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While I feel like I know more about horse physiology than a lot of riders, I definitely don't know everything. I don't even know a fraction of everything. One of the (many) things that I didn't know was what a quarter crack actually is. Of all of the parts of the equine body to learn about, hooves are the one thing that I don't totally geek out about unless it comes to abscesses. I dig those. Near the end of last week, I think it was Thursday, I looked down at Izzy's feet like I always do and gave an involuntary wince. Crap. There was a pretty long crack growing from the bottom of Izzy's hoof towards his coronary band. It didn't look good. I immediately shot a couple of photos and fired them off to my farrier with the message, Should this be something to worry about?  That can't be good. I know just enough about hooves to recognize that it was a crack in his quarters. Wouldn't that make it a quarter crack? Every rider knows that quarter cracks are definitely not good. I have a really good farrier, so rather than consult Dr. Google, DVM, I waited for him to respond. He told me not to worry, but that he would be by to clean it up. That was a better reply than I was hoping for, but still. As we were nearing the end of my Saturday lesson with Sean Cunningham, owner and trainer at STC Dressage, I saw my farrier pull up. Rather than drive down to where he usually works on the horses, he stopped right outside the arena and waited for me to finish. Since it was just going to be a quick touch up, I didn't even bother to untack. I led Izzy straight from the arena to the truck.  Not as scary looking from the under side. Izzy only wears shoes in the front - long story, so the crack was on a hind hoof. My farrier took out his nippers and snipped away the hang nail. He did some work with the file and then repeated the process on the other hoof. As he finished, I started asking questions. First, I wanted to know if it was a quarter crack. For the first time, someone was able to give me a brief, but very intelligible explanation of what a quarter crack really is. He explained that while this crack did appear on Izzy's hoof quarter, it wasn't an actual quarter crack. Quarter cracks begin at the coronary band and go downward. In his words, the hoof wall at the coronary band is paper thin which makes it more susceptible to splitting and cracking. Speedy damaged his coronary band pretty severely a few years ago, and it did take quite a while for the damage to grow out. Even that injury wasn't an actual quarter crack; he ripped his coronary band open on something.  Cleaned up and ready to go. My farrier explained that the heal quarter is actually a thin part of the hoof and is made to chip away. As it chips off, it allows the horse to even out the rest of the hoof wall. For wild horses, this is a normal and natural process. While Izzy's hind feet were just trimmed three weeks ago, we had a deep, soaking rain a week or two ago which softened Izzy's feet. While messing around in his paddock, he probably caught the quarter of his hoof on something which tore it open without knocking it completely away. It was a lot like a human hang nail. When my farrier trims Izzy, he always adds a slight arch to the hoof wall which keeps the quarters from resting on the ground. This way, it doesn't tear off like Izzy's just did. When Speedy injured his coronary band, the vet and farrier did the same thing to aid Speedy's healing. For a regular trim, the arch is much flatter than the one they did for Speedy.  Speedy's "arch." Even though Izzy's hoof now has a pretty good chunk missing, my farrier assured me that horses do just fine with even bigger hunks missing. Damage to the upper part of the hoof is much more serious than anything below the midline of the hoof.  You can barely see it from the bottom. Izzy's not lame in any way, and knowing how quickly Speedy's hoof changed from day to day, I bet this grows back in before my farrier comes in three weeks. And if it doesn't grow in completely, my farrier won't even have to add a new arch; it will still be there.
Thank goodness for good farriers. I don't get to see my farrier very often because he typically comes in the middle of the day, and I am usually at work. For this month's visit, I of course was able to be there. It was great to see him, and even better to pick his brain. Both of my horses grow a fair of amount of foot which means my farrier comes every five to six weeks. Longer than that and we start to have problems, and not just with pulled shoes.  Speedy's hoof pre-trim - 5 ¼" My farrier is an integral part of Team Speedy (and Team Izzy, too), so when he talks, I listen. The truth is he never has anything critical to say. Either I am doing things right, or I am just blessed to have horses with good feet. It's probably a combination of the two, and having a great farrier hasn't hurt either. My farrier is well aware of Speedy's PPID diagnosis, so he understands why I have a lot of questions regarding the health of those feet.  Post trim - 4 ¾" A week or so ago, I tried to use EasyBoots on Speedy, but I just couldn't get them on. These are the same boots that I've used on him for years. I hadn't tried to put one on him since ... well I can't remember when, but it's been at least four years, maybe more. No matter how hard I pried and wedged and twisted, that boot just wouldn't go on. I eventually flipped the boot over and measured it against the bottom of his hoof. To my surprise, his hoof was wider than the boot by at least a quarter inch - all the way around. I gave up, and Edyta rode him barefoot.  I asked my farrier about it, and he explained it like this. Without a shoe holding Speedy's hoof wall in place, the wall has been able to expand and spread out. Not in a pancake way, mind you, but in a more supportive way. My farrier is really happy with how Speedy's feet have changed over the five years that he's been taking care of my horses' hooves. It was this farrier who suggested Speedy's earlier lameness issues were a result of him whacking himself with shod feet which was causing bruising. Once we pulled Speedy's shoes and his feet adapted to being barefoot, those random lameness bouts never returned.  Barefoot is not for every horse, of course, but it sure is convenient when it works. I got so tired of Izzy pulling shoes that I eventually rode him barefoot for a while. Sadly, his front feet just couldn't handle it. He wore them off to a diamond shape month after month which left him unbalanced in his movement. We compromised by putting shoes on the front feet only. He still pulls one every now and then, but leaving him barefoot in the back has worked out really well.  While my farrier's assistant was trimming Izzy's hind feet, he leaned around and asked if I've been doing much riding. Every day, I responded. He laughed and said that he could tell. Izzy didn't have anything to trim in the back, so he just ran the rasp around to smooth things up a bit.  Izzy's hind foot - nothing to trim off! Last month I wrote a post showing how the mystery hole in Speedy's foot was growing out. Just as I'd hoped, the last bit of the hole was long gone before my farrier even had a chance to trim it this week. The red circle shows where the hole was just five and a half weeks ago.  May 11, 2020 A good farrier is really worth his weight in gold. I am lucky to have found one that's both knowledgeable and reliable. He's also a really nice guy. If you're local and you read this post on Facebook, leave a comment about your own farrier. Even if you're not local, tell us how great your farrier is no matter where you live. I think we need to toot their horns a bit.
Back in February, a hole appeared out of nowhere in Speedy's hind hoof. It was one heck of a magic trick; one day his hoof was whole, the next day there was a hole in in it. Abracadabra.  February 9, 2020 I poked it, I took a stiff brush to it, and I doused it with Betadine. The next day, it looked nearly the same. I watched it for a few weeks, and then pointed it out to my vet when we were there two weeks later for a routine visit.  February 10, 2020 I think Dr. Tolley is an amazing vet, but I wish he didn't get quite so excited by all of Speedy's weird ass issues. I am fairly certain that when he sees my name on the schedule, he rubs his hand in glee knowing that I'm bringing in something strange and unusual.  Late February, pre-Dremel. Dr. Tolley whipped out his Dremel and went to work. His initial diagnosis was White Line Disease, but he wanted confirmation from my farrier. Thankfully, Speedy's white line came back clean which meant crisis averted.  Post-Dremel. Even though there was no sign of White Line Disease, I still treated it with daily swipes of Tea Tree Oil to prevent any issues to his White Line. About two-thirds of the way through March, the hole was looking quite good. It was clean with no sign of infection, and it looked as though it might come off with the next trim.  March 21, 2020 My farrier was back out for a new trim on Friday, April 3. My fingers were crossed that the hole would be gone after the trim, but Speedy just didn't have quite enough toe to remove. Both horses were a few days past five weeks growth. My horses just can't go longer than six weeks - Speedy's toes grow really fast, and Izzy often starts pulling shoes after the fifth week. For this trim, I had my farrier out a bit early to avoid this week's bad weather.  April 3, 2020 Given that the hole was at the top of the bottom third of Speedy's hoof wall just two months ago, I am delighted with how quickly the hole is growing out. By his next trim in May, the hole should definitely get trimmed away. It will be a miracle if we have no more hoof issues between now and then.
And Universe? This is not a challenge. We're dealing with enough weird ass crap right now. Ain't nobody got time for something else. As I mentioned the other day, my farrier was able to come out Tuesday, just a few days after our visit with our vet, Dr. Tolley. I have always assumed that everyone else loves their farriers as much as I do. I don't go through farriers very often. A few have retired or moved away; that's always a bummer. One turned out to be too rough with my horses. And for about a six month period I couldn't find anyone reliable.  Dr. Tolley (in the middle) and Brad Allen (farrier) My last farrier and I parted ways when he disagreed with my vet's assessment. My vet thought one thing, farrier thought another, and we decided to go our separate ways. The split was quite amicable, and there weren't any lasting hard feelings. It was then that I met my current farrier, P. Mullins. He's been doing my horses for very close to 5 years.  PM's first visit back at our last barn. When Dr. Tolley diagnosed Speedy with possible While Line Disease, I called my farrier a week early. To my relief, but not to my surprise, he was able to come out on Tuesday. I left him a lengthy voicemail detailing all of the concerns that Dr. Tolley had raised: 1) Speedy's possible White Line Disease 2) Speedy's current abscess - I wanted my farrier to give it a check three days after the vet had seen it. 3) Izzy's banged up hind foot My farrier texted back that he would look at everything. One of the wonderful things about my farrier is that he has two assistants so he doesn't need for me to be there. I would like to be there, and once or twice a year it works out, but for the most part, he just shows up on the scheduled day and texts me if he has any concerns.  One of Speedy's freshly trimmed feet. The good news is that my farrier could find no hint of White Line Disease. From what I gather, a quick way to check to is to trim the bottom of the hoof to "expose" the white line. If the horse has White Line Disease, the white line will have a white or gray powdery substance. Speedy did not show any of those signs. His white line was white. My farrier felt the hole was more likely the remnants of an old bruise or "whack," which is what I had originally thought. Either way, the hole needs to be doctored to prevent any kind of infection from forming. He agreed that the Tea Tree Oil was a good choice, but any disinfectant would work, even straight bleach.  My farrier also checked Speedy's abscess. He reported that while the abscess must have been deep, it looks like it's healing up just fine. He recommended keeping it wrapped until the hole no longer feels soft to the touch. he also suggested that I wrap until it's no longer pink. That's a hard visual to use since the Betadine stains the hoof red. It's still wrapped more than the seven days Dr. Tolley recommended. I'll reassess tonight, but I will probably leave it wrapped into the weekend.  No big deal. We never even talked about the little split in Izzy's hoof. It was just a small crack where the hoof wall had sort of bent, but not torn off. It looked a lot like a hang nail. And like a hang nail, my farrier just nipped it off. I've ridden Izzy several times now, and it's not even something that I can see.
I will say that my horses have been studied pretty hard over the past week. Right now, everyone is mostly healthy and fit. Speedy is just about to get back into work, Izzy would probably like a day off, and I KNOW I need a day off. Thank goodness for Fridays. #1 In the fall of 2017, Speedy sliced open his coronary band and separated the hoof capsule from the coronary band in the process. The injury kept him on the disabled list for several months. This link will get you to my last update which has links to the original injury.  Is it a line, or is it a crack? While he's been back to work without any effects from the wound, his hoof has never quite looked the same. My farrier hasn't expressed any concerns about it, but I've kept a close eye on it just the same. When Speedy was in to have his tooth pulled, I asked Dr. Tolley to have a look at the line that runs down the length of his hoof.  Dr. Tolley loves his Dremel Tool. Dr. Tolley whipped out his Dremel and went to work on Speedy's hoof. He closely examined the "line" running down Speedy's hoof wall. My farrier calls it a line, but it has always looked like a crack to me. The vet confirmed my farrier's diagnosis; it's a just a line and isn't causing any structural damage. When Speedy injured his coronary band, it left scar tissue which is affecting how one small bit of hoof grows out, but it's only on the surface. The "crack" doesn't extend into the hoof wall.  Just a surface line. Now that I know that it's just a scar and not a crack, I can quit worrying about it. I'll have to tell my farrier that he was right. The next time he calls it a "line," I won't insist on calling it a crack! #2 In other news, after 4 years of ruining fly masks, Izzy has decided to wear one. He's kept this one on for about a week. After riding and cooling my horses off with a shower, they get to graze freely on the grass down by the paddocks and pastures. One at a time though, I learned my lesson. One horse won't go anywhere; two horses wreak havoc just because they can.  Wrong size, super old, but he's wearing it! I decided to use the grazing time to see exactly how he was getting the fly mask off. I slipped it on under his halter, so that when I put him back, it was already on him. Instead of worrying about the thing, Izzy spent his whole time grazing. I think he forgot he was wearing the fly mask. When I came out the next day, it was still on him.
So that's been the routine: I hose him off, slip the fly mask under the halter, and let him graze for 30 - 40 minutes. When I put him away, I slide the halter off, and he doesn't notice a thing. I promised him a new one if he'd keep the old one on, but I am afraid to ruin what's working. For now, I am just going to continue with this ratty old thing until he's a confirmed fly mask wearer. After that, we'll see about a new one. |
About the Writer and RiderI am a lifelong rider.
I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010. Welcome to my dressage journey. 
Photo by Lori Ovanessian
About Speedy GSpeedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. After helping me earn a USDF Bronze medal in the summer of 2020, he is now semi-retired. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.
July 2020 (PC AJSK Photography)
About IzzyIzzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
March 2021 (PC Tess Michelle Photography)
FOR THE SMALLER EQUINE ATHLETE
I love her stuff!
Watercolor Artist and Friend
Bakersfield Dressage approved!
National Rider Awards
USDF Bronze Medal - 2020
USDF Second Level Rider Performance Award - 2018
USDF First Level Rider Performance Award - 2015
USDF Training Level Rider Performance Award - 2013
State Rider Awards
CDS Ruby Rider Award - 2018
State Horse Awards
Speedy G - 3rd Level Horse Performance Award - 2020
Speedy G - 2nd Level Horse Performance Award - 2018
Working Towards:
CDS Sapphire Rider Award Third Level: 63.514% Third Level: 62.105% Fourth Level: Fourth Level: 2022 Show Season
Show Rating (***) CDS/USDF/USEF (*) CDS (s) Schooling (c) Clinic (r) Ride-a-Test Clinic (Q) Must Qualify 2022 Shows Schedule
(*) Tehachapi 5/22/22 2022 Completed … Pending ... 2022 Qualifying Scores
Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) Qualifying 2 Scores/1 Judges/60%: Score 1: Score 2: Archives
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