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.

The theme of the 2015 annual fall clinic at the Horseshoe Barn in Sacramento, Calif., focused on looking beyond the surface of the hoof and considering the anatomical structures and systems that affect and are affected by the way farriers trim and shoe horses’ hooves.