What Is The White Line On A Horse Hoof?

The white line is seen on the underside of the foot. It is where the unpigmented horn of the inner hoof wall joins the horn of the sole.

What causes white line in horses hooves?

White line disease originates as a separation between adjacent layers in the hoof wall starting at the toe, quarter, and/or heel, which can then become infected with bacteria and fungi. The separation occurs between the stratum medium and stratum internum within the non-pigmented area known as the white line.

Do white lines cause lameness?

In severe cases, lameness may develop. Left untreated, white line disease can result in rotation of the coffin bone due to widespread damage in the supportive structures of the hoof. White line disease has been recognized for years and has accumulated names such as seedy toe, hollow foot, wall thrush, and stall rot.

What do lines on horses hooves mean?

Obvious horizontal lines or rings on the hoof wall indicate historical interruptions to hoof wall growth. These lines are caused by a variety of factors, including changes in feed and management, direct injury to the coronet band, stress and illness, and even changing weather conditions over time.

What is white line disease in horses?

What is White Line Disease? White Line Disease is characterised by a variety of cracks and fissures that appear in the non-pigmented inner wall of the hoof which, if left unchecked, can eat so far up the hoof wall that it becomes completely unstable.

What does an unhealthy hoof look like?

Chipping and cracking are not normal for a healthy hoof. The development of chips and cracks along the hoof wall are signs of weakened hoof integrity. This can also be a sign that your horse’s hooves are too dry.

What do you do if your horse has a white line?

Treatment of white line disease usually begins with removal of affected hoof wall followed by therapeutic shoeing designed to protect the damaged hoof.

Why do horses have white markings?

White markings in horses result from the lack of melanocytes in the skin and hairs. The trait is characteristic of most breeds of domestic horses. In the breeding of the Polish Konik horse, which should resemble its wild ancestors, the lack of white markings was accepted as a selection criterion.

Can white line disease heal on its own?

A hoof with white line disease can’t heal itself on its own. Allowing Mother Nature access to the treated area is essential and supporting the horse’s natural ability to heal is critical. “Avoid packing or covering a debrided hoof with glue,” Bras says.

Does white line disease hurt horses?

White line disease is insidious, Fraley says, because a horse with it might not show any lameness until it reaches a critical point where the coffin bone is close to rotating. At that point, the hoof can lose sole depth. “Then they can be prone to bruising or abscesses,” Fraley said, “and that can cause lameness.”

What causes white line lesion?

The main theories thought to contribute to white line lesions include: Any factors leading to poor horn quality which may be nutritional or environmental. Physical trauma producing bruised white line horn. Shearing forces across the white line, such as twisting and turning on an unyielding surface.

What does a foundering hoof look like?

Observant horse people recognize the appearance of a “foundered hoof”. These feet typically show several signs in combination: a dished dorsal hoof wall, dropped or flat sole, a widened white line and obvious growth rings or lines on the hoof wall. These lines are usually spaced wider apart at the heel.

Should a horses frog touch the ground?

the frog acts as part of the shock-absorbing mechanism of the foot. When the equine hoof touches the ground during motion, the frog should be in contact with the ground. this should be true, with or without, shoes.

Is white line disease contagious?

The most common signs of white line disease are hoof wall separation noticed by a farrier during routine trimming/shoeing and slow, poor hoof wall growth. Is it contagious?: White line disease is not contagious. It is caused by opportunistic patho- gens that live and thrive in cer- tain environmental conditions.

How is white line disease prevented?

The prevention of white line disease is most effective when a quality hoof supplement is utilized in combination with packing any existing hoof defects with a safe and effective topical hoof product containing ingredients known to combat microbes.

Does Thrush Buster work for white line?

The Thrush Buster killed White Line disease where it was applied and continued to spread and kill more fungus over time. The Formaldehyde/Iodine killed White Line Disease only where it was applied directly.

Is white line a disease?

White line disease (WLD) is a poorly understood yet widespread problem that affects the equine foot. WLD can be described as a keratolytic process on the solar surface of the hoof, which is characterized by a progressive separation of the inner zone of the hoof wall.

What does laminitis look like in a horse?

Signs of chronic laminitis may include the following: Rings in hoof wall that become wider as they are followed from toe to heel. Bruised soles or “stone bruises.” Widened white line, commonly called “seedy toe,” with occurrence of seromas (blood pockets) and/or abscesses.

What is white line defect?

White line disease is characterized by hemorrhage into or separation (avulsion) of the abaxial wall, most commonly at the heel-sole junction. The corium becomes infected through this lesion. White line disease is often referred to as also being present in the apical region.

Is white line disease contagious?

The most common signs of white line disease are hoof wall separation noticed by a farrier during routine trimming/shoeing and slow, poor hoof wall growth. Is it contagious?: White line disease is not contagious. It is caused by opportunistic patho- gens that live and thrive in cer- tain environmental conditions.

How is white line disease prevented?

The prevention of white line disease is most effective when a quality hoof supplement is utilized in combination with packing any existing hoof defects with a safe and effective topical hoof product containing ingredients known to combat microbes.