Quarter Crack Why Pull A Quarter Crack Together?

Why would you want to pull a crack together? Typically done with sutures, screws, etc?

I wonder the same thing!

I can't think of any good reasons. Cracks open for a reason.

Though I've seen pictures and case studies, I've never personally encountered a quarter crack where there was significant movement (bleeding) in the crack at the coronary band. If I run into that situation I would be thinking about doing something to stabilize the crack with screws, wire, or a composite patch.

I did patch a quarter "cut" one time. Horse nearly cut off its heel across the quarter and through the bar and ungual cartilage when it stepped on a piece of sheet metal. Vet sutured the heel bulb back together and had a farrier apply an egg bar shoe. I saw the horse about 3 weeks later. The heel bulb was doing well but the hoof wall (about 1- 1/2") behind the cut was lose and flopping back and forth. So I applied an external composite patch to tie the lose heel section to the rest of the wall in front of the cut. In 6 months the whole thing grew out connected, but there was a "zipper" of scar horn that never went away.

I worked on a World Champion Halter horse last yr that was purchased with a quarter crack. (I threw the World Champ part in because everyone always seems to think that is important, since contest shoers are considered Hammer Heads that don't really shoe horses.) Anyway....... Whoever had shod it before me, had it laced up and patched over it. When the horse was worked, it would bleed, but surprisingly was never lame. I tore off all the patching and sutures and balanced the foot and floated it from in front of the crack back and built a barshoe for it. I debrided the crack and left it open. I told the owner to keep it clean but that the horse should be ok with working. At the next shoeing the owner said that he was doing fine and had not bled at all. I simply trimmed and reset the foot the same way for about 6-8 more shoeings and the crack grew all the way down. I think that some farriers try to over complicate issues to make themselves look like heroes. Just simple balancing and fitting correctly will fix these cracks!

Besides injury to the foot do farriers believe that quarter cracks are man made because of balance issues .

I know of one world champion halter horse that kept blowing quarter cracks until the owner stopped giving the horse steroids.

Tom do you think this caused a balance issue in the horse ?

William, I think quarter cracks are man made unless like you said a foot could have an old injury that makes it difficult to treat. I think when a quarter crack occurs that it is easier for farriers to blame something else, instead of themselves.

I agree every quarter crack I have worked on (other than injury) have been a balance issue.

I think this particular case was the result of the owner being stupid/cheap/negligent in caring for the horse's feet and also a possible link to weak horn production with the use of steroids.

A "halter horse" doesn't do anything athletic enough to blow a quarter crack, but halter horse owners will fire you in a heart beat if they catch you trimming the heels. "Gotta be fifty seven degrees, son."

Once in a while I think some horses are predisposed to quarter cracks due to their conformation. In general I think good shoeing and trimming get the job done.

I can see putting a patch or something to stabilize a foot but I don't really understand pulling the crack shut. Especially on some of the big upper level jumpers. You really can't take the chance of not stabilizing the crack.

Yes Tom I know what you mean I did halter horses foe a while , I still do one for a good client .They are like shoeing beef cattle (big body no legs )

Doesn't sound like anyone here advocates pulling cracks together. I was hoping to hear an argument in favor of pulling the crack together

I agree. Though I'm not sure it would matter if you did because the insensitive lamina (being quite flexible) is going to give you a lot of wiggle room and the sensitive lamina and coronary band is going to adjust anyway.

Regardless, I think If I was to patch a quarter crack I would try to stabilize the hoof capsule with the hoof unloaded but not apply any force to try to pull the crack together if it was open.

I had a dumb blood show jumper that came to my practice with a medial quarter crack - just starting at the coronary band. I got that one to grow out without doing anything but basic shoeing and paying attention to M/L balance and shoe fit. So far in my practice I haven't encountered a true full blown quarter crack. But I ain't a scear't of dealin' with it if I do.

This horse came to me in September with long toes and a Quarter crack from an old injury . It was 3/4 the way up the wall and you could move it with your hands . I just trimmed and balanced the foot along with slight relief to the area and floated the heel along with a egg bar to help cover the heel area. 6 month's later it is almost gone with no glues, screws or lacing.

I believe we must differenciate beetwen a quarter crack that has the coronet bandage sound,and a quarter crack whose coronete band has cicatricial tissue and never will sound.In this last case,the lacing or another holding is neccesary.

To me thats not a quarter crack.a true quater crack starts at the hairline , And there is bleeding from the crack , and usually lameness.
Not to say that that crack dosn't need to be addressed, It just is not what i call a real quater crack .

Here is an essay on quarter cracks that provides a good definition and some pictures to go along with it. http://www.equipodiatry.com/article_quarter_crack.htm
IMO the "etioligy" section of the essay is spot on.

One thing that jumps out at me as food for thought quite pertinent to this discussion is this;
"Types of implants described previously include fiberglass and screws, screws and wires, various suture patterns, and clamps that apply tension across the crack.12-15 These methods have been somewhat cumbersome; the screws present a risk, because they often impinge on the dermis and uniform tension is rarely achieved across or within the defect."

It is a true quarter crack , ( no bleeding when I started to work on the horse but I'm sure it did when it first happened ) if you look close the injury started above the hair line and went the whole way to the bottom . It was an old injury that started to split again. I'll get a better pic next time at the barn