The Thin White Line
White line disease is more common than you might think, so hoof hygiene must always be a priority.
Most horses we see today have some degree of a bacterial infection called white line disease but many owners don't realise how sever it can be for an otherwise perfectly sound animal.
The white line is the junction between the hoof horn and the sensitive laminae of the horse's hoof. One of its significances to the farrier is that his nails must not penetrate through the white line, or the horse will have a sore foot.
You can see the white line when your horse has his feet trimmed between the sole and the hoof horn, around the circumference of the foot. When it's healthy, very clear and distinct. A healthy foot will also have good solid horn that is strong and supple, not dull and flaky. The frog will be solid and rubbery, not spongy and smelly with thrush, another potentially serious problem caused by bacteria.
Chronic bacterial infection caused the white line to rot and the hoof wall to become dry and brittle so that it won't retain the nails. Then the hoof wall will strip away from the foot, perhaps in just one area often at the quarters (sides) so the shape of the foot becomes triangular and pointy and, of course this adversely affects foot balance.
White line disease is most likely to occur when a horse stands in wet or soiled bedding for long periods. If a horse is stabled most of the time the blood circulation in the foot is not stimulated which affects the natural repair and protection mechanisms delivered by the blood stream.
Ideally, all wet bedding and droppings should be removed straight away, but this is rarely practical; you just have to skip out as frequently as possible and keep the horse out in the paddock as long as you can.
The bacteria that thrive in wet bedding are also in present in water, so it's not a good idea to have a horse standing out when your field is flooded. But a muddy field shouldn't be a problem for the feet - in fact, because mud seals the foot and putts pressure on the frog, it could be seen as helpful.
In the stable, never allow the bedding to get too dirty and regularly take it all out and scrub the floor with a strong disinfectant. Rubber mats are a good idea, but if they are loose laid and not sealed to the concrete below they should be taken out periodically and scrubbed, too.
With sealed rubber floor, you could also possibly consider whether keeping the floors swept clean with most of the bedding banked against the walls during the day might work for you. When you've mucked out, pick your horse's feet out so that he is not still standing in muck, despite your efforts.
White line disease is best tackled when the horse is due for some time off work so that he can be turned out unshod. On the recommendation of, and in consultation with, your vet, your farrier will trim away all the diseased debris from the foot. Then the affected feet will have to be soaked in a special disinfectant to kill off the bacteria.
Radical trimming like this can make a horse footsore for a couple of weeks to a couple of months or more. Because the horse isn't moving freely on his sore feet he will also get muscle soreness, so physiotherapy could sped his recovery.
This article has been reproduced by kind permission of Ricky Gache and Horse Magazine
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Added on: 18/05/07.
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