Quarter Cracks -Causes and Fixes

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Horseshoeing And Quarter Cracks – Causes And Fixes
By John Silveira


 Quarter cracks are vertical cracks in the hairline or coronary band of the horses hoof. They can be large or small, they can bleed and they can make a horse lame. Since the crack is sometimes an open sore its best treated in some way. Depending on the causes of the cracks they don't all heal by themselves unless something specific is done.

The problem with dealing with quarter cracks is the movement and stresses put on the foot that spread the crack and prevent it from mending. If the horse becomes lame the problem usually can't be ignored.

There are several types of fixes requiring a bit of skill and expertise in order to achieve a mend and recovery. There are also several reasons that quarter cracks occur as well – becoming aware of the reasons can go along way toward prevention.

Quarter cracks can be caused by a thin hoof wall (a genetic disposition) as well as low under slung heels combined with too long of toe. Uneven balances all contribute to the possibilities. When the heels of the horse are too low and the toe too long the downward pressure from the weight of the horse on the hoof is misplaced and the foot gets stressed in a certain point – the crack is the result. Obviously a horse involved in hard work and stressing the feet can be susceptible.

Shoeing the horse correctly is one of the first places to start for prevention.

The fixes are where things can get tricky – actually correct shoeing can be tricky as well but quarter crack lacing and repair is usually not an easy task. Probably the simplest method of repair is by just cutting the hoof wall directly under the crack where the hoof touches the shoe and creating a gap between the shoe and hoof there. By creating the gap the hoof at the area of the quarter crack no longer takes a pounding which keeps the crack open – in essence the area "Floats" giving the crack a chance to mend. This method works pretty well.

Another method is cutting a small piece of sheet metal and screwing it into the hoof wall at the location of the crack – the idea is to squeeze the crack together and hold it that way with the plate steel. I personally have used this method with mixed results.

A very interesting method of repair is to burn some slots into the hoof in the location of the crack one on each side of the crack – a nail (horseshoe nail) is driven through from one side to the other (in one slot out the other) and then the nail is pinched together thereby closing up the crack giving it a chance to mend. All in all quarter cracks can be a pain and become a chronic problem.

The first place to look for improvement and prevention is with the horse shoeing – making sure the shoeing is correct is paramount. And if your horse is popping quarter cracks there's a great chance that your horse is susceptible to risk of other lameness's as well.