Page 124 - Adams and Stashak's Lameness in Horses, 7th Edition

90 Chapter 2

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Figure 2.38. Contracted foot illustrating narrowing of the heels
and quarters (compare with Figure 2.35).

1"

1"

Figure 2.37. A hoof is considered to be in ML balance when an
imaginary line through the coronet is parallel to the ground surface
and perpendicular to a line that bisects the limb axis when viewed
from the front.

Abnormal Conformation of the Foot
Flat Feet
A flat foot lacks the natural concavity in the sole; it is ¼"
not a normal condition in light horses but is present in
some draft breeds. Flat feet may be heritable and are
observed more commonly in the forefeet than in the hind.
The horse may land on the heels to avoid sole pressure
with this condition. Sole bruising is a common sequela of ¼"
flat feet. There is no known cure for flat foot, but correc­
tive shoeing may help prevent resultant lameness. Figure 2.39. One method to quantify heel contraction. The width
of the heels 1/4 inch from the heel buttresses should equal or
exceed the width of the trimmed foot 1 inch behind the toe.
ContraCted Foot or ContraCted heels
A contracted foot is a condition in which the foot is lameness conditions. Heel contraction can be quantified
narrower than normal, especially the back half of the using several techniques (Figure 2.39).
foot (Figure 2.38). This condition is much more com­ Certain breeds of horses normally have a foot that
mon in the front feet than in the hindfeet, and it may be more closely approaches an oval than a circle in shape.
unilateral or bilateral. Hoof contraction can occur rap­ A narrow foot is not necessarily a contracted foot; don­
idly in the heels with a long‐toe, low‐heel conformation, keys and mules normally have a foot shape that would
resulting in a low hoof angle. Heel contraction also be called contracted in a horse. Foot contraction may be
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occurs with disuse of the foot as is seen with chronic present in the Tennessee Walking Horse and American