Clubfoot in Horses

The old saying "No Hoof, No Horse" still holds true today. For a 1,000-lb. animal, the feet and legs are everything. Because all the stress and propulsion of the horse comes from its legs and feet, it is important that they be as healthy as possible. Club foot is a fairly common fault in horses, and knowing how to identify it can help avoid potential problems.

  1. Identification

    • Identifying a club foot is trickier than it might seem. Club foot can range in severity from extremely mild to grossly deformed. In general, a club foot will appear more "upright" than the normal foot. The heels will be longer, and angle of the toe steeper. Usually a club foot only affects one front foot, and the other will remain normal, so there is a "normal" foot to compare it to. If the angle of the hoof is 60 degrees or greater from the top of the coronet band to the end of the toe, than the foot is considered "clubbed."

    Effects

    • The effects of the club foot range from mild to severe lameness. In mild cases, the foot will only show soreness after hard use. In severe cases, the horse will be unable to work hard without severe lameness, and will avoid using the clubbed foot any more than necessary. Because it is painful to the horse to press all its weight on the clubbed foot, a horse with this deformity will avoid using that foot as a "lead" foot during the lope or gallop. If a club-footed horse is forced to use the foot, severe lameness may follow.

    Prevention/Solution

    • While a severe club foot cannot be fixed or prevented, milder cases can often be fixed by an experienced farrier. If the horse is identified as having a club foot as a young horse, corrective trimming, and later shoeing, can occur to modify the growth of the hoof and help to correct the angle of the foot and positively affect the growth into a corrected shape. In cases where some lameness occurs after use, providing medicine to alleviate pain can help the club-footed horse. The main thing is to be aware of the problem and address it as needed.

    Types

    • A moderate club foot will simply appear more upright than a normal foot, and the heels more narrow. The frog of the foot will often be smaller as well. Horses with very moderate club foot often show little lameness or problems in using the foot. In the more severe cases, the foot will begin to appear "dished," with a dent below the coronet band and then a sharp drop to the toe. In the worst cases of club foot, the foot will be grossly deformed with a deep dish or ridge beneath the coronet band, a steep angle to the ground, and pinched, narrow heels. The horse will be lame even at a walk in the worst cases.

    Prognosis

    • For a horse with a mild club foot the prognosis is quite good, especially if the problem is noted early. When a young horse, such as a weanling, is identified as having a club foot, a professional farrier can actually "fix" the foot by the time the horse is rideable. By providing corrective trimming, the farrier can influence the growth of the hoof. A mature horse with a club foot will benefit from proactive care--such as corrective shoeing and anti-inflammatory medicines. Horses with severely deformed club feet will likely never be sound, and can only be used as companion animals. Often, their life span will be cut short due to the extreme pain caused by their deformed feet.