HIGH level competition is demanding
on both horse and rider and inevitably over time takes its toll in injury and
wear and tear; this said, with careful professional support it is possible to
maintain an athlete in work and overcome these obstacles to complete a full
career.
Discussion of diminished performance with your farrier may reveal uneven shoe
wear, a distorted hoof or less flexibility. Conformation determines gait,
which affects shoe/hoof wear, which in turn dictates the hoof trimming and
shoeing strategy. Shoe wear highlights amongst other things balance or
imbalance, and impaired flexion.
The farrier will trim and shoe to
achieve level foot fall, with a central base for the loaded limb. The vet is
often not consulted until the horse is lame, when specific areas may be
x-rayed for bone changes and to identify foot/limb imbalance.
Lateral rotation of one or more
joints of the limb commonly from the knee, is a common problem recognised by
seeing it move outward when flexed. As the foot comes in to land it makes
ground contact on the lateral side first, then loads the inside heel quarter,
when going through the weight bearing stage of the stride. This conformation
may not be obvious when the horse is standing. The shoe wear will be heavier
on the outside and toe quarter.
The long term effect of this
oscillation and uneven loading of the limb manifest first in bruising and poor
horn growth of the inside heel quarter, due to heightened concussion and
weight focus. The joints of the digit are next to suffer.
The coffin joint taking the brunt of this sideways nutcracker effect, as the
normal lateral elastic mobility of the joints in young horses, gradually
reduces – particularly where there is
some degree of deviation in the limb which, transferred to the foot, is likely
to induce uneven loading and hoof imbalance. Reduced flexion of any of the
joints can appear, before
any physical evidence of arthritis.
The degree each horse is affected
will vary depending on conformation and work load; concussive roadwork is
totally unyielding, so the feet will
take the full force. The farrier will not ‘correct’ this conformation or try
to force the horse to move in a new way, rather, accommodate the gait by
trimming and shoeing, so that a stride can be made efficiently in a balanced
manner.
