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Spent 3 hours on a hoof with a hidden abscess track
Had a horse in last week with a slight limp, thought it was just a trim issue. Cleaned the hoof and found a tiny black spot near the white line, but the probe just went in a quarter inch and stopped. Kept digging with the hoof knife and found the track curved up under the sole. Ended up having to open a much bigger area than I first thought to drain it all. Anyone have a good trick for spotting those sneaky ones before you start cutting?
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spencer_owens582mo ago
Curved up under the sole" sounds like a bad magic trick. Three hours for one hoof, that horse owes you a six pack at least. What do you do when the probe just stops like that?
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kelly.hannah2mo ago
Tell me about it, those hidden tracks are the worst. You think you've found the spot and then it just disappears on you. When the probe stops like that I usually start tapping around with the back of the knife handle, listening for a hollow sound. Sometimes you can feel a soft spot or see a tiny bit of moisture if you really squeeze the hoof wall. It's still mostly guesswork and a whole lot of careful digging.
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taylorshah24d ago
Man, three hours is rough. I feel your pain on those hidden tracks, they really test your patience. The probe stopping short is the worst part, you know something's in there but it's like playing hide and seek with a needle. Had one last month where I kept digging and digging, finally found the thing curving up towards the coronary band. By the time I was done my back was killing me and the horse was over it. No good trick for spotting them early, just that gut feeling when the hoof doesn't look quite right and you know you gotta keep going.
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