A Comprehensive Guide to Quarter Cracks in Horses
Quarter cracks are one hoof problem that can derail your riding for months and may become chronic. Or, it’s a one-time incident that doesn’t cause lameness and heals quickly, never to return. There are many causes, treatments, and preventative measures to consider in your horse’s health care. Quarter cracks in horses are often sneaky, so prioritize hoof care in your horse grooming routine.Â
Table of Contents
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This is a shallow quarter crack on a shod horse with a pour-in pad.Â
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Defining Quarter Cracks and Their Impact on Hoof Health
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- The quarter of a horse’s hoof is like the side wall, which you can see when looking at the hoof’s profile. These vertical cracks begin in the coronary band and travel down the hoof wall. It’s also possible that such an injury can happen anywhere around the hoof, but it’s most common at the quarters.Â
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- For some barefoot horses, quarter cracks may begin at the bottom.Â
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- The depth of the crack will vary, as will the length. If caught early, you may be able to stop the progress down the hoof wall. Some will bleed, while others are more shallow.Â
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- These injuries can be painful, create soundness issues, and leave the hoof susceptible to infections. Our lovely equine friends do love to trample through mud, shavings, and footing that is not the most sanitary, sometimes allowing microbes to invade.Â
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This horse has many cracks, including a few on the quarter. Notice the larger crack down the toe – this could originate in the coronary band.Â
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Hoof Anatomy is the Key to Understanding Defects and CracksÂ
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- The hoof, while it seems solid, is a complex structure with many parts that flex, contract, and interact with the leg. Knowing general hoof anatomy gives insights into what happens inside that affects the outside and vice versa.Â
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External hoof anatomy
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- Looking at the hoof, you first see the hoof wall. It’s the hard outer layer of the hoof and is made of keratin, just like hair and nails. The wall grows out from the coronary band, that ring of tissue and hair directly above the hoof wall. There are three primary parts to the wall – the toe (up front), the heels (in the back), and the quarters (the sides).
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- You see the sole, frog, grooves, and bars when you lift the hoof. The sole is the flatter surface. The frog is the squishy V-shaped tissue, bordered by grooves, and has another groove down the middle. The bars are a hoof wall extension around the frog.Â
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- There is also the white line, which is a layer between the wall and the sole. It’s not white as much as it’s yellow. You can only see it when your horse is barefoot.Â
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Internal hoof anatomy
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- The hoof capsule holds bones and soft tissues that support your horse’s weight with the hoof wall. The coffin bone at the end of the leg is also called the P3 or distal phalanx. Tucked behind the coffin bone is the navicular bone. Above the coffin bone is the short pastern bone, also named the P2.Â
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- Surrounding much of the bones is the laminae, a series of folded soft tissue that glues the bones to the hoof wall. Above the frog is the digital cushion, a squishy area that absorbs shocks. Connective tissues and bursa also help support weight and create movement.Â
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Read about horse hoof anatomy, made simple, here.
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Bones of the horse’s lower leg
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Causes of Quarter Cracks in Horses
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- Rarely does a quarter crack appear from the ether. There are many factors that can trigger this split, and addressing one or all of them is critical for healing. Many causative factors are genetic. Management and environmental factors contribute, too.Â
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Genetic predispositions to hoof problems
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- It’s a long list of hoof conditions that genetics influences, and each of these affects the overall health of the hoof.Â
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- Thin walls or thin soles will weaken the integrity of the hoof. The thinness may go hand-in-hand with brittle hooves, which tend to flake and chip.Â
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- Limb conformation, or how your horse’s leg is shaped, impacts hoof health. A horse may have long toes, an upright or club foot, contracted heels, or many other limitations that stress the hoof.Â
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- How a horse moves is also related to hoof health and can improve or lessen quality.
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- And it’s a myth that light hooves are weaker than dark ones. Science tells us this, and this article from a farrier journal explains.
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Environmental factors that influence the hoof
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- Every horse’s living environment will be different. Climate, mud, turnout time, exercise plan, and diet affect a horse’s hoof health.Â
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- Too much mud and moisture can soften hooves, but the other extreme of dryness can exacerbate brittleness in the hoof wall. Sometimes, there are no extremes here, but instead, the constant wet/dry cycle of dew, bathing, or mud, then shavings or dry lot.Â
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- Horses need to move. This movement is more than exercise and being ridden. It’s turnout, grazing, and play, too. The digital pad helps move blood up and down the leg as a horse moves about. Walking also creates movement of the structures, such as the walls, sole, frog, and everything else. As the old saying goes, “Move it or lose it!”
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- Horse care and grooming starts on the inside with proper nutrition. Feed for health!Â
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- Daily hoof care and regular farrier care are a must. It’s always a good idea to pick hooves multiple times daily and treat them for white line disease and thrush at the first sign of trouble. Don’t wait too long between farrier visits. This longer time makes every trim more drastic than it would be on a shorter schedule.Â
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This horse has some seedy toe going on. Â
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The most common direct causes of quarter cracksÂ
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- It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of some quarter cracks, but it’s usually directly linked to an imbalance. As the unbalanced hoof lands from a jump, cantering, or even walking around, that unevenness means one part of the foot undergoes excessive stress.Â
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- When coupled with poor hoof quality, the quarter crack may emerge.Â
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- Coronary band damage has a critical role in quarter cracks. Interferences, like forging or knocking, may damage the cells that create the wall. Damage to the coronet can be a one-way ticket to quarter cracks.Â
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Lameness Associated with Quarter Cracks
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- Not all cracks create lameness or pain. Many do, and it’s not always proportional to how that part of the hoof looks. The severity of the crack doesn’t always equal the severity of the pain or lameness.
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- Damage can go quite deep into the soft tissue of the hoof. You may see bleeding or drainage, which can come and go as a horse moves around. The wound may also bleed from the coronary band.Â
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- In other instances, the area has a superficial crack with no bleeding.Â
The chain reaction to complications
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- A small crack can grow into a fracture of the hoof wall. This is a severe injury to the hoof and likely won’t stop there.Â
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- Any pain can create lameness and, subsequently, an uneven gait. Any progression of lameness can lead to muscle soreness and more asymmetry in a horse.Â
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- With extreme pain comes substantial weight shifting. As a horse favors one leg, the partner leg bears the brunt of movement and support. This shift in weight distribution changes how the hooves grow, and may create standing-limb laminitis.Â
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- Open wounds make for easy targets. Bacteria and sometimes fungi love to live inside wounds. The major challenge in preventing lower limb infections is less blood flow to the area, so it’s harder to deliver oral medications there. And it’s impossible to keep your horse’s living quarters spotless to reduce infections, as they live outside in the muck and inside on shavings, which will inevitably get dirty.Â
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X-rays help your farrier do their job!
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Diagnosing Quarter Cracks
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- The best way to stop quarter cracks is to catch them early. And the best way to see them early is to inspect the coronary band daily. Clipping the band is a fantastic way to make this easier and keep hair, dirt, and moisture from interfering with minor nicks or cuts.Â
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Notice the early signs of hoof cracks
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- Other hoof cracks, like tiny vertical ones along the wall’s edge, are easy to see. These imperfections, often called grass cracks or toe cracks, are the perfect way for seedy toe, also known as white line, to enter the foot.Â
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- Horizontal cracks sometimes relate to an abscess exiting the foot via the coronary band. Also called gravel, these abscesses will interfere with hoof growth. There may be a squishy spot on the side of the hoof wall as the defect grows out, and it usually splits open as it grows down. Thin hoof walls don’t help, either.Â
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- Any lameness exam should include a thorough hoof inspection to determine any relationship to hoof health.Â
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Diagnosing Quarter Cracks
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- Diagnosis of a quarter crack in the outer hoof wall is relatively straightforward, and a visual inspection is usually all you need to confirm it. But – you want to find the cause of the crack to create the most appropriate treatment plan.Â
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- Your veterinarian and farrier can work as a team here. Your vet’s job is to diagnose, narrow down causes, run diagnostic tests like radiographs, provide a treatment care plan that may include oral or topical medications, and see how the hoof problem relates to the rest of the body. Your farrier is also a wealth of knowledge to carry out that treatment plan.Â
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Does your horse need x-rays?
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- Not all hoof cracks need X-rays. Quarter cracks are one instance where they are critical. As most quarter cracks erupt due to an imbalance, x-rays are the only way to see if the balance inside the foot matches the outside. These images help your farrier immensely by giving a visual guide to shape the hoof appropriately.Â
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- Radiographs also examine the bones to check for fractures, which can be related to the external crack. As a bonus, x-rays can also see abscesses and the extent of any white line disease, affecting the treatment plan.Â
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This horse has some little cracks and gaps along the hoof wall and a larger toe crack.Â
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Talk to your vet and farrier!
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- It’s so tempting to skip the vet and go straight to your farrier. But then you are asking your farrier to help your horse with incomplete information and without being able to prescribe any medications for pain relief and healing.Â
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Effective Treatment Options for Healing Quarter Cracks
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- Some change to trimming and shoeing is likely needed. And there are lots of options, but it boils down to what is appropriate for any particular horse.Â
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Shoeing options
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- Special horseshoes, like egg bars, reduce instability and hopefully stop any hoof wall separation.Â
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- These corrective types of shoes help balance the hoof and may extend over the frog, outward from the walls, or in any other shape to support the foot. It might be egg bars, heart bars, elevated heels, straight bars, roller motion, or flip-flop shoes. Composite materials or leather pads can be combined with a corrective shoe.Â
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- Special shoes help balance the hoof and support any changes to the angles that your farrier makes while trimming.Â
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This article goes into great detail about horseshoe types.
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Is Barefoot or Shod Best?
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- The only answer to this question is what works best for your horse. Horse owners should consider breeding, training, diet, access to turnout, footing, sole thickness, diseases or conditions, weather, and more when deciding if a horse should be shod or not.
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Shoeing plus pads may help a quarter crack. Sometimes barefoot is best, too.Â
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Topical applications
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- If your horse’s wound is open, bleeding, or at a greater risk of infection, your vet may suggest wrapping the area, using a boot to repel dirt, or topical medications.Â
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- Don’t coat open wounds in hoof polish or conditioner. Your vet should always advise you on the best topical treatment.Â
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Surgical options
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- And by surgery, it’s more like sutures. Metal stitches are common for deep cracks and act like stabilizing wires to support the area.Â
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- If there’s significant damage to the coronary band, surgical repair may be needed. This surgery doesn’t necessarily mean your horse wheels into the operating room, but it might. Some procedures can be done at the farm.Â
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- Sometimes, metal plates cover and stabilize the area. This may not be an option for all horses, as the plates screw into the hoof wall, which may weaken already compromised structures.Â
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How long do quarter cracks take to heal?
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- A quarter crack must grow out, meaning the hoof has many months to a year or more before it’s grown out completely. The exact length of time varies with the severity of the injury. The healing process may make the horse’s hoof more susceptible to re-injury, and regular vet visits and farrier corrections are needed along the way.Â
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Preventing Quarter Cracks
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It’s up to you to ensure your horse’s hooves are in fine working order. Here are some tips:
- It’s never bad for your vet to do a balance series of radiographs so your farrier has more information about balance and interior structures. Balance X-rays are never a one-time-only deal, as hooves are dynamic structures. Regularly repeating these is necessary, and your vet and farrier can tell you how often based on your horse’s needs.Â
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- Regularly inspect those coronary bands! All the way around.Â
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- Be mindful of the footing your horse exercises, lunges, plays, and rests on. Perfect footing in all aspects of your horse’s life isn’t ideal. They do benefit from some variety. And how your horse moves across these surfaces is essential! Just as you shouldn’t jump on hard surfaces, you shouldn’t jump on extra deep sand.Â
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- Treat more minor cracks early so they don’t become runaway white line disease.
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- Know your horse’s metabolic status. Many diseases, like PPID (formerly Cushing’s), affect the quality of the hoof.Â
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- Be mindful of the wet/dry cycles. Use protective hoof oil or polish that repels water in muddy and wet weather. In extra dry conditions, moisturize the feet.Â
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This hoof clearly shows the periople, the short area under the coronary band which helps protect the new hoof growth.Â
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Nutrition for Healthy Hooves
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- Nothing you put on a horse’s foot will work unless you feed some health from the inside.Â
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- A forage-based diet with commercial feeds and targeted supplements based on a horse’s needs is the foundation of horse health care, including the feet! And it’s more complicated than adding biotin to the diet. Proteins, calories, vitamins, and minerals all contribute to well-being.Â
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- Having your horse on a diet that fights inflammation is always a good idea. A fantastic source of anti-inflammatory goodness comes from Omega-3 fatty acids. A horse needs more Omega-3s than Omega-6s, so avoid corn oil and stick to flax, chia, or fish oils.Â
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- An equine nutritionist is an investment in your horse’s health, and for the cost of a swanky saddle pad or two, you can get an expert’s ideal diet for your horse.Â
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