Toe cracks come in different forms, but none of them look good.

Some cracks are small, others are long up the wall. Some are deep and others are superficial. All of us have heard, “Can you fix that crack?” Some can be corrected, but others will die with the horse. The biggest thing we must learn is what causes the crack in the first place. It’s just as important to know where it comes from as to where it’s going.

Crena Crack

The “crack” has several different originations. One that I encounter most often is a toe crack at the crena marginalis, or what I call a crena crack.

The crena marginalis is the mid-dorsal notch of the coffin bone. According to Doug Butler’s The Principles of Horseshoeing (P3), it’s a “normal notch in the toe called a toe stay. This is filled with horn and is thought to add stability to the hoof-bone by preventing the twisting of the bone within the hoof.” Not all coffin…