Do they look different?

While I wouldn’t characterize mismatched front feet as normal, I do believe they are fairly common and generally more harm than good comes about by trying to match them. Mismatched front feet can develop for a variety of reasons. Certainly genetics and conformation can play a role, but circumstances such as injuries or improper or irregular trimming and shoeing can contribute to the development of mismatched feet. It has even been theorized that a correlation can be made between a weanlings grazing stance and mismatched hoof development.

Regardless the reason, traditionally the goal has always been to match the feet and often times that means forcing them to match. Traditional methods of balancing feet rely heavily upon specific measurements, namely hoof angle and toe length, to balance a horse’s hooves and balance is perceived when the measurements are equal. Natural hoofcare takes a different approach to balance, one which generally benefits horses with mismatched feet.

Most schools of natural hoofcare rely on the landmarks of each individual foot to achieve balance. Landmarks such as the live sole, the widest part of the foot and the apex of the frog guide the trim and rarely are measurements taken. Flare is also generally regarded as a major indication of imbalance and is systematically reduced and eventually eliminated. Ironically, this lack of consideration to measurements and angles routinely yields matching feet and allows previously mismatched feet to equalize over time, the keys being “allow” and “time”.  Forcing feet to match by way of trimming one short, allowing one to overgrow or leaving excess flare may create the illusion of matched feet, but closer examination will always reveal one foot is being sacrificed to keep the numbers the same.

This is especially true of a horse afflicted with one club foot. A club foot is a condition which involves tension of the deep digital tendon, which runs behind the coffin bone and attaches at the front of the coffin bone. One or both front feet can be afflicted and the condition ranges from mild to severe. Severe cases require the intervention of a veterinarian and surgery to correct. Mild cases are often referred to as a “clubby foot” and many cases of mismatched feet are the result of one foot being clubby. The clubby foot has a more upright appearance along with narrower and many times contracted heels, straight bars and a very prominent flare which looks like a duck bill if left unchecked. Leaving the toe and cutting the heels low is often attempted in an effort to leverage the foot down. Rarely is this successful and the flare is evidence of that fact. Leaving excess toe strains the tendon at breakover and weakens the connection of the coffin bone within the hoof capsule. The tendon is not easily stretched and will actually hold the heel off the ground if too much heel is removed.

When trimming a clubby foot the flare should be removed and the heels gradually lowered over time, understanding that there will come a point when they cannot be lowered any further. Perhaps the most important consideration and the point of this column is that the feet should be trimmed individually and the principles of natural balance be applied uniformly.

I used this as an example because it is the most common cause of mismatched feet I see. While I’ve overly simplified a rather complex condition, I hope it helps illustrate that matching front feet involves more than just the foot itself. It also illustrates that there are times when the front feet cannot and should not be forced to match. Horses can and do perform at their peak when they have properly balanced feet under them. However, properly balanced feet don’t always match. Until next time, God bless you and your equine partners.