Trimming the Horse with Limb Angulation (Pigeon Toed, Toed Out)

It is not an uncommon practice among farriers to straighten a crooked limb by leaving one side of the hoof longer than the other. The logic is that both heels should strike the ground at the same time. But if the whole LEG is crooked, which it will be to some degree in a horse that turns in or out with a medial/laterally balanced hoof, forcing both heels to land simultaneously cannot be healthy for the limb or the rest of the horse above it. I firmly believe that imbalancing the foot is NEVER a good way to address limb angulation issues. Not only does the imbalanced foot suffer, but forcing the crooked limb straight can cause serious issues elsewhere. Imbalances in hind heel height can cause serious hock, stifle, hip, and back issues. Imbalances in front heel height obviously impact the knees, shoulder and even the neck. The trick is trimming the horse with conformation faults so that the hoof is balanced, but also to minimize interfering and uneven wear.

Our goal is to trim so that the horse tracks as straight as possible, while creating no uneven wear to the hoof. So, even if he LOOKS toed in in front, or toed out behind, his movement will be as straight as is possible without tipping his coffin bone and lateral cartilages out of horizontal alignment with the ground. Watch closely for uneven wear between trims, or wall separation or flaring indicating pressure at a point in the foot. If the horse wears one side faster than the other, then we can safely leave one side of the wall less beveled (or even not beveled at all!), while beveling the less-worn side aggressively. If we have separation or flaring on one side, again, we bevel that side strongly to relieve the force. It won't totally straighten the foot, but it will keep the movement straight.

In any horse, wear pattern is a fantastic, reliable barometer, providing, of course, that the horse is getting adequate movement to wear his feet. It will not only tell you if your trim is balanced; it will also tell you if there may be a musculoskeletal imbalance elsewhere in the horse.

One of the tough issues when transitioning horses out of shoes is uncovering limb angulation that a farrier has been trimming out of the leg that the owner might not have been aware of. You start to balance the foot, and suddenly the horse toes in or toes out...the obvious assumption is that the trim is twisting the leg. Ultimately, the properly balanced, unshod hoof makes enough of a profound effect on the horse's health and overall way of going that the cosmetic flaw is unimportant. Feeling your way through the transition, listening to the hoof, and addressing uneven wear diligently are the keys to keeping these horses sound and moving optimally.