Hoof Care for the Club Footed Horse

by David Farmilo
Accredited Master Farrier, Oakbank SA
PH 0418 835 186
www.horsefarrier.com.au

With the Club Footed horse, the first thing to understand is that the horse has a deformity and as such it is always going to need a high degree of hoof maintenance, for the term of its natural life. To identify the club foot we must know what is considered ‘normal’ and then compare the difference. When a normal hoof is in balance, the front of the hoof wall will be in line with the front of the pastern, whereas in the club foot this straight line is broken from the coronet down to the toe, and the heel appears much higher.

There are many reasons why horses are afflicted with one or two club feet; some are born that way through genetics, and most owners will vigorously deny that this trait was ever present in their bloodline, however when historical photos of previous generations are studied it will show up three or four generations back. Another group of these club footed horses is simply the result of hoof or leg injuries, and then there is a small group who have developed club feet because of misunderstood trimming.

The foal born with a disposition to display a club foot should be given a few weeks to see if the condition improves to normal; if it fails to develop a correct angle by the age of four weeks you can assume that the deep flexor tendon is still contracted. This will be causing the heels to grow high and the toe to become short or stumpy, thus the heels need to be lowered as much as possible, down to the junction of the widest point of the frog to help get the frog into ground contact and this will need to be repeated every two weeks. Despite all these efforts you will still be likely to end up with a club footed adult who requires high maintenance for life.

It is amazing how horses can adapt their action to get around a handicap such as a club foot. Many of them go on to be top performers with no hint of lameness even though they are stepping slightly short on that leg.

Injuries to the tendon or heel bulbs which cause the horse to point its toe and rest the heel off the ground for any length of time will often cause what looks like a club foot, and if this is not corrected quickly it can develop into that conformity.

The club foot if not correctly balanced will cause problems such as contracted frogs and heels, lameness from the high heels causing concussion from landing too early, which also causes neck and shoulder and back strain. If it is shod it will often forge or over reach and pull shoes off.

The club foot, because it is usually contracted in the heels and has very little angle to its side walls, can be difficult to maintain. It is a mistake to leave the shoes wider so that the hoof will spread, as this only invites the shoe to be pulled off during work or play. The best you can do is to balance the hoof correctly which will keep the frog down on the ground which will prevent heel contraction. Also don’t use a shoe which is too thick and heavy as it will put unnecessary stress on a fragile hoof wall.

The important thing to remember is that in a foal, early recognition and appropriate action are vital, and that a club footed horse is a high maintenance horse but managed properly will still do his very best for you. From a farrier’s perspective, my advice to the breeders and owners is to be very selective and cull out bad conformation.