Posted by Patty Stiller on May 29, 2000 at 19:27:10:
In Reply to: Re: Foot is dishing posted by Dan on May 27, 2000 at 20:01:44:
: : Horse is a 2-year-old gelding. He stands with his front feet spread and eats that way. I'm having a vet-chiropracter look at him in two weeks. The front right is looking dishy. He's had a crack up the front of the foot for a couple months now. I added a hoof supplement to his diet, but there is something causing him to do this. The Horse magazine had an article in a recent issue with photos that resembled the hoof of this horse. He doesn't have a club foot. Should we x-ray to see what is going on internally after the vet-chiro examines him? Ideas?
: This could be wry hoof.
Actually it sounds like it IS a club foot.Club feet develop in varing degrees, from a mildly dished, slightlymore upright in the coffin bone, to very severely upright. The hoof wall at the toes, if not kept rounded back, will flare, causing the "dish" and they always have tendency to split or break away back until the flare is gone. That is nature's way of managing the pull on the flexor tendon and maintaining the foot. The heels become steeper and higher too, because the foot tends to land toe first and therefore the heels don't wear down as in a foot with normal stress on the tendon. Natural balance principles are very helpful in both managing theses feet, and in reducing the degree of the clubbiness in many cases. Getting X rays is a great idea since X rays are indeed VERY helpful in determining the angle of the coffin bone, and in correctly placing the breakover point rearward to get it correctly placed (about a quarter inch ahead of the tip of the coffin bone)
In dealing with these feet, the one diffeence you need to know in applying natural balance principles is.....Do NOT lower the heels excessively in an attempt to "correct" the coffin bone angle.Lowering the heels to a point where the horse is landing toe first will only *increase* the tension on the flexor muscles and deep flexor tendon, which is the cause of the upright bone in the first place.Actually, in trimming club feet, the heels may already be back near the widest part of the frog, as opposed to 'normal' feet which tend to run the heels forward when long. Respecting the heels, and bringing the breakover back by removing the flare at the bottom of the toe and rockering it a bit for the breakover if barefoot will address the CAUSE of this developing problem. I have seen many actually get better, naturally lowering angle and the dishiness disappearing) using these principles. Patty