# Cow hocks



## AceIsHigh (Oct 29, 2012)

a little bit, not horrid


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

AceIsHigh said:


> a little bit, not horrid


 Would that limit his performance later on?


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## Allegro (Nov 16, 2012)

It depends on what you want to do with him
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## AceIsHigh (Oct 29, 2012)

Do you do very strenuous work(ie reining jumping... Ect) 

cow hocks that are turned in more than slightly are a weakness and cause problems. A tremendous amount of strain is placed on the inside hock joint structures. Bone spavin is common. The pasterns and cannons also undergo an abnormal twisting motion that leads to fetlock joint strain and predisposition to injury. More weight is carried on the medial surface of the hooves, so corns, quarter cracks, and bruising are common. Also, the lower legs twist beneath the hocks when the hooves land, so interference injuries of the lower legs are possible. Speed is deterred since the cow hocks weaken the thrust generated from the hind legs.


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

Allegro said:


> It depends on what you want to do with him
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


 Just western pleasure and trail riding and trying to race him against my friends' horses just for fun when he is old enough.:wink:


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## AceIsHigh (Oct 29, 2012)

He should be just fine  

My WP horse is slightly cow hockey also, he does just fine


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

Oh, I'd like to do gymkhana, and small jumps in the future. Would that be OK for him?


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## AceIsHigh (Oct 29, 2012)

yep 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

Here is another pic.








And here is another:


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

OH! and one more question could he do some light barrel racing, just for fun?


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## AceIsHigh (Oct 29, 2012)

should be able to 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

AceIsHigh said:


> should be able to
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


 What wouldnt he be able to do then? (Im just terribly curious. I dont want to do anything that could hurt him.)


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

horsecrazygirl13 said:


> What wouldnt he be able to do then? (Im just terribly curious. I dont want to do anything that could hurt him.)


 I mean can he really do that much with cow hocks?


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## AceIsHigh (Oct 29, 2012)

Nothing like reining, high jumping(over like 4 ft), extreme gymkhana(professional competitions) cross country, things like that, where the horse is pushed and it's strenuous


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

AceIsHigh said:


> no, I mean he will be fine, I meant like if he cooperates (my horse doesn't know the meaning of race, he's so LAZY.)
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


 What kind of work would be too hard for him(my horse) because he has cow hocks?


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## Casey02 (Sep 20, 2011)

I wouldn't start the barrel pattern until he is older.. like 5 years


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

Casey02 said:


> I wouldn't start the barrel pattern until he is older.. like 5 years


 Oh I wasnt thinking about barrel racing him anytime soon.
But can a horse with cow hocks really barrel race?

How bad do you think his cowhocks are, from 1 - 10.


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## AceIsHigh (Oct 29, 2012)

3, they're only slightly cow hocked
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Casey02 (Sep 20, 2011)

Yeah his arnt that bad, I have seen waaay worse. My own horse is cow hocked


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## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

Casey02 said:


> Yeah his arnt that bad, I have seen waaay worse. My own horse is cow hocked


 Great! can he do ALL the things I mentioned before, even though he has cow hocks?
Thank you so much for your replies!


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## equinelyn (Dec 15, 2010)

My horse is cow-hocked, and I haven't seen any limitations to what he can do. he's fast as lightning and I've jumped him 3 1/2 foot. He is barely 14 hands too. (My avatar pic) Farrier said he will flare out on the outsides of hooves a bit but that's it.


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