My horse has a crack in his hoof. It is really thin, like if you drew a line with a sharpened pencil, but if starts at the bottom of his hoof and goes to almost the top. l do not know anything about cracked hooves... Does this hurt him? Is he ok to ride? Should l have our farrier check it out? Is there anything l can buy to put on it? Thank you!

Ask your farrier!

Definitely have a farrier come out. They will be able to tell if the crack is on the outer layer of the hoof or if it goes all the way through. If its all the way through, then it is very painful. Definitely dont ride him until you have someone come out. If its that bad, then there isnt anything you can put on it yourself. Good Luck!

Does the crack go past the coronet band? If not then u r probably fine. Cracks r very common in horse is feet, especially if they r barefoot. My TB certainly has enough of them! If he is not lame or tender on the hoof, then odds r he is fine. Mention it to ur farrier the next time he is trimmed. A wonderful hoof hardener is Keratex. You can order it online or get it through ur farrier.

A cause for concern would be if the crack started to widen or split further up the hoof. Then l would have the farrier out to take a look.

definatly get you farrier to check it out.

but is it an actually crack or is it just a dry split, because with barefoot horses, when their hooves dry out the top layer tends to split open a bit but the crack doesnt go any deeper than a couple of milermetres.

get some stockholm tar and brush it on this will put moisture into the hoof and seal it in.

You need to get a farrier out quickly. If he has a shoe, get that farrier out fast. If not, you still need to. l would hold off on riding and give him a thick layer of shavings in his stall until the farrier comes.

1st get the farrier out ASAP he can put a small cut horizontally to stop it unless the crack has gone all the way to the cornet band, then its going to cause problems.

2nd invest in some hoof softener to make the hooves more malleable.

It is not necessarily a dire situation. Yes, l would call the farrier if this does not normally happen to ur horse. But it is nothing that u need to be panicking about.

I've got an OOTB that always has cracked hooves. They never seem to bother him, & the farrier is never said it was an emergency to get them fixed etc. l would buy some hoof conditioner & put it on there, & then just keep an eye on it.

Sometimes they're grass cracks or sand cracks. Which basically happens from the grass, sand, dirt etc what have u getting stuck in a small crack & widening it. In that case just try to keep it clean.

There is stuff u can get from a tack shop called hoof sealant if you're really worried about it. And in the worst case scenario ur farrier can put on a shoe & some sealer to keep it together.

It is nothing to be freaking out about though. Just go by how it looks & how ur horse acts. Clearly if it looks like it hurts call the farrier now, but if ur horse is like my guy & just goes about business as usual it is prob not a big deal.

Do not put anything on it. Creams , gels, & oils can seal bacteria & fungi into the crack & produce biodegrading of the tissues. Sealants over harden the tissue & can actually cause more cracks to form. Just leave it be, & it will grow out from the coronet down. Be sure the horse is kept trimmed frequently, & has plenty of exercise on ground that is not too soft nor too hard. This will allow blood to perfuse the hoof tissues & allow for healthy new tissue to form. You do not need the farrier unless he is due for a trim. You might want to have that done even if it is a bit early. Be sure he is well nourished with the right balance of nutrients & minerals & he will do fine. Here is a link if u r interested.
http://thehorse.com/viewarticle.aspx?ID=127

It would be helpful to know why it has cracked, but it could be changes in weather (wet, dry, dry, wet, bathing a lot, etc). It could be poor trimming & bad shoeing practices.

Good nutrition is the key to good quality feet. Balanced nutriton with appropriate levels of vitamins & minerals r needed. It will take 8-12 months to grow in a new foot. In the meantime, get a good barefoot trim so that the crack is properly relieved from pressure from ground strike to prevent further damage. This is usually a relatively simple thing to correct. Do not put on any topicals or chemicals as they will cause harm.

My little mare had horrible foot care before l got her. Her feet r all split up to her bands. The split is just topical & not a threat to compromise her hoof. Other than that, she is fine. No worse than a snag in ur fingernail.
l keep her oiled up & on a farrier is care every 6 weeks. He said there is no need to notch (he is found that notching has not been successful anyways.not sure if that is true or not)
l do know that if the crack gets deep, the hoof starts to show signs of 'splaying' out.shoes may be in order!

Yes, you should have the farrier check it out. He can evaluate it and see if it is just a surface crack or something more.