A field guide to HOOF CRACKS

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First the good news: The vast majority of the time, those cracks, chips and dings you find on your horse’s hoof walls will be harmless blemishes.

Then there’s the bad news: On rare occasions, a hoof crack may be a serious problem that leads to unsoundness. Or a persistent crack may be a sign of chronic trouble. In a worst-case scenario, a deep crack may provide an entryway for potentially life-threatening infections inside the foot.

The key, of course, is to be able to distinguish the difference.

“Many of the cracks that we see out on the farm, probably at least 90 percent, are not going to cause lameness,” says Dean Moshier, a farrier in Delaware, Ohio, whose clients include pleasure horses as well as top-level athletes. “Most are just superficial cracks, where the surface of the hoof wall looks rough and layered like shingles on a roof.”

Still, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on hoof cracks. Some that are minor to start with may worsen, and if your horse’s hoof cracks seem to be chronic, it’s a good idea to figure out why and take steps to prevent them. Here’s what you need to know.

CAUSES OF HOOF CRACKS

Hooves generally crack under pressure from some sort of trauma. The forces contributing to the crack can originate within the hoof—if there are balance problems from poor or neglected farriery work, for example, or conformation issues that place unusual strains on the hoof wall. And, of course, cracks can be caused by external traumas—any single serious blow to the hoof can cause injury, and cracks may also develop due to repeated concussion, such as the horse who gallops