# Clubbed Foot



## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

I have a 25 year old Arabian with one very mild club foot. I used to have front shoes on her to hold angles until 10 years ago when we went to barefoot all around with a small exception.The club foot has a tiny, maybe 3 inch long shoe over the toe area only. It prevents the toe from breaking off.
She has never been lame or sore.
The trick is to not mess with Mother Nature & to trim/shoe within the angles the horse has. She is trimmed every 6 weeks, year round.


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## Aesthetic (Aug 7, 2012)

natisha said:


> I have a 25 year old Arabian with one very mild club foot. I used to have front shoes on her to hold angles until 10 years ago when we went to barefoot all around with a small exception.The club foot has a tiny, maybe 3 inch long shoe over the toe area only. It prevents the toe from breaking off.
> She has never been lame or sore.
> The trick is to not mess with Mother Nature & to trim/shoe within the angles the horse has. She is trimmed every 6 weeks, year round.


I've been told shoeing a horse with clubbed feet can increase the pressure on the joints or something? He's very tender on hard ground and I feel I really don't have a choice but to put shoes on him to keep him sound.
I knew he had one, you can barely tell the other is a clubbed foot. I just put a video of his barrel run up, and you can tell he is tender on his feet in one part of the arena, but when he gets into the softer or wet dirt he is okay. Do you think he is tender, or is it just the shock on the joints with his clubbed feet?


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

did he get trimmed wrong ? was he lame before the farrier or afterwards. did the farrier try to corrective shoe? 
personally , i dont think i would race a club footed horse. that is awful hard on thier joints.


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## Aesthetic (Aug 7, 2012)

stevenson said:


> did he get trimmed wrong ? was he lame before the farrier or afterwards. did the farrier try to corrective shoe?
> personally , i dont think i would race a club footed horse. that is awful hard on thier joints.


I've been told by racers and farriers also a vet it doesn't hurt to race a horse with clubbed feet, if he gets sore give him a break. I'm sure the man before us trimmed him wrong, but my farrier came out three days ago and touched up his feet. You do not try to correct a clubbed foot, it will ruin the horse far more than what it wrong already. There are many horses that race on clubbed feet.


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## aforred (May 12, 2010)

I have a club-footed mare that has been used as a ranch/trail horse. I have to keep her in shoes, or she wears her heels down too fast, which changes her angles. (Found that out the hard way when we tried to take her barefoot. P2 and P3 were rubbing at the front.)


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## Aesthetic (Aug 7, 2012)

aforred said:


> I have a club-footed mare that has been used as a ranch/trail horse. I have to keep her in shoes, or she wears her heels down too fast, which changes her angles. (Found that out the hard way when we tried to take her barefoot. P2 and P3 were rubbing at the front.)


Ouch, maybe I really should put shoes on this little guy lol. I know a farrier who will also put a padded shoe on a tender horse if it races. First hand experience from you, do you think that would cause any problems?


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## toto (Mar 3, 2013)

I knew someone that barrel raced a horse with two clubbed feet- he wasnt sore on them like your horse is though. He was actually a 1D horse that qualified for nbha nationals, lol. 

You can start by havin him trimmed correctly -i would have him corrective shod if hes sore and makes him sound but id talk to your vet about him bein a barrel horse- it doesnt seem like it would be- but its pretty extreme on the horses feet and body to do somethin like that. Id watch it.


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## Aesthetic (Aug 7, 2012)

toto said:


> I knew someone that barrel raced a horse with two clubbed feet- he wasnt sore on them like your horse is though. He was actually a 1D horse that qualified for nbha nationals, lol.
> 
> You can start by havin him trimmed correctly -i would have him corrective shod if hes sore and makes him sound but id talk to your vet about him bein a barrel horse- it doesnt seem like it would be- but its pretty extreme on the horses feet and body to do somethin like that. Id watch it.


I've already had his feet trimmed, and he isn't sore until he gets in a . . I guess its a hard dirt with dirt chunks or rocks in it? I'm not sure if they are just dried dirt clumps or some rocks mixed in. I have been considering corrective shoeing. Vet and Farrier both say give him a go, he should be fine. Main reason they said was because he hasn't done anything his whole life, it won't be so hard on him since he hasn't been worn out.


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## aforred (May 12, 2010)

Well, she wasn't tender-footed. Her pain came from bone on bone contact.

As long as his living situation isn't muddy, I don't see how pads would be hard on him. But I would make sure that it's sole pressure making him sore before I did anything else.


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## toto (Mar 3, 2013)

Aesthetic said:


> I've already had his feet trimmed, and he isn't sore until he gets in a . . I guess its a hard dirt with dirt chunks or rocks in it? I'm not sure if they are just dried dirt clumps or some rocks mixed in. I have been considering corrective shoeing. Vet and Farrier both say give him a go, he should be fine. Main reason they said was because he hasn't done anything his whole life, it won't be so hard on him since he hasn't been worn out.



if dirt clumps are hurtin his feet hes probably too ouchie for barrel racing.. id like to see his feet if i could. 

Said he was clubbed? Or fine for barrel racing? 

If anything it would be harder on him- sittin around in pasture then goin to somethin hardcore like barrel racin is even harder on him and his feet. I would keep him in pasture or trailride that horse- definitely wouldnt be barrel racing him.


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## Aesthetic (Aug 7, 2012)

aforred said:


> Well, she wasn't tender-footed. Her pain came from bone on bone contact.
> 
> As long as his living situation isn't muddy, I don't see how pads would be hard on him. But I would make sure that it's sole pressure making him sore before I did anything else.


Alright, I will probably will go check his soles. He moves fine with the soft tilled ground in out pasture and everything, but the arena dirt is always hard until dragged, that's where he was being sore. It's full of clumps and rocks. It gets muddy when it rains, of course.


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## Aesthetic (Aug 7, 2012)

toto said:


> if dirt clumps are hurtin his feet hes probably too ouchie for barrel racing.. id like to see his feet if i could.
> 
> Said he was clubbed? Or fine for barrel racing?
> 
> If anything it would be harder on him- sittin around in pasture then goin to somethin hardcore like barrel racin is even harder on him and his feet. I would keep him in pasture or trailride that horse- definitely wouldnt be barrel racing him.


Vet and Farrier said he was clubbed and was okay to run on barrels. I'll pull him out and find some ground I can stand him on and take a few pics. Also I'm going to clean out what all he has in his feet and check his soles. He may be like my mare. Due to incorrect farrier care My mare's feet are extremely soft and sensitive. My gelding who is clubbed (whiskey) has only been done by someone who has never been a real farrier until a few days ago.


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## toto (Mar 3, 2013)

Aesthetic said:


> Vet and Farrier said he was clubbed and was okay to run on barrels. I'll pull him out and find some ground I can stand him on and take a few pics. Also I'm going to clean out what all he has in his feet and check his soles. He may be like my mare. Due to incorrect farrier care My mare's feet are extremely soft and sensitive. My gelding who is clubbed (whiskey) has only been done by someone who has never been a real farrier until a few days ago.



your farrier trimmed your mare too short? I dont know how the farrier coulda made your mares feet soft-- Unless he kept her in wet conditions?


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## Aesthetic (Aug 7, 2012)

toto said:


> your farrier trimmed your mare too short? I dont know how the farrier coulda made your mares feet soft-- Unless he kept her in wet conditions?


No, we used to have a farrier a while back when we were new to horses who would slap a shoe and just squish her feet into a weird pointed shape. I never really watched him to notice it. She may have been kept in wet condition up north where she came from, I have no idea. When we got her, the old farrier messed her feet up disgustingly bad, she is just now after a year of a new farrier is finally getting her shape back.
Her feet are terribly soft, I mean we have to pull shoes off since she is expecting a foal and her hooves are already chipping away. Now Whiskey's chip bad, which is what makes me think he may have soft feet. No where near my mares though, you can literally push the pad of my mares hoof down, and without shoes she is dead lame.


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## Aesthetic (Aug 7, 2012)

I went and lunged Whiskey so I can know whether or not to work him tonight. He didn't seem sore or limping, but he's short strided. It doesn't seem to bother him at all. 

I was told by my farrier a clubbed foot can result in short bone structure, which in his case he case he has a little short cannon bone. Would this short stride be caused from his cannon being short? 
I used a little thing that is used to measure heat in joints, and everything is normal. I cleaned his feet out.
Once again, NO LIMP, but he is short strided. could this just be him?


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

I have a mare with a clubbed foot. Its a grade 1, hardly noticeable unless your really looking!

she does not have any soundness issues. I keep her barefoot. My farrier trims her according to her foot, and not how she "sound look" my vet has seen her and looked her over. And my trainer has worked with her and never had any issues. She will do whatever is asked of her and has not had any limitations on her training due to a physical issue.

she is in training for barrels/poles/speed events. Ill see how far she can go. Her limitation would be due to the injury she suffered 8 months ago in her hock. Not due to her slightly clubbed hoof.

her sire is Illegal Runaway, dam is a money producing mare for the track. My made never made it to the track because her breeder likes more TB looking horses, she is built too thick for his liking. But perfect for me!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## toto (Mar 3, 2013)

Aesthetic said:


> I went and lunged Whiskey so I can know whether or not to work him tonight. He didn't seem sore or limping, but he's short strided. It doesn't seem to bother him at all.
> 
> I was told by my farrier a clubbed foot can result in short bone structure, which in his case he case he has a little short cannon bone. Would this short stride be caused from his cannon being short?
> I used a little thing that is used to measure heat in joints, and everything is normal. I cleaned his feet out.
> Once again, NO LIMP, but he is short strided. could this just be him?


Lol, i dont know about 'short cannon bone' but a very upright cannon bone- with a very upright coffin bone makes more sense to me.. it can also happen with bad trimming. 


a horse with a choppy (short stride) from conformation faults and a horse thats short stridin because of ouchie clubbed feet are two different things.. id like to see a video just cuz.


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## Aesthetic (Aug 7, 2012)

CLaPorte432 said:


> I have a mare with a clubbed foot. Its a grade 1, hardly noticeable unless your really looking!
> 
> she does not have any soundness issues. I keep her barefoot. My farrier trims her according to her foot, and not how she "sound look" my vet has seen her and looked her over. And my trainer has worked with her and never had any issues. She will do whatever is asked of her and has not had any limitations on her training due to a physical issue.
> 
> ...


This little gelding is 11 years old, and my farrier told me that it's about the time a clubbed footed horse breaks down. BUT. This gelding hasn't done a thing but some ranch work in his life, so he should be okay. I haven't had a clubbed foot as a fault before, and is your mare short strided?


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## aforred (May 12, 2010)

My clubby mare has never been short strided AS LONG AS I keep her angles correct.


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## toto (Mar 3, 2013)




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## Aesthetic (Aug 7, 2012)

toto said:


> Lol, i dont know about 'short cannon bone' but a very upright cannon bone- with a very upright coffin bone makes more sense to me.. it can also happen with bad trimming.
> 
> 
> a horse with a choppy (short stride) from conformation faults and a horse thats short stridin because of ouchie clubbed feet are two different things.. id like to see a video just cuz.


TO me is seems more like a conformational fault that is causing a short stride. He is a fairly short horse as is, about 14.3. maybe 15.0hh. 

The reason I can believe this /short/ cannon bone issue is a 15 year old gelding I used to ride a year or so ago has one cannon bone shorter than the other (I really have no idea how) and it resulted in him having a grade 1 clubbed foot. Currently i'm on my way to the arena since he doesn't have a soreness kind of movement to me or the riders around me. He seems fine. I'll put a nice charge on my camera and catch you a video if that helps? 
It's more so at a trot, he is a very quick paced horse and HATES moving collected and slow. Everything he does is fast. Fast trot, fast canter.


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## Aesthetic (Aug 7, 2012)

aforred said:


> My clubby mare has never been short strided AS LONG AS I keep her angles correct.


His angles were just fixed last Thursday. He had an actual farrier...which I believe he has never had come and trim his feet correctly.


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

My mare is not short strided at all. She actually over-reaches And bell boots are a must for any type of undersaddle/lunging work. She's very flexible, very loose. Her back feet always end up where her front feet were.

your gelding may have other problems causing the short stride. Hips/back out of alignment. Joint problems. Conformation defect other then the clubbed foot. Improper fitting saddle. As well as improper work all together. If hes been ridden poorly for X amount of time, he may not be using his muscle pproperly.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Aesthetic (Aug 7, 2012)

CLaPorte432 said:


> My mare is not short strided at all. She actually over-reaches And bell boots are a must for any type of undersaddle/lunging work. She's very flexible, very loose. Her back feet always end up where her front feet were.
> 
> your gelding may have other problems causing the short stride. Hips/back out of alignment. Joint problems. Conformation defect other then the clubbed foot. Improper fitting saddle. As well as improper work all together. If hes been ridden poorly for X amount of time, he may not be using his muscle pproperly.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


 
Hmmm, now that you mention it, he doesn't flex his neck completely. He might actually need some chiropractic work... Most likely in his neck or poll. I have noticed he does need bell boots, I won't work him without them. I'll definitely take a really close look at him and see if there is anything that is changing up his stride. He's a fairly new horse to me, so everything about him is far different than what i'm used to.
I don't believe he was rode much, he's kind of a butt. He loves to throw his crow hops at the beginning of a ride.


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

I'd stop his work until he's seen by a chiropractor. The crow hops can be a sign of discomfort and his way of trying to tell you.

you'd be surprised by what a chiro can do for a horse.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Aesthetic (Aug 7, 2012)

CLaPorte432 said:


> I'd stop his work until he's seen by a chiropractor. The crow hops can be a sign of discomfort and his way of trying to tell you.
> 
> you'd be surprised by what a chiro can do for a horse.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


He hasn't thrown a crow hop with me in a week. He only threw them the first three or four days. The lady said it was all the time, and that he loved them. He hasn't been rode in four years so It's expected. I'm actually at this arena right now. I might just lunge him around a while or take him around the race track at a walk or trot. I'll take him easy until I get him checked out. I just want him out of that pasture and new places under saddle I suppose for now.


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## Aesthetic (Aug 7, 2012)

I took him out there and trotted him around, he had no problem. Nothing. In fact, he pushed against my hands to go faster. Going to the right in a circle on his most noticeable clubbed foot, he didn't have a problem. 

I checked his legs against and his feet again before I rode him, no problem. One of the trainers up there said he just seemed short strided because his legs are so short.

This coming Friday i'm taking him up to the vet to get adjusted


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## toto (Mar 3, 2013)

I still wanna see this horses clubbed feet and legs- do you have any pictures of him?


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## katieandscooby (Feb 14, 2010)

I had a mare who.had a club foot. grade 2 but with proper trimming I got it to look better and have it straighten out somewhat. Problem arose when a farrier insisted it was ringbone and trimmed her like a ring bone horse. Breeder confirmed she had had the club foot since day one, ( I picked her up at an auction so never actually bought the mare from her) She went lame, by then a friend had bought her and was using this farrier. I told her to find someone who would trim her properly and low and behold this spring she is sound. No noticable short stride at all.I could lope her and use her on cattle all day and she would get sore after an all day move on the gravel roads. But give her a few days rest and she was good to go. I kept at her angles quite frequently when I had her, giving them a touch up every couple weeks. She was barely two when I bought her and I think my frequent trimming did help with her angles in the long run. With your guy being mature it probably.won't help much trimming frequently. I have a gelding who is a tenderfoot and limps on rocks and gravelly stuff all the time. He is fine anywhere else. Your gelding may also be a tenderfoot and have club foot... lucky you!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Aesthetic (Aug 7, 2012)

currently we are under many tornado warnings. Toto, I will definitely get you a picture of his feet. A friend of mine is coming over tomorrow and hopefully it won't be to gross outside so I xan pull him out. 

so possibly with more corrective trimmings he could get better angles and less of a short stride? Now with my hardheaded ex gone my farrier probably won't be so hostile if I keep calling him out.


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