Posted by Patty Stiller on May 25, 2003 at 17:43:19:
In Reply to: hoof pastern axis wrong or not/ posted by Sue on May 25, 2003 at 14:42:54:
: I have a 15.2hh gelding with very healthy feet. I feel a bit bad having seen some other people's problems, but there is something wrong with the way my farrier has changed the shape of his feet and the way he walks.
: When he came to us his feet were large but he had a normal heel alignment. He has quite sloping pasterns and my farrier now has him with a nicely shaped foot but his heels are quite under-run. He says this is due to the pasterns, but the horse wasn't always like this.
: Also he is clumsy and incoordinate when walking on hard ground. I watched him carefully today and its as if he places the point of the frog area down first and the toe does not seem to quite touch the ground.
: Is there something wrong with the breakover point?
: I'd be really glad to have my horse placing his foot down as if it were not absolutely huge and belonging to someone else, he reminds me of a very flat footed person.
: Incidentally when he is ridden he has the most stunning paces but we have had peculiar reluctance to work at times and he's sometimes sore in the sacroileac area.
: None of this is anything I've experienced in over 40 years and I've never seen such clumsy feet on a horse. I keep looking at all sorts of pictures and other horses but have yet to spot it.
: My farrier says it's all to do with his conformation but he doesn't have any real defects. I don't want to offend the farrier but I have been comparing photos from the past and I really think he's caused this problem.
: Your suggestions welcome.
If the heels are becoming underrun, something is wrong with the shoeing,probably in the hoof prep. Conformation is no excuse, because underrun hels can be corrected simply by trimming the underrun portion off when time he is shod. If this is being neglected, they will just get more underrun.
It is imnpossible to comment on the specific breakover point of your horss feet without seeing the shoeing .
Can you post good close up pictures of the feet somewhere?
I am a bit puzzled by the description of the clumsiness. Ideally a horse should land a TINY bit heel first, almost imperceptably.
You describe hom as landing on the 'point of the frog area' but the toe does not seem to touch? I percieve the "point" to be the frog apex, which would be nearly impossible to see contact the ground first.
Is the foot contacting the ground slighty heel first,or really 'slapping' the heels down hard, or hitting toe first?
When he is standing flat on the ground is the toe of the shoe just rolled or rockered ,or theshoe set back a little and the overhanging toe rolled and that is why it does not seem to touch?
Patty