#hoofcare

Proper form leads to proper function. Trimmers shouldn't want the horse's feet to make their trim look good, they should trim to make the horse's feet function properly...and then they will look good.

Keeping a straight foot on a crooked horse isn't easy to do...or even talk about.  There has always been a debate on whether to go with the flow or redirect it.  Many vets and farriers believe that once the growth plates are closed you can't make any changes. My argument is that it depends on many factors.  Any conformation issue, such as pigeon toes, comes in degrees.  Here are some factors that influence the spectrum:

I  Amount of movement from birth to current age   a.  Especially from birth to 3 years old   b. Quality of movement after 3 years of age ( straightness training )

II  Amount of proper hoof care from birth to current age   a.  balanced trimming   b.  diet   c.  environment

III  Amount of compensation and time spent compensating    a. How much is truly in their conformation and how much is compensation?    b. Which came first? (Chicken or the egg syndrome)    c. Is it natural or farrier caused?

IV Owner/trimmer belief system    a. "That's just the way she goes."    b.  "The Vet says she can't be corrected."    c. "She's too old now to make any changes."

  This is an Appaloosa's right front that I've been trimming for about 5 years:

  He was going on 2 when I started and he was very crooked in his feet and body.  He lives in a small track system with a companion horse.  The footing is hard packed gravel and dirt with some sandy areas.  His diet is mostly Bermuda grass hay.  He is very strong to one side ( I believe right hand dominant front and hind ) so he is still crooked in his body but his feet are straighter now.  This creates a situation where his feet are helping his body but his body isn't helping his feet.  In my experience, this is a better deal than most horses get but there is still room for improvement.  His human is learning some straightness training from the ground and while riding, however,  this takes time ( years to learn ) and consistency, but the effects of balanced riding or ground work can be as significant as balanced trimming since proper wear is the goal, regardless of whether it is natural or man made.  This is a pretty well balanced and straight foot but If you look closely there are signs of imbalanced weight bearing in the body.  This is the best that the owner and I can do at this time.  The quality of this foot came with dedication to detail ( and effort on the part of myself and the owner ) and there is still room for improvement on both sides.

  When pigeon toes aren't corrected and the wall is load bearing there is a twisting force in the leg and a counter twisting force in the hoof capsule.  This sets up a twisting shear force in the lamellar connection ( similar to unscrewing a lid from a jar ).  The hoof wall is planted firmly into the ground under hundreds of pounds of weight while the leg is twisting inward due to the horse's conformation.  As the hoof wall continues to grow, the sole (which is connected to the leg via solar connection to P3 becomes suspended above the ground.  This allows P3 the ability to twist inward with the conformation and against the downward and forward direction of growth in the hoof capsule (wall).  The twist gets exponentially more significant as it gets closer to the ground due to these three factors:

1). the rate of downward wall growth (1/16" every 4-5 days) 2). the frustroconical  (slanted cone) shape of the hoof capsule 3).  The tighter (stronger) lamellar connection closer to the hairline ( proximally ) than toward the ground ( distally ).

There are even more factors that complicate the situation and create equally destructive forces:

1). Compensation.  As the hoof wall grows down and forward, the horse moves his front feet rearward to compensate for the proportional weight of his body.  (As a side note, this sets up a situation where the hinds come forward to compensate for the body weight moving forward.  This has become known as the "goat on a rock stance". )   Like I said, it gets complicated.

This causes destructive toe loading.

2). Toe loading.  This creates  a situation where the toe region of the sole is bearing the majority of the weight.  This region of the sole isn't designed for this  and gives way, causing crushing of the solar corium.  Abscessing anywhere in the toes is evidence of this.

3.) Medial lateral imbalance.  When horses lean out on their toes ( as the front feet move rearward ) the twisting of the legs causes the feet to get closer together.  The more twist, the closer together.   The closer together the feet are...the more the lateral side of the toe gets crushed and the wall gets sheared at the lamina.  In cases where the heels are still load bearing the lateral heel gets crushed.  Heel and bar cracks as well as abscessing involving the bars, heels, seat of corn, back of frog,  and hairline at the heel bulbs are evidence of this.

3). Shearing.  With only 1/2 to 1/3 of the hoof supporting the weight of the horse,  a situation is created where there is a vertical shear in the hoof wall where the load bearing stops and the non load bearing begins.  This typically occurs somewhere between the center of the toe to the center of the quarter and is generally referred to as a toe crack, quarter crack, or toe quarter crack.

4).  Improper suspension.  This is a passive force or factor at work here as well.  The back of the foot is made up of regenerative soft tissue that is designed to support the majority of the horse's weight but it thrives on extreme pressure  and use...not suspension.  In my experience, most hoof pathology is the equivalent of dying of starvation in a forest full of edible plants.  When the toe (anterior solar region) of the sole becomes loaded, the heels become suspended.  When the heels become suspended, their wear rate decreases.  Over time the soft tissues atrophy from not being used.  This is what makes it hard to get the weight back into the heels during the rehabilitation process.  The difficulty of repair is equivalent to the magnitude of damage.  Knowing how to transition the majority of the horse's weight back into the heels is the key to a successful rehab as well as continual development.

Suspension is beneficial for some parts of some structures and detrimental to others.  To progress it is necessary to know precisely where suspension should end and load bearing should begin.

To sum this up, here is a list of destructive, stressful, and painful conditions and forces present in the hoof capsule when pigeon toes ( or any other conformation trait...including improperly or unmanaged straight legs and feet ) aren't properly corrected:

Twisting            Tearing                       Shearing                                    Crushing                                                   Levering                                                                 Pinching                                                                              Pulling                                                                                        Tension                                                                                                    Suspension                (improper)

The good news is that there are also spectrums of prevention and reversibility.

Here are some strategies involved in prevention and reversing damage:

1).  Unloading the entire outer wall ( including the heels and bars ) and keeping it there 2).  Getting the back of the foot ( heels, bars, frog, and heel bulbs ) balanced and properly shaped to promote heel first impact and the majority of weight bearing in the back of the foot.  This can be accomplished by conscientious trimming in conjunction with using sand footing, or boots and pads, to make the transition easier on the horse, the trimmer, and the owner. 3). Knowledge gained by awareness ( eye training ) and education 4). Owner trimmer belief system promoting open mindedness and welcoming change

Honesty and accountability form lasting trimmer/owner relationships and also become extremely important factors that affect horse's hooves.