Are your feet perfectly symmetrical and identical? No? Hmmmmm, then why would you expect a horse's feet to be that way?

That's how my very gruff (and very good) farrier explained it to me. My mare's right front is more upright than her left. It's not clubbed, but her feet don't "match". I noticed this (back when I was a fairly ignorant teenager) and asked why her feet weren't even and got the above response. She's made it to 18 being perfectly sound, so I'm not going to complain.

It has to do with the underlying bone structure in a horse's foot. Those bones are finished growing pretty much before the horse ever sees a farrier. Trying too hard to "correct" the feet will make the horse lame. This is a problem in the halter industry where perfectly matched feet are considered a good thing. Young horses will be trimmed and shod so their hooves are even, not for their individual conformation.

The bones in the horse's foot (and the rest of their body) continually remodel and alter their shape in response to external pressures. On a young horse you can gradually shape the feet to be more even. It must be done slowly and carefully to give the bones a chance to remodel. If you have an older horse, just accept their feet as they are. Though it may not look good to you, this is what is good and correct for that individual horse, and trying to change it will not only fail, it'll make him lame.

..............................image My life with my horse....................


Last Edited By: AppyButt Apr 2 09 9:42 AM. Edited 1 times.