The year behind us or the year before us…

Now as the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season passes, and I pray you had a joyous one, our attention often shifts to reflecting upon the past year and planning for the next. This time of reflection and planning frequently encompasses many aspects of our lives and if you’re a horseperson it undoubtedly will include the time spent with your horse and a rededication to spend more time with him in the upcoming year. Most of us, whether we’re a competitive or recreational rider, want to improve upon our accomplishments of the previous year. It may be shaving a second off a barrel race, testing at a higher level in dressage or refining our natural horsemanship techniques; regardless the goal, all of our horse related resolutions have one thing in common… They all require a sound horse.

We have all heard the expression, “no hoof, no horse”; it’s been paraded around the horse community for as long as I can remember. While I try to avoid clichés, the reason I make an exception for this one is its simple, irrefutable truth. So, who is responsible for maintaining your horse’s soundness? Obviously, the farrier carries much of the burden, but should he carry all the weight? Perhaps the veterinarian or even the trainer should help carry the load; after all we pay them all good money…right? While there is some truth to this philosophy, an owner cannot ignore their responsibility in helping their horse have the best possible foot under them. The New Year affords us the opportunity to resolve that we will take an active role in monitoring our horse’s foot health.

One of the basic precepts of barefoot equine podiatry is that most lameness issues are preceded by hoof deformities. Unfortunately, these deformities develop over long periods of time and often go unnoticed. Having photos can be an invaluable asset when trying to figure out why your horse is now stumbling or interfering more than he did previously. As a horse owner myself, I understand that time can often be scarce, but a monthly photo of your horse’s feet will take only minutes and could potentially save you more time than you could ever imagine. Especially now, with the proliferation of digital cameras, this can be a fairly quick task. A disposable 35mm camera will also work quite well, with a minimum of hassle or expense. While a monthly photo is ideal, this technique can also be used as needed when attempting to explore lameness issues or diminished performance. They also afford you the opportunity to consult with specialists via e-mail.

I suggest taking a front view, side view and perhaps most importantly a photo of the bottom, perpendicular to the sole, which is the view used for the assessment technique described in this text. You may want to include a ruler in the photo for scale, although I rely more on proportions than the actual dimensions in most cases. While there can be wealth of information contained in the photos, this text will focus on just one of the primary indicators of hoof health. You can do this to the actual foot rather than a photo, but remember to record the information. Begin by drawing a line across the widest part of the foot; it is generally about ¾” behind the true apex or point of the frog, you can use a ruler to pinpoint it. Now draw a line across the point of Breakover at the toe. Most horses will have a slight to moderate roll at the toe, where the roll meets the ground is the Breakover point. Lastly, draw a line across the furthest load bearing surface at the heel of the foot.

Now use these lines to determine the ratio of the mass of the foot ahead of the line to the rear of the line. A healthy foot will have at least a 50/50 ratio. More behind the line rarely creates a problem, while a greater area ahead of the line generally foreshadows gait irregularities and lameness issues. As well, a greater ratio in the front portion of the foot is usually accompanied with a noticeable toe first landing, which works against every system in the foot designed to manage the moment of impact. A slight heel first landing aligns the bony column in the most efficient way to handle impact, as well as, properly engages the frog, digital cushion, lateral cartilages, and the ligaments stabilizing the navicular bone, all of which reside in the rear portion of the foot. Proper circulation and neurological function also rely on a slight heel first landing and suffer when the foot is landing toe first. For example, I have never worked on a horse diagnosed with navicular problems that didn’t have at least 70% of the mass of the foot ahead of the widest part of the foot and with that much in front of the foot it is virtually impossible to achieve a heel first landing. Redistributing the mass of the foot has saved many of these horses from continued suffering

There can be many factors which lead to lameness issues and in no way am I suggesting this is the end all way of telling if you will have problems, but it can be a valuable tool to recognize and many times correct hoof deformities that may cause problems. Additionally, when rehabilitating a horse, the ratio also serves as a guide to determine if a more natural balance is being achieved.  As important as it is to achieve balance, aggressive trimming should never be employed to achieve a more equal ratio nor should the other landmarks of the foot be ignored; rather a conservative and consistent approach should be employed to redistribute the mass of the foot. Fortunately, the foot responds rather quickly when attempting to do this, further suggesting that it’s the way it was designed to function.

Horses come in all shapes and sizes, as do their feet, but a foot is a foot and they are all basically designed to function in the same manner. Regardless if it’s a Belgium or a Shetland pony, the foot has two primary functions, support and locomotion. Optimizing the natural design of the foot will optimize each foots ability to do both. Until next month, God Bless you and your equine partners.

(note: I welcome the readers to e-mail me their photos and any questions, concerns or comments they may have at joe@naturalhoofconcepts.com)