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H E A LT H Y F OO T

H E A LT H Y HO R S E

3

EQUINE MATTERS

Veterinary Surgeon

Richard Morris

XLVets Equine practice

Fenwold Veterinary

Group

No Foot No horse – The

importance of Foot Balance

Foot balance is the harmonious relationship between limb, foot and

horseshoe.

richard Morris BSc BVetMed CertVd MrCVS,

Fenwold Veterinary Group

The dynamic movement of the horse’s limb

when propelling the horse must be perfectly

aligned in order to minimise the stresses and

strains on the tendons and joints. If the foot is

not balanced, it distorts the movement of the

leg causing abnormal loading of the joints

and tendons, predisposing to injury and

lameness.

A well balanced foot will be symmetrical in

size and shape, and land flat to the ground.

During movement, there should be a straight

line from toe to fetlock, with the joints

appearing to be in a vertical straight line

when viewed from the front or behind. To

assess foot balance, the whole horse and all

four limbs should be evaluated carefully; the

limbs should be symmetrical, with any

asymmetry being deemed a conformational

fault which may also influence pre-purchase

examination.

Foot balance is assessed at rest on a firm,

flat surface (static) and in motion (dynamic).

Static foot balance is evaluated from side to

side (lateromedial foot balance) and front to

back (dorsopalmar foot balance).

For the assessment of dorsopalmar foot

balance, the alignment of the hoof wall at

the toe and heel should be checked to ensure

they are parallel, and there should be a

straight line from the toe up the dorsal hoof

wall and along the pastern to the fetlock –

‘the Hoof Pastern Axis’

(figure 1)

.

Figure 1. The Hoof Pastern Axis