Assess the foal’s limbs soon after birth. Most mild limb deformities can be helped by stall rest that limits exercise. Many problems are due to lack of cartilage and bone maturity and will improve with time if the affected areas are not stressed. If there is more than a 5- degree deviation in the limb, or concerns about the straightness of the legs, your veterinarian should assess the situation and make recommendations at this time. The hooves should not be trimmed until the foal is at least two weeks old, and then only if a problem is evident.

It is important to treat limb deviations before the epiphyseal growth plates of the lower leg bones close at about three months (short pastern), six months (long pastern), and nine months (distal cannon bone). After these plates close, very little structural change can be made in the limb by trimming or shoeing. It is questionable how much change can actually be made before that time. Severe angular (conformation) defects cannot be eliminated by corrective trimming or shoeing. Serious problems may require periostial stripping or check ligament surgery. Future plans for the horse should be considered in making this decision as its athletic career may be limited.

The Farrier’s First Visit
A foal’s feet should be checked by a competent farrier by the time it is two months old. You can help prepare your foal for the farrier’s first visit by (1) teaching the foal to stand and lead, (2) picking up and holding the foal’s feet daily, (3) providing the farrier a safe corner in which to trim the foal’s hooves, (4) having an experienced person hold the foal for the farrier, and (5) having an experienced person hold the mare close at hand.

Imprint training should be started as soon after birth as possible in order to begin the process of desensitization of the foal to the farrier. To do this, rub down the legs and pat the bottom of the hoof with your hand 40 or 50 times on each foot or until the foal relaxes. Repeat daily and then weekly and finally monthly. It is also important to clean out a foal’s feet each time the animal is handled to accustom it to foot handling.

Foot Balance and Trimming
Regular foot balancing will allow the foal to grow as straight as possible. The focus of trimming should be on keeping the weight of the foal evenly distributed over the limbs. The foal’s hoof may be trimmed more often than that of a mature horse, but less hoof is removed. The excess wall is trimmed down to the level of the sole at the toe.

Keeping the hoof length the same on the inner and outer sides of the leg (medial /lateral balance) is critical. This must be maintained because a foal frequently wears one side or the other unevenly. The animal will learn to compensate for minor structural faults. Avoid over-trimming of the sole and thus removing protection from the coffin bone. Trimming one side lower in an effort to straighten legs produces sheared heels.

Medial or lateral extension shoes made from aluminum or plastic may be glued or nailed to the feet of crooked foals to help in the distributing of weight more evenly over the bone column. Shoeing the foot may protect it from wearing away faster than it grows and sometimes it is necessary to maintain a balanced stance. If a horse is shod during the growing months, shoes should be reset frequently (every 3 to 4 weeks) and progressively larger shoes applied each time.

Having the hoof trimmed out of medial/lateral balance in an effort to straighten bones is not a good practice. Excessive stresses on the joint may cause damage, but the most noticeable effect will be the creation of a sheared heel. This may cause circulatory disturbance and lameness later on. The edges of a foal’s hooves should be kept rounded to avoid chipping.

When a young horse begins serious training, regular trimming and hoof care should include shoes that protect the foot or are necessary to enhance the action of the specific type of horse.

Foal limb soundness begins before a foal is born. It involves considerations of nature (genetic) and nurture (environment). Genetic factors include inherited conformation and behavioral traits from the stallion and mare. Environmental factors include physical space in the mare’s uterus, nutrition, training and disease prevention.

Choosing a mating that has a good chance of producing a structurally correct horse is important since conformation deformities predispose animals to unsoundness. Nutrition of the mare is especially important during the last three months of gestation, as the majority of the foal’s limb growth takes place during this time. Nutrition of the lactating mare and supplemental foal feeding affects the growth of the foal after birth. Imprint training should be done soon after birth as a preparation for hoof care that should begin during the second month of life.

Genetics
Sound legs start with the mating of a sound stallion to a sound mare. They each contribute one half of the whole. Some horses are said to be very prepotent, meaning they are capable of stamping their characteristics on their offspring no matter what the genetics of the other horse. Sometimes, we see exceptional “nicks” or good combinations that consistently produce good horses. In some cases outcrossing is desirable as it produces heterosis or hybrid vigor. The mule is an extreme example since it is usually hardier than either parent. Most horsemen realize that breeding is a “roll of the dice” but they do what they can to control some of the variables.

Unfortunately, many of our modern horse breeding programs are not focused on soundness. Instead, they are focused on beauty, color, disposition, speed, cow sense, early rapid growth, mature size, etc. Structural deformities are accepted where they should be cause for rejection. Structurally incorrect horses are then trained and put into use, eventually becoming unsound. A price must be paid for adopting the short term at the expense of the long term. Structurally incorrect horses may stay sound for a while, but very few unsound horses are structurally correct.

Heritability of skeletal structure in horses is one of the highest for any trait, estimated by some researchers as high as .65. This means that there is a 65 percent chance that crooked or sound legs are due to heredity and a 35 percent chance that they are due to environment. Selection of sound horses for mating is essential.

Prenatal (before birth) Environment
Foals grow to the size of the mother’s womb before birth. Some almost look like spiders when they are born, as their legs are so much more developed than their body size. The limbs complete much of their development in the womb and are largely a product of the nutrition received by the mare.

The cartilage in the leg rapidly proliferates during gestation, and its maturation to bone may be delayed in horses fed diets deficient in some minerals and vitamins. Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Magnesium, Copper and Zinc are especially important minerals, as are Vitamins A and D.

Overfeeding of carbohydrates and protein can also cause problems. Excess protein is treated like excess carbohydrate by the body and may cause hormonal imbalance as well as nutritional diseases. Overgrowing in the confining uterine environment caused by a delayed foaling date causes some limb deformities.

Post Natal (after birth) Environment
Foals are naturally awkward when they are born. Their body size will grow faster than the length of their legs. The small bones of the knee or hock may not be completely formed at birth and are crushed by excessive exercise and body weight. Many times foal legs will straighten as the animal grows older and stronger.

Limb defects can be aggravated by many things. The stall should be safe and large enough that the foal won’t be injured by the mare. Exercise areas should be as safe as possible. Some foals have had a leg broken while in a stall or while exercising in a rough pasture. Other older horses in the same pen may purposely injure foals.

Fences that are sharp or not visible are especially dangerous. The fact that the foal has a short neck in relation to long legs may also aggravate deformities as he spreads his legs to eat off the ground. Standing with one front foot back and the other forward may also cause the development of club foot on the foot that is back if it becomes a habit.

The most important post natal consideration is the lactation of the mare. Too little or too much milk can cause limb development problems and lameness. Mares that are easy keepers and good milk producers have a higher incidence of foals with DOD.

Developmental orthopedic disease (nicknamed DOD) is the name given to various abnormalities of the limbs. These can have genetic or environmental origins. Horses bred to grow fast and mature rapidly are susceptible. Horses fed a high calorie, imbalanced ration are at great risk for epiphysitis – an inflammation of the growth plates of the long bones. Usually, this comes about from excessive grain and protein supplement consumption. However, overeating of high quality alfalfa hay may also produce it.

Types of Neo Natal (new born) Deformities
Foals with the knees or hocks turned in are called valgus. Foals with the knees or hocks turned out are called varus. When both left and right hock (or knee) joints are bent in the same direction, we say the foal is windswept.

A foal with a straight pastern and high-heeled foot is said to have contracted tendons or be club footed. A foal with the fetlock forward due to superficial tendon contracture is said to be knuckled over. Foals with the pastern down and the heels crushed with the toe up are said to have tendon laxity.

We all value our animals — both in terms of money and our emotional attachment to them. Although there are fewer horses today than a hundred years ago, there are more people who own horses, and individual animals have a much higher value.

Many well-meaning people buy a horse just because they become emotionally attached to it — kind of like “love at first sight.” However, before you fall in love with that horse, it’s important to get the opinion of some experts — and listen to what they say — about the horse. Purchasing a sound horse will help you avoid some very expensive and potentially incurable problems that would be with you all of that horse’s life.

Here are 5 important tips that will help you improve your chances of purchasing a horse that is sound:

1) Engage a competent farrier as well as an equine veterinarian to perform a thorough pre-purchase soundness examination of the horse — before you become emotionally attached to it. Hire a specialist who does this type of exam regularly and knows what to look for. This doesn’t have to mean a lot of x-rays or expensive tests; it simply means you have an experienced person look over the animal and examine it closely.

2) Purchase the horse only if these experts pronounce the animal sound. If you plan to hire a professional to take care of your horse, you will profit by also getting their opinion before you buy. A horse that may not be sound for use as a daily stressed runner may be ideal for an occasionally ridden pleasure horse.

3) Learn about conformation. Consult some books, look at horses, study them, and really acquaint yourself with what is good conformation and what is not.

4) Learn about behavior. Become familiar with what constitutes normal behavior and what is abnormal behavior in horses. Look for these traits in the horse you are interested in purchasing.

5) Learn about feet. If you haven’t studied the feet in any detail, consult a good book that includes the anatomy of the horse’s foot. Pay attention to any genetic factors in some breeds and lines of horses, such as club feet and other inherited problems.

When searching for a horse to purchase, if you come upon a foot problem on a horse that otherwise seems to have a lot of possibilities, have the feet examined more closely. The experienced observation and advice of an expert is often more valuable than simply looking at an x-ray and making a decision on your own.

Realize that you are making a major commitment to take care of this animal — perhaps for its entire life. A rational judgment at the beginning could save you tons of money and heartaches later and make your life with your horse an even more enjoyable experience.

Cold Weather Horse Care by Doug Butler Phd, CJF, FWCF

Horses have different needs than people do. Here are a few of a horse’s winter needs – from its point of view.

1. Shelter

Horses have a thick skin insulated by fat and thick winter hair. The horse’s integument (its hooves and skin) has an underlying dermis that contains AVAs (arterio-venous anastomoses). These vascular systems allow the body to shunt or divert blood away from its surface area periodically to keep the animal’s central core warm. Then, alternately, the warm blood is circulated back to the external areas to keep them nourished and healthy. You can observe the effectiveness of this system by noting that unmelted snow can rest on a horse’s back without the horse shivering. The horse’s skin may feel cold, but it is warm inside.

Horse blankets or “rugs” are not needed on most horses unless the horse has been clipped, is routinely worked into a sweat, or has a thin skin like some Thoroughbreds. Hair growth is controlled by day length and hormones. Shorter days trigger hormone responses that cause increased hair growth. The thicker, longer hair protects the horse in the harsh winter environment. A wind break is all that is needed for most horses, except in the most extreme conditions.

As wind speed increases, the air temperature goes down. This is especially important to consider when hauling horses. On a cold day, the temperature in a trailer with ventilated sides can be much colder than you think. The following chart will give you an idea of the difference air velocity makes on a cold day.

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2. Ventilation

Horses need good ventilation, or fresh air. Horses confined in tightly-closed barns may suffer from lung disease due to lack of adequate ventilation. The average horse breathes out about 2 gallons of water per day. In addition, a horse voids about a gallon of urine a day which contains ammonia. A horse also produces about 35 pounds of feces per day. In a closed barn, especially if not cleaned daily, a combination of these factors can be the cause of lung conditions such as heaves and pneumonia. Heated barns often compound the problems. Horses, when given a choice, prefer to stay outside without a shelter over head, except in the most severe weather.

3. Feed

Horses are herbivores. They need fiber in their diet. During the winter months, fiber becomes more important because of the heat of digestion generated when digesting fiber. Due to their very small stomach size, horses need at least two feedings a day. If allowed, most horses will spend 70 percent of a twenty-four-hour period grazing. The amount of good quality hay fed to a confined horse should be about one and a half to two percent of its body weight. In extremely cold climates, it’s wise to have fibrous feed, such as grass hay, in front of horses all of the time.

While grains produce energy, they also are laid down as fat if a horse is not working. Corn or maize is a heavier feed containing twice as much energy per volume as oats, and is a preferred winter feed in some areas. Most horses do not need grain while they are inactive in the winter.

Emerging grasses in the spring are high in fructans. Fructans are a rich form of carbohydrates or sugars. Horses that have been confined during the winter months should be slowly introduced to growing pasture in the spring to prevent digestive upsets resulting in colic and laminitis or founder. Horses should be let on the grass for gradually increasing times. Anytime feed stuffs are changed it should be done gradually over a period of five days since this is how long it takes the bacteria flora of the gut to adapt to a new feedstuff.

4. Water

Water should be available to horses at all times. Even during the winter an average horse needs 7 to 10 gallons of water a day. During the coldest part of the winter, when water buckets freeze, you may be able to provide water only twice a day when you feed your horses. Experiments have shown that horses will drink more water when the water is slightly warmer than the air temperature in winter and slightly cooler than the air temperature in summer. Extremely hot or extremely cold water causes horses to limit their intake and may cause them to colic.

5. Space

Horses prefer enough area to move around and exercise. Animals that are exercised and trained daily need less space than those that are confined twenty-four/seven. Horses sleep very little; some studies indicate as little as two hours in twenty-four. Many will rarely lie down, unless in a protected area or guarded by a companion. When they lie down, most horses are more concerned about being “caught down” than they are about resting. Of course, a closed stall takes this threat away.

The horse’s limbs contain unique stay apparatuses that allow the large muscle groups to rest while the horse is standing. This feature allows these preyed-upon animals the ability to instantly flee from the standing position. When horses are given a choice of being under an artificial light or being in the dark, the majority prefer the light.

6. Companionship

Horses are herd animals. They instinctively prefer companionship. This may be a problem when a horse becomes “love sick” and doesn’t want to be separated from its companion. Generally horses are more content when they can see each other. However, because of herd hierarchy, the ones on the lower end of the pecking order may not get enough feed unless they are kept separate.

7. Foot Care

Horse hooves are 25 to 50 percent water. Water freezes. Frozen hooves may split when nails are driven into them, and pounding upon the feet may be painful. The coriums or sensitive structures under the hoof are often bruised when the horse stands on snow that balls up under the hooves. In the spring, the farrier will notice bruises in the sole horn caused during the winter months. Snowball pads are designed to prevent snowballing. They should be used when shoes, and especially bar shoes, are applied during winter.

Horses that are worked on slippery surfaces should be shod for traction with borium, studs and/or pads to protect both the horse and rider. Removing the shoes and trimming the hooves of horses that will be idle for the winter may be the best solution. However, horses with special problems requiring therapeutic shoes should remain shod and protected with pads.

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Taking care of a horse is a big responsibility. We hope that these ideas will help you better fulfill that responsibility during the winter and spring months. For a more complete discussion of horse care and concerns throughout the year, including how to select and evaluate your farrier, see our book – Horse Foot Care, A Horse Owners Guide to Humane Horse Foot Care. Our desire is to raise the standard of farrier practice and make life more pleasant for our equine friends and their care-takers.