White Line Disease and How To Prevent It

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Horses don't get sick as often as other animals. However, a horse's hooves are a breeding ground for most of the common horse diseases. The reason why is because horses spend most, if not all of their lives, standing and aren't able to lie down for any length of time without getting sick. This is why horse shoes are very important, and taking care of your horse's hooves and making sure they can withstand normal wear and tear is the most important part of horse care.
One of the most common problems in a horse's hooves is white line disease. This disease attacks the part of the foot where the hoof actually meets the foot, the inner hoof wall. If left undetected, it'll eventually cause the complete separation of the laminae and hoof wall and cause the coffin bone of the horse to rotate. It starts as a simple white line that may not look very serious, but as it deteriorates and eats away at the hoof, your horse will experience a great deal of pain. If you don't catch it and treat it, your horse will go lame and you may be forced to put him down.

The actual disease is a bacteria and fungi combination that usually lives around the barn or pasture but really thrives in a non-oxygen environment, like a cracked hoof. Horses become more likely to contact the disease if their hooves are cracked, have chronic infections like abscesses, are unbalanced, or have suffered some major trauma. It doesn't matter what horse breed you own: it affects all breeds and can be found in one or all four hooves.

The early signs of white line disease infestation are: a bulge shape in the hoof, a hollow sound when the hoof is tapped with a hammer, tender soles, and of course, a white line that's soft and chalky. If your horse has lost a shoe and piece of hoof, that may also be a sign of infestation. To figure out what the best treatment is, you should consult a veterinarian and a farrier. They may need to x-ray the horse's hoof to determine how extensive the damage is. The farrier will need access to these x-rays if s/he needs to shoe the horse therapeutically to support the weakened hoof wall.

The only way to stop it is by applying medicine (like bedatine, merthiolate, or two-percent iodine) and making sure your horse's hooves are filed down to the point there they are no longer affected by it. If the disease has progressed, this might be even harder for you to do. One of the best ways you can prevent this is to follow the same path when preventing other common horse diseases: making sure your horse is living in a safe, warm, dry, and clean area where they don't have to worry about bacteria.

Of course there are other common horse diseases, like colic, to which your horse may fall victim. Be a diligent owner who takes the time to make sure bacteria doesn't have a chance to grown and infect your horse, and you and your horse will be enjoying many happy riding years together.

Tendon Boots at TicTac Equestrian

Mark Todd Tendon Boots

We all need support, but for horses, proper support and care of hooves, legs and tendons is of paramount importance, especially when you're training your horses for competition of field work. 

Luckily, at TicTac Equestrian, we have an impressive, extensive range of Tendon Boots in store, from some of the finest quality equestrian brands out there, including Mark Todd, Tekna and Equilibrium.

Made from the highest quality materials, with the latest equestrian technology, these boots are perfect for providing additional support to your horses to avoid unnecessary pain or strain.

So for a full range of products, be sure to check out the official TicTac Equestrian site. 

Horse Hoof Abcess

We all love horses and one of our main concerns as owners is making sure our horses and ponies are happy, healthy and in tip top condition. There are a few common ailments that are easily treatable if you can spot early signs. 

One particularly trouble health condition in horses are hoof abscesses. 

A hoof abscess is a localized bacterial infection in the sensitive part of the hoof. Pus is produced as a reaction by the horse’s body to the infection which can accumulate within the layers of the hoof wall and causes increased pressure, causing significant pain. 

Most abscesses are found in the sole of the hoof, but other types of abscess can be found elsewhere. 

Signs of a Hoof Abscess
Typical signs of a hoof abscess include sudden and severe lameness and pain. The horse bears little to no weight on the leg with the abscess or may walk on its toe. 

Other signs include heat in the limb or hoof, an increased digital pulse, and can include a swollen leg and/or a low-grade fever. The tendons in the affected leg can become painful and swollen due to congestion of blood vessels. 

As the abscess progresses, the infection and pressure of purulent fluid (pus) accumulation in the hoof often cause severe pain until the infection works its way up the hoof wall and pops out at the coronary band, or the bulb of the heel or drains out the sole. 

Causes of a Hoof Abscess
A hoof abscess can be caused by a sharp object penetrating the sole of the hoof (such as a nail), or by bacteria migrating in to the defects, fissures and cracks in the white line. 

If the abscess is caused by bacteria migrating in to the hoof from the outside, a particle of sand or soil enters the softer white line area and becomes engrained in the sensitive 'lamina' area underneath the hoof wall, resulting in an infection inside the hoof. The infection can then travel up the hoof and drain at the coronary band or stay close to the sole of the hoof. An abscess can also occur under the bars of the hoof. 

The infection can also enter as a result of a nail driven too close to the white line, a hoof wall defect or hoof separation. Horses that have been shod and then go barefoot tend to have an increased chance of developing a hoof abscess until the hoof becomes stronger. 

Diagnosis of a Hoof Abscess
A hoof abscess can be diagnosed by examining the hoof for heat and pain, swelling and by the presence of a pronounced digital arterial pulse. 

If the horse is shod, the shoe is removed and the hoof cleaned. Hoof testers are often used to test the horses’ sensitivity to pressure in specific areas of the hoof to locate the point of origin. 

Treatment of a Hoof Abscess
While a hoof abscess can heal on its own, this is not recommended. An abscess can be extremely painful for the horse and the healing process will take significantly longer without intervention. It is recommended that you work with your veterinarian and/or farrier to diagnose and treat an abscess. 

If the horse is shod, the shoe is normally pulled. The hoof is then thoroughly cleaned and hoof testers can be used to help locate the point of entry and better determine the location of the abscess. 

Often a black line is identified and the line is followed to locate the infected area. Using a hoof knife or loop knife, a very small hole is made in the sole of the hoof to allow for drainage and provide relief of the pressurized fluid. When the pressure built up by the trapped pus is released from the hoof capsule, often a black or brown exudate will drain from the site and the horse will experience some relief immediately. 

If the point of origin and the abscess cannot be identified or the infection is too deep in the hoof, (the abscess could be deep in the heel/frog/bars region), no cutting or holes will be made. Cutting too much or going too deep can be more harmful than beneficial to treatment. If a drain hole is not able to be made or cannot sufficiently drain the abscess, then most likely the abscess will progress up to the coronary band and the pus will drain there…. a slower and more painful process for the horse. 

Whether a hole is made or not, it is important to keep the hoof as clean and protected as possible and to apply a poultice. If no hole is made, the poultice can help soften the sole. If a drain hole is made in the hoof, then it is imperative that the hole be protected and kept clean while the abscess drains and the hoof heals. A poultice applied to the bottom of the hoof can help pull any remaining infection out of the hoof and help to prevent the abscess from progressing up to the coronary band. 


What you can do
To help lessen the chances of your horse having a hoof abscess, maintain a regular schedule with your farrier or trim your horse on a regular basis. Often hooves with too much toe or excessive bars are more prone to hoof abscesses. 

Act promptly to treat a hoof abscess, as the healing process can usually be expedited and resolved relatively quickly with fast action. 

However, if you ever have any concerns over abscesses or other horse health problems, be sure to contact your vet. 

Horse Hoof care tips

We're all ready for a bit of rough and tumble come winter time. Our skin can feel the wrath of winter winds, while our extremities run the risk off snapping off due to the cold! Ok, an exaggeration perhaps, but when it comes to the horse, there are plenty of things to make sure you keep an extra special eye on over the winter months. And one of those is the horse's hoof. Hooves on horses and ponies are prone to damage and infection, especially in the wet winter months. 

So, we've stuck together a few tips to help you take good care of your horse's hooves this winter.

Pick out your horse's feet - A little basic perhaps, but it is easily the single most important thing you can do for your horse's hooves. Each time you clean your horse's hooves, take an extra couple of minutes after you've pried out any packed debris to gently clear the crevice of the frog, and scrape any remaining bits of matter off the sole, with the tip of the pick. You want to be able to see the sole's entire surface, so finish the job with a stiff brush. Some hoof picks come with brush attached, or you can buy a brush separately and inexpensively.
When picking out the feet, look for signs of...

• Thrush -  its early stage is simple to treat and is indicated by a foul smell and dark ooze from the cleft of the frog. Later, the frog becomes cheesy in texture. Some horses--especially those with upright, narrow feet with deep clefts that tend to trap more dirt, debris, and manure--are predisposed to thrush even when well cared for. If you think your horse has an early case, ask your farrier to check.

• Puncture - If a nail or other object pierces your horse's sole and then falls out, the entry wound will probably be invisible by the time you pick his feet and you'll be unaware of it until it causes an abscess. In some cases the object remains in place, to be discovered when you brush the last bits of dirt from the sole. DON'T PULL IT OUT. Put your horse in his stall (protect the punctured foot, and help the foreign object stay put, with wrapping and duct tape, or with a slip-on medication boot), and call your veterinarian right away. An X-ray of the foot can show how far the object has penetrated and which structures are involved. (If you pick your horse's feet out regularly, you'll find the problem within a few hours of its occurrence.) Then your veterinarian can remove the object and advise a course of treatment.

• Cracks - Some cracks are superficial; others can worsen without appropriate shoeing. If you notice a crack in your horse's hoof, call your farrier and describe its location and size so he can decide whether it needs attention now or can wait until the next regular shoeing.

• Abscess - If your horse's digital pulse feels stronger than usual and/or is foot is warmer than normal to the touch, this could be because of an abscess inside the hoof from a badly placed shoeing nail, a bruise, or an overlooked sole puncture. Your routine check can alert you to the problem and get your veterinarian or farrier involved before your horse. If you find increased heat and a stronger-than-usual digital pulse in both front feet, and if he's shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, call your veterinarian immediately. These are signs of laminitis, an inflammatory condition that can cause severe hoof damage--and, if not treated promptly, can even be fatal.

Learn how to remove a shoe - yes, you! Many farriers are glad to teach clients how to do this (and may even have used tools you can buy inexpensively). If you can remove a sprung or shifted shoe, you may save your horse unnecessary pain and hoof damage and make life easier for your farrier or veterinarian.

Try not to turn out in deep, muddy footing - Hours of standing in mud may encourage thrush or scratches (a skin infection in the fetlock area that can cause lameness). Mud is hard on shoes, too: The suction of deep mud can drag off a shoe already loosened by alternating wet and dry conditions. Mud also makes picking up his feet a harder job; if your horse is slow about getting his front feet out of the way, he may end up pulling off the heels of his front shoes because he's stepping on them with his back toes.