BOXY HOOF

I recently bought a three-year-old, 16hh Thoroughbred. He is perfect in every way apart from he has a boxed front hoof. The previous owners told me it would improve as he is still young. I was wondering if there was any way it could be improved with special shoeing. He is not shod at the moment but I would like to start riding him. Any advice would be much appreciated?

A boxy hoof doesn’t have much time left for improvement at three years of age. That is rather too hopeful. For the benefit of new readers, by the way, a boxy hoof is one which is too upright. Usually boxy hooves arise during foalhood and must be corrected straight away or it will be too late. The cause is contraction of the tendons, now referred to as “flexural deformity of the distal interphalangeal joint”. (We have changed the name to make us sound more knowledgeable, but we don’t actually know much more about it.) I won’t go into the subject of contracted tendons today or I won’t have anything left to write about for another issue. It should be said though that even after a foal has been treated successfully for contracted tendons it will probably have one foot slightly more boxy than the other, but this needn’t make it unsuitable for even the most demanding of pursuits. So lets look at our three year old with the boxy foot.

How bad the problem may be for the horse has to be assessed. As he is perfect in every way apart from one hoof then we can take it that he is not lame, which is a good start. It doesn’t matter how boxy the hoof looks now, what is important is how near can the hoof be trimmed to approaching a normal appearance. The trimming should be done a bit at a time, and the foot put down after each cut so that the hoof can be checked while the horse stands on it. If, when the farrier has trimmed the heels back, the horse can stand comfortably with the hoof at a normal angle, heels touching the ground and the horse is sound then there is really no problem at all. I have seen normal hooves which became boxy because they were allowed to grow too long and then the toe broke off, and there you are with an instant boxy hoof. This might be what has happened to your boy, in which case when your farrier comes he will be able to trim the heels and bring the hoof to a perfect shape on one visit.

Often the heels will be as low as they can go but the hoof will still be a bit upright after trimming because the toe is worn short. The only way to get and keep a perfect hoof is to shoe the horse. The shoe will stop the toe wearing and will give the farrier more hoof to model into the correct shape.

If during the trimming you reach a point where there is a gap under the heels when the horse is standing then you have gone far enough. Hopefully the hoof is just about the right shape by now. If the hoof still looks too boxy and the heel can’t touch the ground then you have a serious problem and you might eventually need to consult your vet about surgery.

The usual surgical operation is to cut the check ligament, a branch of the deep flexor tendon which attaches to the back of the cannon bone just below the knee. This is not a major operation and should mean that the horse is going to be fit for most sporting or leisure activities. However it is probably worth shoeing the horse for a few months first to see if things improve naturally. If there is any lameness or discomfort then painkillers are a good idea as they will allow the horse to relax and stretch its muscles and tendons more.

Special shoes are not necessary. Traditionally an extended toe shoe has been used but this applies more to foals and yearlings than to older horses. In older horses the forces involved are greater and might cause tendon strain or laminitis. If the heels have been overtrimmed and the horse is seriously lame then shoes with raised heels may be required as a short term measure.

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