Horses that spend a great deal of time in wet, clammy conditions may develop cracked heels. It is characterized by soreness and inflammation of the horse's heel, followed by the development of a sticky substance on its heel and the surrounding skin. After time, this sticky serum dries into a painful scab, which then cracks. It is excruciatingly painful for the horse and occurs on its pastern and fetlock.

Symptoms

• Foot soreness and pain
• Inflammation or swelling of foot area
• Sticky material on skin surface
• Lesions
• Scabs
• Cracking of the skin

Causes

Horses have skin oils around their foot area. These oils are essential and can be removed if a horse is placed in wet, humid or muddy environments. Other risk factors include allergies to abrasive dust or sand, or bacterial infections (e.g., dermatophilus congolensis).

Diagnosis

The symptoms listed above are good indicators of cracked heels, however, it is best to bring your horse to a veterinarian to properly diagnose the animal.