Hoof Care Provider/ Farrier Services

Traumatic Cracks

Denys Antonenko • March 22, 2023

One Minute Discussions #52

Discussing Natural Hoof & Horse Care

TRAUMATIC CRACKS

This horse was in my care and was improving but owner decided to take another approach in managing his crack so I didn’t end up seeing how his crack looked afterwards. I took the photo mid trim.

I do see that these injury/trauma cracks can be well managed! Couple of thoughts on how exactly it’s done.

If the crack is fresh and there’s still blood and exposed live tissue it’s best to keep it in a clean environment and in a hospital bandage until the tissues cornify and heal. Change the bandage daily and keep the hoof in a boot with soft padding.

For cracks like in the picture below I prefer to debride them, meaning not dig away anything too aggressive but simply remove excess material that may get caught and act as too much leverage. Clean out any dirt that may be packed in the injured area, manage any flares in other parts of the foot and soak the hoof in CleanTrax as often as possible to prevent bacterial invasion.

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Denys Antonenko

How to build a dry lot

By Denys Antonenko • April 23, 2024
Click on the button below to download the free PDF step by step guide to building a dry lot or scroll to look at the guide below!

Leave or remove the lamellar wedge?

By Denys Antonenko • April 21, 2023
One Minute Discussions #66 Discussing Natural Hoof & Horse Care LEAVE OR REMOVE THE LAMELLAR WEDGE? The lamellar wedge is the adaptation of the hoof to internal problems. And although it’s a sign of inflammation, it may still serve a purpose during rehab. It’s still responsible for “glueing together” the wall and sole, but that “glue” is not as strong as it’s supposed to be. So how do we address it in the trim. Everything depends on the horses comfort level and the condition of the lamellar wedge. It won’t be a wise decision to totally remove the lamellar wedge if it is soggy, weak and not fully keratinized. But in a lot of cases it is safe to remove most, if not all of it, if the lamellar wedge is keratinized, dry and sturdy (especially if we’re putting the horse in therapy boots). In some cases it is a good idea to trim the bottom, flared growth evenly with the well connected top growth in order to reduce leverage on the lamina as much as we can. Denys Antonenko

What causes lamina separation?

By Denys Antonenko • April 21, 2023
One Minute Discussions #65 Discussing Natural Hoof & Horse Care WHAT CAUSES LAMINA SEPARATION Yesterday on my group I posted a question… what causes lamina separation? And although we’re used to hearing the most common things that separate the lamina, such as poor diet, metabolic problems, excessive toe leverage, etc, we don’t often hear about the less common things that can lead to a path of lamina failure without us noticing it. You’ve heard me say it many times before that lamina failure is not a result of just one thing. There’s always multiple factors contributing to the problem. As an example, bacterial and fungal infections weaken the foot, and that can result in lamina separation. Mental and physical stress can increase hormone levels which may result in poor hoof health. Many different problems happening elsewhere in the horses body (skin issues, allergies, dental problems) can be a factor that leads to a weak lamina. Denys Antonenko
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