I have a 7 year old mare that has a split running top to bottom in the middle of one of her front hooves. It does not go into the coronary band (just below it) and she has never been lame from it. We've been treating her for white line disease which is what our vet could see in x-rays on both front hooves. We've had her two years now and tried putting shoes on the front with leather pads this spring. The farrier rubs something into the bottom of the hoof wall as prescribed by our vet. She has been reset once now and it doesn't look any better. Last summer we soaked her twice in Clean Trax and we thought that was helping some, but by spring she didn't look any better.

Hmmm, I don't have any experience with this one -- it could be one or several things going on.  Just from your description, I would guess either a mechanical stress that is pulling the hoof wall apart because of how she moves or of how her foot is shaped or/combined with an inherent weakness in the hoof wall.  Remeber that a split all the way up the hoof will take about a year to grow all the way out so you will not see results for a while of any treatments. 

You didn't mention if she was any hoof supplements to strengthen her feet?

Not too sure about the crack, but the best thing I've found for white line is hot shoeing.

My qh Abe came to me with a long crack up the center of each front hoof.  It has been a trial to get rid of them.. One grew out nicely directly after a nasty abscess which blew out above the crack at the C band. Yippee!!  

I believe his were caused in part by tight shoeing in his past. His hooves are narrow and contracted. Tho they are coming around they will never be as round as they should be.  They never seemed to cause him any lameness issues other than the abscess. 

My best advice is to leave the shoes off and trim them to control any flaring and also make sure the toe wall is not in ground contact. Put a strong bevel on the toe.  I have some pics somewhere. If you want to see them let me know.

 

 

The only horses I have seen with a crack up the toe have squred off looking hooves. The best thing for her would be a very good trimmer/shoer. It only takes 7 to 9 months to grow a complete new hoof.

Be sure the shoer uses a foot stand and brings all 4 feet forward onto it.

 

You've got to get the torque off that crack or it will keep splitting up and up into new growth coming down from the coronary band. If the coronary band becomes compromised as well, there could be permanent damage.

Its the bevel that's going to do that, without a shoe and it comes with the barefoot trim (not a pasture trim) So you need a barefoot trimmer. 

If she had "pancake" hooves and bell shaped hooves, that's flare and flare hurts. 

Too much toe out front, pulls on the heels with every step and migrates the whole hoof forward out from under the horse's descending weight and its called flare forward. 

All the flare on this hoof is torquing when the hoof is trying to break over the toe and leave the ground. This torque has probably caused this crack and its not growing out because the torque is still on. 

If you'd had regular trims and flare improved, its possible that the walls have been thinned, in which case, I would rely on the bevel to get it off the ground and not trim from the top at all and thin the wall further. It all depends on the thickness of the existing wall.

Stick close to the vet's instructions on the infection going on. That crack is an open window literally inviting the baddies in. It's attacking the white line and that's your hold of hoof to bone...no laughing matter.

A good balanced trim...get the torque off the toe. 

Horses don't survive by showing weakness and lagging behind the herd. I'd bet your mare is in pain, cause flares hurt...now add a crack that is splitting open and ripping farther up the hoof with every step..now add infection. She sounds like a tough specimen indeed! Suffering in silence and its time to heal already.  

I've never had this issue.  I've heard, however, that when you have a split hoof you should get your farrier to either (a) superglue it or (b) get him to put in the nails.  What I mean by "put in the nails" is that some farriers put clinches in a sideways V shape on the crack...like stitches!

Twilight_Jumper:

I've never had this issue.  I've heard, however, that when you have a split hoof you should get your farrier to either (a) superglue it or (b) get him to put in the nails.  What I mean by "put in the nails" is that some farriers put clinches in a sideways V shape on the crack...like stitches!

 

 

That's an expensive way.  Simple correct barefoot trimming will do it much safer.. and cheaper.