front feet look like hind feet

[sliansti]

I saw a horse today (pretty sure she had thoroughbred in her) that had severely flared out front feet, they were actually shaped like a draft hind foot, kind of a cloverleaf-type pattern, somewhat triangular. Her front AND hind feet were practically BOARD-flat.

This mare apparently had shoes on the front before, but i saw no nail holes, there wasn't actually that much separation between the white line and the sole along the parts of the front hoofs that were so flared.

The farrier top dressed the feet to reduce the flares and give the front feet a more rounded (normal) appearance.

One of my brother-in-law's collegues asked me to come look at this hrse that his wife brought home on the weekend (they dont know much about horses) this horse was bought at a sale for $650, apparently a 8-9 year old, but looking at her teeth i guessed her to be closer to 5, MAYBE 6, she is a grey and still VERY dark in colour.

my question is:

what would have caused the feet to flare out so much, they were NOT overly long at all, just extremely flared. i have NEVER seen front feet THAT flared out on ANY horse, even drafts!!!

AND, if the white line is showing that flared out shape is there anything that can be done to correct it?

[Jason Maki]

I have seen a few super sized T'breds and Shires with this type of foot. I think a combination of big body mass, weak feet(wall, cartilage, digital cushion, laminae et al) and environment cause a Splat/Sink one two punch. These feet go to a flat PIII, not negative, as the laminae and the digital cushion are to weak. Usually the extensor process is not palpable at the hairline, the sole prolapses and thins out, the bottom half of the foot is just junk. I have had decent success bringing the heels all the way back, biting the bullet and backing off every bit of flare on the bottom third, not touching the bulging frog, then fitting a concave shoe with the shape of the foot( which oddly enough in these cases is the exact mirror of PIII) with the toe knit shut from toe nail to toe nail. I know a guy who has used a mushroom bar to shove everything up. I do not have any experience with that.
After a time or two, with a dry environment, the foot will pick up, pull back and not be so friggin smashed. When this happens, you will have a lot more wall lenght to trim than previously. The foot will often "shrink", and need a smaller shoe, as everyhting tightens up, too.
Jason