” His right leg turns out and we have been slow starting him.”…“I have a 7 month old filly whose knees are bent slightly forward.”…“He looks like he is getting sway back“… long sloping pasterns”…“..developed a crack just below the coronary band on both of his front feet. I talked to an equine vet tech and she has never heard of this… She suggested that this could be club foot. “…“What kind of problems could occur if a horse is said to be “toed out”?”…
” His right leg turns out and we have been slow starting him.”…
I have a 3 yr old Quarter Horse stud with great racing background (Packing 6s and Texas Dancer Appendix mare). His right leg turns out and we have been slow starting him. He had about 10 rides last year and extensive ground work. He showed no signs of lameness but was not pushed. I broke my foot and am just now getting back to working with him, but am wondering if there is some kind of support I can offer him in the way of a boot or wrap that will help prevent soreness or injury in that leg? I would really appreciate your help because now that I know how to correct the defect it in the yearling stage, I would like to breed him as well as have him as a good breakaway roping horse. He’s going to have a home with me his whole life and I would like to make it the best possible.
Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:
Cheryl:
Legs can be crooked in several different ways, and some of them may be genetic, and others not. Genetic defects are ones that we do not want to reproduce,i.e., those animals are not good breeding animals. Other crooked legs are not that bad, not interfering with performance, not requiring surgery, and therefore not a big concern. Some types of deformity are correctable (with surgery), others are not. What type of deformity does your horse have?
“I have a 7 month old filly whose knees are bent slightly forward.”…
I have a 7 month old filly whose knees are bent slightly forward. She was born like this and I was told that she would likely grow out it. Well, she did, sort of. As she has grown there have been periods when they are nearly straight and periods when they are more bent. To my knowledge there has never been any discomfort or swelling associated with it and she has never appeared to be lame or stiff. There are times when her knees will tremble a little like they want to give way and times when she will extend them fully, but they don’t seem to lock. Physically she is on the short side, but fairly stocky. My own vet suggested epiphysitis and I have decreased her feed according to his recommendations while leaving her turned out 24/7. I am wondering if there may be alternative explanations. I would be thankful for any suggestions. Thank you.
Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:
Erica:
She may be a horse who may benefit from a surgery to cut her check ligaments. These are short stretches of tissue which are on the back of the leg, and connect to the flexor tendon. If they are cut, then the tendon can stretch out more, thus releasing some of the tension placed on the back of the leg. This may relieve her knees from being “bent over”. Until then, she may fatigue easily, which is when you notice her knees shaking. Some horses, if left like this, may be prone to spills in the front end, ending up with knee damage, or worse – rider injury if under saddle. Ask your veterinarian about this procedure. It is simple, requiring a few months lay-up time, and may benefit her greatly. Good luck.
“He looks like he is getting sway back”…
I have a colt that is two and a half years old. I did not start riding him until he was two years old. He looks like he is getting sway back. Is there anything I can do to prevent this? Is it normal for a two year old to get sway back? Please let me know.
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
Hi Hillari,
It is not common for a 2 year old to develop sway back appearance. I would have to think that it is due to a hereditary predisposition. There is really not much you can do to prevent what is happening as he grows out.
“… long sloping pasterns”…
My sister purchased this 5 yr old 17.1h Percheron/TB horse from out of province. When he got here we noticed right away that his pasterns were really long and low. After a trim they seemed to look better. My sister really likes this horse and has become rather attached, however the previous owner will take him back for exchange. They said they have bred horses for comfort and some have long sloping pasterns. The vet who came out said to get rid of him right away and not to waste money into training him as with his size he has a huge potential to go lame. Sheena would like to use him for light dressage and trail riding 2-4 times per week. Do you think the size of this horse or his conformation cause serious problems in the future? He is a good horse with a good mind, and we would like to keep him if possible…the two pictures of him outdoors were before we had his feet trimmed, the others indoors were after the trim. Sorry I can’t make the pictures bigger.
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
I would have to agree with the examining Veterinarian in that you can expect some soundness issues because of the excessively sloping pasterns. If you decide to keep him, he might hold up alright with a very light riding schedule. In looking at the pictures I notice the pasterns are somewhat sloping but it doesn’t seem excessive to me. The horse does seem to have a greater slope to the pasterns that he does to the slope of the shoulder. When the slope of the pasterns does not equal the slope of the shoulder, a horse would have a tendency to have more soundness problems. I also seem to notice one picture where the lower tendon seemed to be inflamed (enlarged) and this would be caused by strain to this area usually due to excessive pastern angle. This may be what your Vet was worried about. I wish I could be of more help. I hope this helps and good luck.
“..developed a crack just below the coronary band on both of his front feet. I talked to an equine vet tech and she has never heard of this… She suggested that this could be club foot. “…
I have a 1 1/2 year old gelding quarter horse that I have owned for 8 months. When we first purchased him, my farrier thought his feet were being trimmed incorrectly. In the past week, he has developed a crack just below the coronary band on both of his front feet. I talked to an equine vet tech and she has never heard of this. She suggested that I have the vet come out immediatley. She suggested that this could be club foot. I have done some research and he seems to have several symptoms of Navicular Disease, but I cannot find that this could be one of the symptoms. His front hooves are short and he walks on his toes. I have not worked him for several months, trying get get his feet in shape. When I would work him in the past, his gait looked like he was limping, so I stopped. He does not act like a happy horse and he never runs not even for grain. I live in a remote area, so getting a vet out is not an easy thing. I also do not want a lame horse. Could this be nutritional? Or should I have the vet x-ray his hooves? He is on grass hay and 14% protein grain for a supplement. Oh, and it’s also cold and snowy here if that
makes a difference. I do live in Minnesota. I have two other horses that are just fine, but they are older than him. Could this just be the winter? If so, what can I do to help him? Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated. My husband and I absolutely adore this little boy.
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
Hi Julie,
From what you are describing, it sounds as if you may have problem with your horse. At his age, it is unlikely that navicular problems are involved, but it is very likely that some form of growing horse problem is involved. If he is walking on his toes, and has developed cracks from the coronary band, it is quite possible that this horse is suffering from a condition called contracted tendons. When this occurs, it is usually seen at about this age in growing horses and has been linked to possible nutritional imbalance. The deep flexor tendon tightens and pulls up on the attachment in the back of the coffin bone, and this causes the horse to walk on his toes and causes the foot to grow as a club foot. The abnormal stress on the feet will cause these cracks. I would suggest that you do have a Veterinary exam done on this horse and x-rays would also probably be in order to get a definite diagnosis. If it does turn out to be contracted tendons, there are a few things that can be done to help the problem. I hope this helps and good luck.
“What kind of problems could occur if a horse is said to be “toed out”?”…
Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:
Troy:
Generally, the toed out horses place more stress on the joints from which the rotational deviation originates from. For example, if the leg appears to rotate from the ankle, then more stress will occur there, as there are additional rotational forces on it, in additional to the usual forces that the leg incurs during movement, concussion, etc. In extreme cases, soft tissues (connecting ligaments) may also be damaged. The other thing to watch out for is that he is not hitting himself with the opposite foot (winging) during the flight phase of the stride. If this happens, damage can be incurred, and if bad enough can make him lame.
“What normally causes his rear ankles to make contact during a trot?”…
My 8-year-old AQHA gelding rubs his hind ankles together when trotting. He has two sores on each ankle from this. I keep boots on him to alleviate this. What normally causes his rear ankles to make contact during a trot?
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
Hi Jennifer,
The interference you are describing is probably due to a slight crookedness of the lower hind legs. Does he toe out badly behind? This could be from a cow hocked conformational defect and so when he travels at a trot, his hind feet travel in an inside arc and cause the interference. Corrective shoeing is probably your best chance at correcting this problem, using a very knowledgeable horse shoer to watch the horse travel and working on the hind feet to try and change his tendency to interfere.
Is pigeon-toed or toed-in a genetic deformity?”
Is pigeon-toed or toed-in a genetic deformity of a horse?
Dr. Cheryl Rahal’s Answer:
Jenny,
“Toed-in” is a conformation defect, and many factors contribute to conformation, one factor may affect the next, genetics is one of those factors. Diet, exercise, congenital factors (congenital means born with it, but not necessarily a genetic trait, maybe fetal positioning or embryonic growth factors), or care as a growing colt/filly, injury, and farriery are some of the other factors. I have seen many broodmares over the years that have ‘scary looking legs’ (if I may use that as a medical term), that have beautiful gorgeous perfect legged babies.
