Hooves Turned In

[lornnhoj]

Hello,
I just got a new horse last monday and i've noticed her front hooves are slightly turned inwards. I know this is a sign of bad conformation, and i saw this when i was buying her aswell. I was just wondering if there is a way to correct this though a certain way of shoeing?
Any Information anyone has would be great :)

Thanks
-Katie

[KarinUS]

If the horse is already full-grown then correcting through shoeing can actually do more harm then good because the bones on the inside of the leg adjust to the slightly twisted alignment and forcing them to conform differently can put a lot of strain on them. Slightly pigeon-toed is not that horrible.
Our mare is slightly pigeon toed. She is barefoot and we just make sure that her feet are trimmed regularly and balanced correctly. But we got her when she was 10 so it is really too late to completely correct it. She's never had any problems though. Always sound and great hard hooves. :)

[lornnhoj]

She's only just turned 5 and she's a percheron, so she's still got a little growing to do. Is it to late for correctional shoeing? Will being pigeon-toed hurt her in the future? if not should i even bother with corretional shoeing? She's fine now, shes a joy to ride and is the sweetest thing, it doesn't seem to give her any problems.

But i noticed when she trots she kind of swings her hoofs out in a circle when placing them. Is this because of being pigeon-toed? is it gonna be problematic later on?

[KarinUS]

She's only just turned 5 and she's a percheron, so she's still got a little growing to do.

Here's a great article on growth and structural changes in horses:
Horse Growth (http://www.equinestudies.org/knowledge_base/ranger.html)
I think you will find fig. 6 especially interesting as it shows how and when bones finish growing in a horse.

It sounds like you are interested in having your horse shod so we probably should wait around for one of the farriers to post to this. We have our horses barefoot and because there are no shoes we are able to trim very frequently keeping imbalances to a minimum without forcing the hoof into a position t's not comfortable in. With shoeing there is more growth going on in between shoeing because it simply would not be practical or economical to shoe every 2 weeks, etc.

Yes, her paddling gait could be related to her conformation. Pigeon toes can put more strain on the lower part of the horse's legs. How much it affects it is really dependant on the individual. If it is very slight it may not be much to worry about. :)

[Ross]

I would talk to the farrier about this, as it's impossible to say without detailed knowledge of the horse in question (and anyway, I'd ask the farrier - he's the expert).

Ross

[Wally]

I aggree with KarinUS, is you try yo correct the hoof at 5 you'll do damage to the bones.

You ned to shoe the foot on the end of the leg, go with what the Almighty gave the horse and then work with it, not against it.

I have a Shetland whose toes turn out, bad conformation, if I tried to shoe him straight I'd lame him.

[sidesaddlelady1]

Hello,
I just got a new horse last monday and i've noticed her front hooves are slightly turned inwards. I know this is a sign of bad conformation, and i saw this when i was buying her aswell. I was just wondering if there is a way to correct this though a certain way of shoeing?
Any Information anyone has would be great :)

Thanks
-Katie

Ask your farrier. The WH had pigeon toes at the front and duck feet at the back when I bought him but this improved with work as his muscle tone improved. It doesn't affect his "going"

[lornnhoj]

OKay i'll check with the farrier and see what he says, thanks for the help guys :P

[Skyhuntress]

Definately ask your farrier. And ask about the severity of it. As KarinUS said, slightly pigeon toned isn't horrible...in fact a lot of horses are (just like if you watch people walk, alot of them walk crowfoot...one or both feet pointing outwards)

If the horse is already 5, there IS corrective shoeing, but you need a reliable farrier and it really depends on just how badly pigeon toed she is. As everyone pointed out, if its severe, you can do damage by trying corrective work, and its best to leave them barefoot. But for some minor cases, I've seen farriers do great work and shift the angle without any damage whatsoever. I've also heard of chiropractors being able to shift the angle of the heels as well...no personal experience with that, but if you know a reliable chiropractor, it might be worth asking

Definately talk to your farrier :) He'll let you know!