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Applying 4" Cast
For more working time DO NOT wet before applying. Sponge water after applying cast.
Equicast 4" should be USed on hoof size 4 and up either applied on a barefootor over a shoe.
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Working Conditions
When the temperature is over 80 degrees place pouch in a cold bucket of water for 10 minutes before opening the pouch. If you want more wrapping time do not wet cast first sponge on water after wrapping process. After the hoof has been trimmed and balanced put on a pair of latex gloves to open the Equicast pouch. Place the casting tape in a bucket of cold water for about 5 seconds then squeeze out excess water. You only have about 1 minute before the cast starts setting up.
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| Clean out any white line desease |
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White Line disease ThrUSh
Care should be taken when applying any kind of protection device on the bottom of a hoof. Clean any WLD or ThrUSh as well as can safly be done. I DO NOT remove any wall for WLD treat topically with any of the WLD products, SSD silver sulphadizine works really well on WLD and ThrUSh. Have the treatments ready apply before casting.
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| Fit shoe full for extra support. |
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How to apply 4" Equicast
Remove any flares and/or dishing. Make sure the hoof is in the middle of the bony column; check the wall thickness on both the medial and lateral sides, uneven wall thickness is a sign of imbalanced feet. Try to achieve the best hoof angle that you can get. Do not cut the toe area to close to the sole you can always add shims to the ground surface of the shoe before you cast the hoof. Fit the shoe full and in the center of the boney column the cast will fill in areas where the shoe is hanging over the hoof to provide the support that is needed.
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| USe Vettec Adhere |
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Adhere Glue
Apply about 3 cc to 4 cc of Vettec Adhere to a clean dry hoof wall. When preparing the hoof for gluing DO NOT USe any cleaners they will soak into the hoof wall. This is one of the major caUSes of cast failure. File the hoof wall clean, remove any hoof wax or oils, dry with hair dryer if the hoof is wet. Apply a line of Adhere from forth nail to forth nail mid way up the hoof wall, then quickly start wrapping the hoof with Equicast. After the first few wraps press the tape into the glue (do not set hoof down) jUSt press your fingers against the hoof wall over the glue, to make sure the glue penetrated the weave of the colt, this works with both the wet & dry method.
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| Start near the hair line |
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Wrapping
Hold the hoof like it’s held to be shod.
Start near the hair line when unrolling the tape cross the heel area under the bulbs of the hoof. In a counter clock wise motion alternate
the wrapping process, go high on the medial heal low on the lateral
heel on the next wrap go high on the lateral heel then low on the
medial heel. If you are unsure of the wrapping process practice with
either vet wrap or an ace bandage. If there is any casting tape on the bulbs trim before the cast sets up. When applying wet you only have about 1minute before the cast starts setting up. If you think you will need more time apply dry then sponge on water after the hoof is wrapped, make sure you allow enough time (5 to 10 minutes) for curing before moving the horse. I find that a few wraps over the cast with vet wrap works well. |
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| Wrapping hoof with cast |
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Strating the Wrapping Process
Attach a pre shaped Event type shoe with fitted clips. Make sure the shoe is secure. Place the casting tape in a bucket of cold water for about 5 seconds squeeze out excess water. Start near the hair line unrolling the tape across the heel area cross under the bulbs of the hoof. In a counter clock wise motion alternate the wrapping process, go high on the medial heal low on the lateral heel on the next wrap go high on the lateral heel then low on the medial heel. If you are unsure of the wrapping process practice with either vet wrap or an ace bandage. You only have about 1minute before the cast starts setting up.
Note: Do not get any casting tape on the hairline or the soft heel area. If you do, trim while the cast is curing.
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Cast Under the Shoe Method
When
applying a cast and then nailing/gluing a shoe onto the cast it's
important to have a level and flat cast. If the heel area is deep or
medication is needed: filling with silicone, dental impression
material, Vettec Sil-Pak, CS or Equi-Pak helps hold the packing in and
distribute weight. After wrapping the hoof make sure there are no major
lumps or winkles then place the freshly cast hoof on a hard flat
surface, pick up the opposite foot for 20 seconds, this expands the new
cast to a weight bearing shape. Moisture does
not affect the integrity of the cast and air can still reach the hoof. |
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| Stand new cst on a pyramid of sand |
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Barefoot/Cast over shoe method
Press the casting tape to the bottom of the hoof; make sure there are no lumps or folds on the sole. Place about a quart of sawdUSt, shavings, or soft sand on the floor (like a pyramid) then place the freshly cast hoof on the pyramid. This will press the cast up into the sole area, adding support to the sole and frog of the hoof. Lift the opposite hoof off the ground for about 30 to 45 seconds. This allows the hoof you jUSt wrapped to expand within the cast.
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| Finished cast under the shoe |
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Cast under the shoe:
When shoeing over a cast be sure to fit the shoe jUSt a little bigger then the hoof. Allow some of the cast to extend beyond the shoe this will help when trying to start the nails in the hoof wall and come out in the cast. By fitting the shoe this way the nails will help hold the cast on by starting in the hoof wall and the cast will help hold the clinches tight. Also when wrapping the foot for a shoe later try and keep most of the casting material behind the widest part of the hoof this will help in seeing the white line for accurate nail placement.
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How Cast Work
Newton’s third law of physics (for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction) helps explains how and why we need to address the hoof wall. When the foundation (hoof wall) is not strong enough, or the hoof capsule is not placed in the center of the bony column, failure is inevitable.
Hoof Preparation: Balance the hoof to the boney column remove flares and dishing from the top of the hoof NOT from the bottom. Often horses are trimmed to short (trying to remove flares) leave distal wall support this will help in growing strong hoof walls and solid soles as well as help with frog function (hemodynamic & lymphatic systems). Once the hoof is balanced and in the center of the boney column an assessment needs to be made. Is the horse comfortable barefoot? If so then applying a cast and nailing a shoe for protection and traction is appropriate. If not then either Sound Horse dental material or Vettec Hoof Pack should be USed on the sole from the apex of the frog back for added support. After the packing has brought the weight bearing surface even with the ground surface of the frog apply the cast as described here on the website (How to Apply 2” & 3” cast). In cases of extreme dropped soles (prolapsed soles) 3” or 4” cast will be more appropriate.
Prolapsed Soles; generally it’s a good idea to fit the shoe to the foot making sure that there is no sole pressure from, the shoe. Hoof packing (Sound Horse dental material or Vettec Hoof Pack) is USed to support and protect the sole. Fit the shoe very wide with plenty of support for the heels and extend the heels of the shoes past the frog for extra caudal support, no worries about the shoes being pulled off the cast will cover the shoes and protect the hoof. If there is a need to grind or hammer out any chance of sole pressure check before you cast then stabilize the shoe with either a couple of race nails or a bit of glue. Now that the shoe has been stabilized cast with either 3” or 4” casts--wrap the hoof as described in (How to Apply a 4” Cast).
Wearing Properties: casts applied over shoes due wear out faster then casts that are applied under a shoe. An area that I would like to discUSs is the different perception of hoof lameness verses most other lameness, tendon, sUSpensory, or sesamoid injuries. When a horse has a non-hoof problem rest is often recommended and followed…however when a horse has a hoof problem people often want to continue with “regular work”. Casts over the shoes help with soundness and often greatly reduce the recovery time. However if casts over the shoes wear out in two weeks or less or slowing down with the heavy workout schedule--jumping big jumps or galloping this should be thought of as part of the healing process. I have had a few calls saying that casts (over the shoes) wear out before the scheduled return of my farrier. What should I do? Well this is a two part answer: first what was your horse doing before casts were applied. If the answer is he/she was lame…. then be thankful that the casts are working and that your horse is not lame. Second now that your horse is wearing through the cast before the next scheduled appointment either learn how to apply another cast over the worn cast or start riding on grass instead of sand/ aggressive footing arenas. Sorry this sounds a little harsh but cast do help with many soundness problems and with recovery time but it is not a magic bullet. And once there is distal growth of the hoof wall and the sole is not sensitive standing barefoot a cast can be applied first and shoe nailed or glued on the cast. And then can go into regular training.
Cast Failure: as with any support devise understanding the working properties is critical for lasting success.
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A sign of cast failure is when a split develops over the frog and/or
loosens up around the top of the hoof. Increase to the next size.
Example if a 2” cast is on and the cast splits I will increase to a 3”
cast. And make sure you USe most if not all the roll on each foot. DO
NOT try to get two (2) feet per roll.
- Moisture or water does not affect the integrity of the cast
however horses the paw or travel on sand will wear the toe of the cast
off faster then horses ridden in grass, clay or dirt footings.
- Make sure the hoof walls are clean and dry before applying any
adhesives (follow the manufacturers instructions) I USe and recommend
Vettec Adhere when casting feet that will need extra support to help
keep the cast on (barefoot) or straight walled feet.
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