I’d like to share a step-by-step quarter crack repair method that we have adopted at Chester County Farrier Associates. For 37 years, we have been seeing poor quarter-crack repair jobs, infections resulting in lame horses and repair failure. We needed to come up with a simple, easy-to-apply system.

This is not be an article on how to shoe these horses. I would like to assume some base knowledge that the horse is well-balanced and fit with the appropriate shoe.

In 2009, we repaired over 20 quarter cracks. All of the horses involved remained in work and had no complications as a result of this method. It is also designed to be simple for an owner to maintain, as the repair is meant to be self-cleaning.

Of the conventional crack-repair methods, we most often see the stitch method. Though somewhat effective in stabilizing the hoof, it is plagued by failure, even when applied by the most skilled. Some of these patches are nice looking, but lack function. Poor design leads to failure in several areas, including:

Un-weighting the heel area: This is a bad move — unless you want to keep coming back to “patch.” This is a sure way to make this an uphill fight.

Patches that create areas that may lead to infection. Patch separations that lead to small pockets, which can trap water and dirt, are more of a problem when you apply adhesives over wire stitching. The adhesive may come loose and the wire remains attached. Other…