Testimonials

A day before we were scheduled to leave for the winter circuit, one of my best 1st year horses blew out a quarter crack. Of course panic ensued as we were told he would be off for up to a year. I began to research specialists in the field of quarter cracks. I knew very little about the cause and the treatment of quarter cracks as I had been lucky enough to never have had a horse with one before.

The more I read the more discouraged I became. The trauma to the foot and the various treatments that were being described sounded horrific. To make things worse, my farrier at the time became insulted and quit because I was looking into a specialist to help with the situation.

I began to make some phone calls to people that I had found on the Internet. I felt like I was looking for a needle in a haystack and felt that I was way out of my element.

Enter Mr. Tom Curl. Tom was the 2nd or 3rd person I contacted. Like all the others, his phone went right to voicemail. I had read his biography and was impressed that he had been the farrier to get "BIG BROWN" back on track. (No pun intended) I also knew that people that were hired to work on horses as famous as Big Brown probably would not have time for me. So, needless to say I was shocked that within 2 hours Tom called me back. (He was the only one by the way of the 5 people I left messages for that did call me back)

I briefly described our situation to Tom. His response was so confident and knowledgeable that I immediately relaxed and knew that I had found the right person for the job. Tom explained the process and how he would have our horse back to work within 4 weeks. He explained that his technique was not simply to put a Band- Aid on the problem but to actually work on healing the foot.

Tom made two trips to Denver. 14 days apart. During the first trip, he cleaned out the crack and put in a series of metal sutures. Watching him work was like watching a skilled surgeon in the operating room. During this whole process he explained to us what he was doing and why and he answered all of our questions. Never once making us feel incompetent. His view was that education was the key to knowledge.
On the second trip. Tom removed the first sutures, cleaned the crack again, told us that there was no longer any infection in the area, put in a second set of sutures and then put a patch over the area.

We were amazed at how much the foot had already grown out and that the new growth was healthy. We cannot begin to express our gratitude to Tom for his patience, knowledge and professionalism. Our horse is back on track and ready to show. thanks to Mr. Tom Curl.

Thanks Tom
Cindy Cruciotti, Denver Colorado.

THE PHEBE SAGA

The morning of January 4, 2007 started out very emotionally when we learned that our beautiful American Saddlebred mare Sabena Rose (Phebe) had broken the coffin bone in her left hoof. It was suggested that it would be best to put her down since she had a low heal on her right hoof and as a result of bearing more weight on it she would probably develop laminitis in her right leg. We were told that there was only 35-50% chance of her survival. We were determined to give her every chance at life and decided to work with our vet to try to save her life. After consultation with others, our vet decided that an egg bar shoe would act as a cast and help to hold the hoof wall in place which would keep the coffin bones somewhat immobilized and allow the coffin bone to heal itself Phebe was kept stalled for a period of approximately 3 months and at that time x-rays showed that the coffin bone had not healed and we decided to have Dr James Madison of the Ocala Equine Hospital operate on her hoof putting a screw through the hoof wall and screwing the two pieces of the coffin bone together. This stabilized the coffin bone and allowed it to begin the healing process.

During this entire time (a total of over 9 months), she was stalled and never allowed outside except to be x-rayed. Also during this 9 month period we used alternative medical procedures to help in the healing process which helped reduce inflammation, reduce pain and maintain her physical condition. This included the use of the Alpha Sonic (Sound Wave Pain Relief Technology), Veterniary Cold Laser Therapy and the VOM Technology *(vVeterinary Orthopedic Manipulator). These procedures were done twice daily during the period of her confinement. In December, 2007 when we were certain that the coffin bone had completely healed, we started grazing her. She was still lame in both front legs but she could get out graze and enjoy being a horse at least to some degree. We changed her nailed on shoes to glued on shoes which helped some what but the lameness still persisted and in May, 2008 became very noticeable when she lost a shoe. After x-raying her right hoof area it was decided to put a nailed shoe with a wedge to change the angle of the hoof to better align the coffin bone. Since her hoof wall had become thinner during the stalling period, the nails irritated her hoof and her lameness was worse.

It was at this time that I saw the "Yasha" shoe on the "The Horse.com" and thought that this might be the answer to our prayers. It was!! I contacted Ian McKinlay who had developed the "Yasha" shoe and who with Tom Curl has used it on "Big Brown" of Kentucky Derby fame. Ian suggested that I contact Tom. Tom visited Phebe in the Orlando area in June and when he saw how much pain she was in and he said "take that shoe off immediately." He even asked at that first meeting if she had ever been broken and we said that she had been broken but had not been ridden since the coffin bone had been broken. Tom said that he could make her sound but that it would take some time. Two weeks after Tom had fitted her with her first set of "Yasha" glued on shoes she had gone on the lameness scale from a 4 to a 1.5 or 2 and she did not seem to be in any pain.
These shoes have given her tremendous relief from pain. Since that time in June, 2008 to the present, she has been refitted every 5 weeks and three weeks ago she was able to be ridden and since her debut with a rider on her back, she has improved with each ride.

We do not know what the final outcome will be with her soundness since she may develop arthritis in the coffin joint or her left leg and with the low heal on her right leg, but the "Yasha" she and the expertise of Tom Curl in evaluating her problems have been a godsend, and she and Donna and I can never express our thanks for our good fortune in finding Ian and Tom and Tom's ability to diagnose the problem with Phebe's legs and correcting them to the point that she is not only sound but that she is a very happy horse. Her attitude has always been great but you can tell in her overall demeanor that life is much better for her now that she has found Tom and "Yasha".

Ed and Donna Loud

I became aware of Tom Curl’s services and his method for repairing quarter cracks back in 2004. Over the years I have worked with Tom and have personally consulted with him on numerous cases. In the cases I have been involved with, I have seen dramatic improvement, including one on my own personal horse.  Tom Curl’s specialty glue on shoes, along with his personal system for lacing quarter cracks has made him a premier specialist in this field.  If you are having issues with quarter cracks, Tom Curl is one of the best in the business and I would not hesitate to use him to take care of your horse’s needs.

Alan Donnell, DVM
Equine Sports Medicine

IF YOUR HORSE HAS A QUARTER CRACK, OR CHRONIC HOOF LAMENESS, PLEASE CONTACT ME AT:

TOM CURL
PH.  (772) 713-5000
FAX (772) 569-1623
QUARTER CRACK REPAIR
HOOF WALL REBUILDING
GLU-ON SHOES