[QHgin]

i have been having an on going problem with both of my horses that we cant seem to solve. they both have really soft hooves when i pick them they often peel and underneth the hoof its like white powder like the hoof is decaying or something. i have been using kopertox every other day on them and it just doesn't seem to help. the pasture is not muddy and there stalls are keept clean. but we do have a few mudd holes near the creak that they like to get in. does anybody know of something i can do to help dry out the hoof and harden it up? im really concerned b/c i have had so many hoof probs with shadow(vets coming 8am wed.)that i cant get cleared up i dont cheyenne to start having probs to.

[QHgin]

i just thougt of something......could it be white line desieas? b/c i can take the hoof pick and run it right along the line were the shoes would be nailed and it comes out like soft skin so i try not to touch it. i wish i could get pics.

[Dawn]

Is it in the sole of the hoof? Or is it around the white line?

If it is the sole, then it is just dead sole. If enough is built up, your farrier simply needs to trim it off. Most horses do not require that the sole be trimmed though.

If it is in the white line, then it is probably the beginnings of wld.

[MissBandit]

That sounds like WLD to me. Do some searches on it and give your farrier a call, the two of you will need to work together with this problem. It will take time (up to a year to grow out), but it is managable. Lucky that we are heading into the dry season.
Don't panic, but do take it seriously.

[QHgin]

will this cause any lamness problems or anything? should i stop riding cheyenne?

[QHgin]

the hoof sole peels off in little patches when i pick it and underneth it white and powderey (their hooves are black). but right the at the line where the shoes would be i can take the hoof pick and just scoop stuff out. so i try not to touch it.

[Dawn]

That line that you are talking about is the white line. It can indicate more serious problems as well as be the cause of more serious problems. You need to get the vet and the farrier in on this together. Better trimming methods can sometimes eliminate the cause of wld (depending upon the cause).

Their soles should also not be doing that. That indicates either a bad trim, or infrequent trims.

[QHgin]

they get trimmings every 6-8 weeks the vet is coming out wed. at 8 and the fairrer is coming at the end of the month.

[Paints4me]

The white clumpy stuff is dead!! It needs to be cleaned out to stop the spreading of the disease. The white materal that is sluffing off is the deteriated white line. I take a clean nail and dig out all the loose white stuff till you get to hard healthy tissue. Then you need to medicate it. Save-a-Hoof Gel works great, or bleach water (but the bleach can sting some horses) so I'd go with the Sav-a-Hoof if possible. I have had to clean out the white line up to over 1 inch deep into the hooves. but the key to getting rid of it is getting it all out of there! Id try and keep them out of the mud for a while, that is proably making the situatiuon worse. You can call your farrier and ask his as well, but Im sure he will tell you the same thing. It can make them go lame temporarly if it gets too far up in their hoof... so Id take it pretty seriously, just give you farrier a call, and he should be glad to help.

[MissBandit]

Yes, WLD is a potentially very serious condition. Do not wait to have this diagnosed/treated, otherwise you will regret it.