From the November EVJ. This study concludes that close to half of foals can develop club-footed tendencies early in life due to their conformation. The full text of the study is available online at the journal’s website with a subscription:
http://www.evj.co.uk/index.htm
Uneven feet in a foal may develop as a consequence of
lateral grazing behaviour induced by conformational traits
M. C. V. VAN HEEL*, A. M. KROEKENSTOEL, M. C. VAN DIERENDONCK, P. R. VAN WEEREN and W. BACK
Derona Equine Performance Laboratory, Department of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 12,
NL-3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Reasons for performing study: Conformational traits are important in breeding, since they may be indicative for performance ability and susceptibility to injuries.
Objectives: To study whether certain desired conformational traits of foals are related to lateralised behaviour while foraging and to the development of uneven feet.
Methods: Twenty-four Warmblood foals, born and raised at the same location, were studied for a year. Foraging behaviour was observed by means of weekly 10 min scan-sampling for 8 h. A preference test (PT) was developed to serve as a standardised tool to determine laterality. The foals were evaluated at age 3, 15, 27 and 55 weeks. The PT and distal limb conformation were used to study the relation between overall body conformation, laterality and the development of uneven feet. Pressure measurements were used to determine the loading patterns under the feet.
Results: About 50% of the foals developed a significant preference to protract the same limb systematically while grazing, which resulted in uneven feet and subsequently uneven loading patterns. Foals with relatively long limbs and small heads were predisposed to develop laterality and, consequently unevenness.
Conclusions: Conformational traits may stimulate the development of laterality and therefore indirectly cause uneven feet.
For an illustration, please see this case of a club-footed 9-month old filly, posted earlier here.
January 29, 2007 at 2:32 am
Be careful…. study does not state “that close to half of foals can develop club-footed tendencies early in life due to their conformation”. States that approx 50% developed preference tendencies and >uneveness
January 31, 2007 at 3:45 am
One of my very first fillies was badly windswept when she was born. The vet said not to worry she would straighten out on her own. Inititally that looked like it was the case. She was a great filly with a beautiful deep hip, short back, great shoulder, a beautiful long slender high set neck with a very fine throatlatch. Her legs looked straight. An over very nicely conformed individual. But by the time she was six months old she was badly conformed – her hip was wierd, back dropped, nech short and upside down and she had two club feet.
This didn’t make much sense to me, so I had her looked at by a vet who is also a highly respected chiropractor, although he’d not like that I called him that. Upon examining the filly, he had me watch her as he lead her away. I was to visually draw a straight line from her tail, through ther whithers and out the pole. Her spine was supposed to stay on that line. This filly’s back crossed the line 3 times before it got to her whithers, then her neck went off to the left and came back but never actually crossed the line.
He spent over 3 hours adjusting her and doing physical therapy on her but when he was done, her conformation was back to the near perfect foal she had been. She required a couple of trimmings to get rid of the excess heel she had grown because she was changing her normal weight bearing to compensate for the pain she was in. She has required no additional treatment since then and she’s now 7 and still a great mare without 2 club feet.
August 12, 2007 at 9:36 pm
I agree about the club foot. In my situation I have a six year old mare. After I purchased her, I realized she had a club foot and was Grade 2 lame.
I investigated her background and found it was not congenital. It appears she was sold at five months, following weaning which created stress. She was fed off the ground, in a stall, and would consistently paw. All efforts were made to cease the pawing with no success and she damaged her hoof. The club foot developed after that point.
She was sold when she was approximately two years old, continuing to paw. This went on for years. One owner kept her in a corral, only taking her out every other week, which encouraged the pawing.
After purchasing her, trimming was done, as well as use of a wedge. The lameness went away. We are now simply trimming the heel, shoeing her to extend the toe and seeing if the improvement will continue.
I believe grazing is an issue as well as keeping foals and weanlings alone in stalls.
She has been in a pasture with our thoroughbred mare and is not pawing when she eats. Nor does she extend one foot forward when eating. We don’t see this anymore when grazing.
In her case, it was something which occurred as a result of weanling stress…a good argument to keep weanlings together in a pasture, with friends.
In wild horses, they don’t find club foot as much as an issue. But then again, with wild horses, the horse naturally weans. I believe a lot of the club foot problem is a result of weaning and feeding habits during the period of time following weaning.