can anybody tell me...

[kristin]

hi, i was just wondering if anybody can tell me what they think about these hoofs. i have already talked to a farrier, but i just wanted to see what others (a third party) would have to say about these
any help would be great

[horselady]

Long and stress cracks from walking in rough ground with long toes.JMO
Should be trimed and rolled over if left barefoot, and perhaps trim more often to help crack grow out and not continue upwards.
it is growing from the coronary band ok, just when comes down the hoof.starts to crack.

Back feet are really long,

[Lady_MCSE]

Um, not sure exactly what kind of opinion you're looking for ... all four look way too long to me ...

If you haven't done so, check out the thread on posting hoof photos. More pictures from different angles including the bottom would really help.

Hoof Photo Posting Pointers: Part 1

[Cait]

Originally Posted by horselady

Long and stress cracks from walking in rough ground with long toes.JMO
Should be trimed and rolled over if left barefoot, and perhaps trim more often to help crack grow out and not continue upwards.
it is growing from the coronary band ok, just when comes down the hoof.starts to crack.

Back feet are really long,

Agreed.

Depending on if the cracks are deep and if they keep going, I would suggest getting the front feet shoed. My mare has the same problems and had a crack grow extremely deep and tall. She now has shoes and a patch on her front feet and is doing much better. Keep an eye on them to make sure he doesn't go lame.

[kristin]

hi,
i am mainly looking at the front feet. as far as standing on hard ground we have had a mild summer, she basically has not been worked all summer until now, she has had these for the last 3 years that i know of and never had any lameness issues with her. the cracks are not deep at all. she is on a regular trimming schedule every 7-8 weeks. has never really had any hard riding. i will get better pics.

[Lori-olio]

They're definitely a little too long. Maybe you should try getting her on a shorter schedule...5-6 weeks?

I know a gelding who had a crack like that in one of his front hooves for the past 4 years and it hasn't grown out with 5-week trims, nor shoeing, nor any special trimming techniques. However, it hasn't gotten any worse and it doesn't affect his soundness (he's a reining horse) so I'm not sure.

[Mav2007]

I had a friend whose horse had a crack like that in one of his front feet. If the hoof got to long, the crack was more obvious, so it seemed evident that keeping the hooves short was imperative. They also put him on biotin for hoof strength. They always thought it would grow out, but it didn't and over the course of the two years I saw this horse, he never had lameness issues and the crack never grew out.

[little_S]

My mare also has these cracks on her front hooves. The farrier doesn't worry about them as they are superficial.

I'm sure it has to due with her toes being to long but try telling your farrier to shorten them up it hard.

My mare has been barefoot all her life and the cracks never bothered her even with trail riding.

I'll bevel the outer wall now and again between trims to keep the crack off the ground.

Here is my mare's one crack. She's beveled a bit too much in this photo.

(she's not on level ground or standing sqaure in this photo)

[evelynwolfe]

My mother's barrel horse did this too. He never had any lameness issues, but yes she does look a bit long there, and is that a bruise I see on the hoof wall in the bottom photo? I guess technically it would be her left hoof....anyway it looks sortof pink there in a rounded pattern.
Basically, are these quarter horse hooves? I know every quarter we've owned we've had to keep on a 5 week trim schedule in order to keep the cracks under control. Your farrier should be able to pack the crack with something to make it look more comsmetically appealing if you're worried about that. But if it doesn't bother the horse then I would not worry about it. Leo had his cracks for 18 years, Cutter has had his for 2...doesn't bother them, just keep an eye on it, and if it gets any deeper or wider then I'd worry.

[evelynwolfe]

Oh, and a bevel on the front hooves is much easier on the hoof wall when there is no shoe to keep the edges from cracking and peeling, it's also refered to down here as a "mustang roll".

[kristin]

thats what my farrier said is that they are superficial and not too worry. again i have never had any lameness issues with her, i am in the process of getting better pics. i know she is due for a trim here in 2 weeks and i was going to talk to him them. i guess the reason of my concern is because i have had lost one sell and a possible trade on this mare becuase of her hoofs. even though i give them my farriers number and tell them i am open to have them have whoever check them out. but i wanted to find out others opinion and hope that what my farrier has said is true, not that i dont trust him just nice to get a third party opinion. agian i will get better pics

[Sirita_88]

Originally Posted by kristin

thats what my farrier said is that they are superficial and not too worry. again i have never had any lameness issues with her, i am in the process of getting better pics. i know she is due for a trim here in 2 weeks and i was going to talk to him them. i guess the reason of my concern is because i have had lost one sell and a possible trade on this mare becuase of her hoofs. even though i give them my farriers number and tell them i am open to have them have whoever check them out. but i wanted to find out others opinion and hope that what my farrier has said is true, not that i dont trust him just nice to get a third party opinion. agian i will get better pics

You have 2 more weeks to go? I think we are all more concerned about how long her toe is rather than the crack. I am really picky about my feet after my navicular horses (who were totally sound for years when I bought them) I would be leary of buying a horse with that long of a toe. I would start having her trimmed more often and get that toe back underneath her.

[kristin]

i am going to talk to the farrier when he comes out and see about shortening her feet. i do have her on biotin and hope that helps. i took another pic of her foot hopefully it is better.
if this is all superficial then how do you go about telling perpective buyers that?

[muttduck]

If your buyers know anything about hooves, they should be able to tell if the crack is serious enough to deter them. A letter from your farrier wouldn't hurt, though.

[horselady]

If you are trying to sell this mare i would not wait two weeks for a trim, looks like she is over due and that is why people are not showing that much of an interest. they probably feel that if her feet are long what else has not been done. Now if I were looking her feet would not be a concern to me at all.

[lbequ4002]

in the last photo you posted it looks like her feet are beginning to chip or self trim. her hoofwall has waves. some horses have more waves than others due to diet changes, sickness etc. i would have you farrier show you how to do a mustang roll and touch up her trim in between visits.

[EquineAlberta]

I don't think it is possible to judge if the hooves are too long based on those photos as some horses have deeper/lower soles than others. A warmblood for example, tends to have a longer hoof/lower sole than a QH.

I also think the waves are interesting, as it looks like the middle of the hoof may be wearing faster than the rest, resulting in that part "dropping". Wouldn't a mustang roll just further this change? This is a horse i would likely shoe, to help level up her foot and improve its natural wear pattern.

The waves on Little_s's horse are doing the same thing...dropping in the middle. The lines should be level along the wall.

I would wonder if the waves are what are causing the crack.

You should be able to show potential buyers that the crack is superficial by looking at it from underneath...the crack isn't through more than the outer wall...if it were deeper you would be able to see it from underneath when you pick up her hoof.

Karen

[lbequ4002]

I believe the waves are not from uneven wear. They are what is growing down from the whiteline. I went to a clinic a few months ago and we talked about this subject in depth and what I was told was waves are a change in the attachment of the coffin bone to the hoof wall. Not founder just a change. Of course the deeper the wave the worse whatever it was that caused the change. My clinician said some horses get waves due to spring grass or changing feed or hay or pasture. others are not as bothered by those types of changes. think of it as if something happened to you cuticle, like you slammed you finger in the door or something, you nail might grow inwavy for awhile until that part gtrows out. i'd be willing to bet from the side your horses feet have a slight dish and a forward-pulled toe.

[EquineAlberta]

I was always taught that the lines themselves are from changes in feed/growth, but that the wavyness was from either uneven growth from the coronet (such as from an injury to the coronet) or from the hoof wearing unevenly and causing parts of the wall to come against less resistance and therefor grow faster. When I look at the coronet band it does look like the middle part is lower and that the coronet band itself shows waves....the hair may be misleading though...easier to see if it were clipped.

Karen

[ChasnCans]

I know your not asking about the back feet, BUT they are really long.

I wouldn't wait two weeks. It may turn ppl away when they come out to look and see long toes, sometimes that means that the owner does not keep up on basic 4-5 week trims.