Q. Should I cover up minor white line disease with a shoe or leave it bare for treatment? —Arkansas farrier

A: On most shoeings, if I come upon a spot of white line disease, I just hot-fit the shoes. I hot-fit all my horses unless they really don’t like it. We all see the black stuff on occasion, which I believe is the beginning of white line disease. I have had a few clients who didn’t want to be aggressive and go after the white line, so it got worse. They usually want to wait until down time, usually winter.

Sometimes I ask that they soak their horses’ hooves a few times in White Lightning plus vinegar and water for about 20 minutes in a 5,000-unit IV bag or a hoof-soaking boot. That really cleans the feet. I ask vets to save the bags for me, and I have three that I can loan to clients to use, for which I require a small deposit. I have had clients who did that three or four times a week, and then I went back and reshod the horse.

If I find more white line disease during my trim, I explore it, usually with a nail at first. If it is more extensive, I will get a curette, loop knife, etc., to clean away all the diseased tissue. I keep a couple of quart bottles of treatment solution. One has White Lightning in it, and the other holds vinegar. In a 20-cc…