Hoof crack treatment hailed

McKinlay, who is neither a blacksmith nor a veterinarian, is theNew Jersey-based lameness specialist who has been treating KentuckyDerby and Preakness winner Big Brown's quarter crack in his leftfront hoof.
McKinlay moved into national prominence when he patched up the hoofthat Touch Gold tore in the 1997 Preakness, enabling that colt toupset Triple Crown aspirant Silver Charm in the Belmont Stakes.
He said that was the biggest triumph with the worst foot he'sencountered. Touch Gold didn't have a quarter crack, he said, butinstead tore back part of his hoof when he stumbled badly at thestart of the Preakness and grabbed his front foot with his hindshoe.
By comparison, Big Brown's foot injury is minor. McKinlay yesterdayafternoon applied a fiberglass and acrylic patch over the smallcrack in the hoof wall on the inside of Big Brown's left front footto provide extra protection.
"That will actually be stronger than his hoof wall," said McKinlay,who earlier in the day replaced the stainless steel sutures thathold the crack together.
In response to a question, McKinlay said he'd guarantee that BigBrown will have no problems associated with the five-eighths inchcrack, which was diagnosed as a quarter crack the week after BigBrown won the Preakness in Baltimore.
"Yeah, I'll guarantee that, because there's not really anythingthat can go wrong at this point," he said yesterday morning. "Itjust went letter perfect. There's no heat, so there's no sign ofinfection. ... I don't expect anything to go wrong with this,certainly not before (today) and not even down the line.
"... I've done thousands of these things, and I couldn't be happierwith how it looks."
McKinlay said there was zero chance of the patch coming off, sayingit's the same powerful adhesive used to apply the colt's specialglue-on shoes, eliminating the need to put nails into the hoofwall."
Quarter cracks get their name because of where they are located. Ahorse's foot is considered to be divided into four quarters.Quarter cracks are in the hind two quarters, those that include theheel. If a hoof crack is in one of the front quarters, it isreferred to as a toe crack. The cracks themselves do not heal butgrow out, as with a damaged finger nail.
According to the American Association of Equine Practitioners,causes include concussion on a side of the heel because of foot ishitting the ground unevenly, limb or hoof conformation, trauma tothe coronary band, pre-existing damage to the sensitive tissueunder the hoof wall from infection, and horse shoes being tooshort.
It also can be hereditary. Big Brown's sire, the now-retiredstallion Boundary, had chronic quarter cracks throughout hiseight-race career.
Other horses who have won major races with quarter cracks includethe sport's all-time money leader Cigar (Dubai World Cup), RiverKeen (Jockey Club Gold Cup) and Soul of the Matter (Super Derby).Prominent equine surgeon Larry Bramlage said Northern Dancer wonthe 1964 Derby with a quarter crack.
Bramlage estimated that 5 percent to 10 percent of horses havequarter cracks at some point. He said racing with one does not puta horse in danger of a catastrophic injury.