Found a cheap trick for fixing hoof cracks that saved me a full day of work

Last Tuesday I had a horse with a quarter crack that kept splitting every time I tried to shoe it. I was about to spend 3 hours prepping it but then an old farrier told me to soak the hoof in warm water with epsom salt for 20 minutes before trimming. The crack stopped running and I got the shoe on in 45 minutes flat. Has anyone else tried this or do you just patch it and pray?

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terrywilson3mo ago

Man that is a real pain when a crack keeps running on you. I've messed with patching and praying way too many times and it never ends well. That epsom salt soak makes sense though, it softens the hoof wall just enough to relieve the stress points. I had a similar situation last month with a draft horse that had a crack going up to the coronary band, tried everything and nothing stuck. Finally let the hoof soak in a bucket of warm water for a good half hour and the crack stopped dead in its tracks. It's one of those tricks that sounds too simple to work but honestly sometimes the easiest fix is the best fix.

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spencer_hayes713mo ago

Oh man, ain't that the truth... gotta love it when a crack just decides to keep running like it's got somewhere important to be. @terrywilson you hit the nail on the head with that soak trick, it's almost annoying how well something so dumb works. I've spent hours and good money on fancy patches that just peeled off, but a little warm water does the job... makes you wonder who's really the professional here, right? Haha. Honestly though, sometimes I think the hoof just needs a break from all the glues and stuff we throw at it. Nice to hear someone else out there has the same "keep it simple, stupid" approach.

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