crack in their hoof and the owner dosen't do shit its abuse dumb ass.

[farrierlinlithgow]

shoes will only cripple a horse if fitted incorrectly, bare foot trimming has its place but a large majority of horses need shoes to protect their feet and prevent excessive wear and imballances because very few horses actully live in their natural envirnoment and through breeding many horses have poor conformation, week walls and thin souls. shoes are needed to keep them sound.

[boskox]

what? stop sounding so ignorant?! these people have been working on the hoof, this stuff doesnt cure overnight, it takes time... it's not that the owners didn't do anything about it, educate yourself on quarter cracks and sand cracks before you make an asumption on what happened to the hoof. not all horses have hoof problems like that from abuse, some are proned to it. when you've grown up and educated yourself, then maybe you'd be worthy of a conversation. You have alot to learn.

[XxTheNewGenerationxX]

Oh my gosh! I never knew that let me put that in my book of stuff a begginer horse-wo/man knows!

[hoofforeeya]

You don't know what you are talking about. I am a barefoot trimmer and some of the worst horses i have worked on were horses that were barefoot but trimmed improperly by a farrier. Any horse can go barefoot but if the horn is soft, you have to look at their diet or health.