clubbed feet

[Ellen]

I found an untouched two year old. Black and white homozygous, blue eyes. Blood lines to boot. But, there is always a but, right? His front feet are clubbed. I have had some in the past that with correction straightened out. But if untouched and two years of neglect, will the outcome be better or worse.

The price is right, do I take the chance, knowing it could go either way?

Opinions please. Thank you in advance for thoughts and advice.

 

[valshingle]

Have a vet or farrier check to see if they are congenitally clubbed, or possibly misshaped due to lack of proper trimming. Club feet are genetic and my experience in big horses was that it is usually passed on to the offspring. JMHO.

 

[krissy3]

Hi Ellen,

Hey, IMO... take him. I have a gray horse with a slight club foot, I rasp the inside if his right front hoof every 2 weeks to keep him balanced. His movement is beautiful, and he was in the stud book of SVPK , which means he passed a very difficult inspection here. From what my farrier says its just a slim chance that he would pass it on ...if it wasnt caused by neglect, if caused by neglect then he said dont worry about it. I have a mare that had a bad confirmation when I got her... with time and work it has corrected its self and she is my best movers... definatly my liberty class horse. This was caused by early confinement. So if he was not cared for then it might just be from that , and he is young enough to try to correct it . You could always train him, and sell him if he turns out not to be what you want.

 

[Make A Wish Miniatures]

Are you sure he is really club footed? Or maybe he has not had regular farrier work,grows a LOT of heel and not much toe. If you really like him and the price is low enough I would probably get him. Maybe you could have your farrier look at him before you decide.

 

[Becky]

I find that many times club footed appearance in miniatures is due to improper trimming or lack of altogether. Many farriers want to leave too much heel giving a club footed appearance. If all else is good with the horse, I say go for it and have a farrier start working on him right away!

 

[Annabellarose]

A club foot can be either genetic or environmental (due to neglect, due to the conditions that the horse has been kept in, due to improper past trimming), for lack of a better word, or, sometimes, both. I would consult a (good) farrier.

 

[wildoak]

Ditto what's already been said. I've seen a big horse colt born with club feet - his were pretty extreme and not correctable. She kept him shod even as a weanling, and sound, but he was never near normal. I have not seen a truly club footed mini, but I've seen lots of minis who appeared club footed from not having nearly enough heel taken off. Don't know why big horse farriers are reluctant to take that heel down, more problems with riding horses getting too much heel off it seems. But yes, I'd have him checked first if possible and see if that's the case.

Jan

 

[miniwhinny]

I think there's a huge problem within the minis with people breeding horses who are genetically club footed. I see people post pics here all the time of their "prize" stallion or mare who is very obviously club footed. Yes, some mini's have bad trims and corrective trimming will help but don't let that issue hide the fact that there are a lot of genetic club footed mini's out there with people using a "bad trimming" as an excuse. If you're going to use this horse as a breeding horse then carefully check pics of it's relatives...and ask for lots of pics from when he was younger. There's a certain shape to a club foot that's different from a bad trim IMO from the ones I've seen.

Then be honest with yourself...because believe me - there isn't a horse out there who the breed couldn't live without lol

And good luck - I hope this one works out for you.

 

[Ellen]

IMO, I don't believe it is a club foot. It is too much heel. I just wanted other opinions. I have high hopes for him, but some say a clubbed foot is a clubbed foot, genetic. But to me a true clubbed foot has a different appearance then too much heel.

 

[pepperhill]

As a farrier I can tell you that you start to lose your window of opportunity for correction at about 2 to 2.5 years of age, depending on what the correction is, because the bones etc start to harden into their permanent shape. After they harden you will make the horse hurt with dramatic changes to the foot because the positions have already been fixed.

If it is a true club foot issue, your farrier can make it better, and hopefully livable, but probably can't fix it at that age. If it is just neglect or incorrect trimming, then it can most certainly be corrected with several trims that gradually take the foot back to the proper angle and balance. And the horse will certainly thank you for it!!! You certainly wouldn't want to make the changes suddenly as the poor guy would get sore. He is used to walking in "high heels" which effects him all the way up the leg and into the shoulder and spine. You don't want to drop him back into "flats" too suddenly it will hurt! If the price is right, personally, I'd take the gamble. Especially if you aren't seeing any deviation or rotation in any of the joints in the leg. But that's just me. I always gamble on hope!

Best wishes

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I would not. I think it would be a heartbreak.

Been there. Done that.

 

[Loess Hills]

"Realistically, you need to consider vet and farrier bills which may be substantial.

 

Not trying to discourage your caring nature but before you rush into a decision, have a vet examine the horse and get an assessment. Best of luck in your decision.

 

[Ellen]

Well, we took the plunge. But first had our Equine vet meet and xray him. He says that there is not rotation in the joints, nor is it a true club. He says that although before he will be show worthy we may have one year of farrier work every 2-4 weeks.

So, now we wait for the farrier to come. Dale comes tomorrow. he is making a special trip and we will see what happens. I know financially and logically I didn't make the right decision, but morally I feel I did. I also took a mare who is very under weight. She scares me even more. Right now the two are in isolation and we are doing what we can. My vet gave me the same lecture I get everytime I do this about saving the world. But he follows it up with a big hug.

So, does any one have suggestions for the mare?

 

[Annabellarose]

Yay! That's great news! Congrats!

 

[pepperhill]

I'm glad to took the plunge! I would have had to "save the world too"!!! I guess some of us are just like that!

Those feet might not take that long to turn around. Sometimes I am amazed at how quickly feet can be fixed. Especially if you stick to the 2-4 week schedule faithfully. There is that "hope" thing again!

As for the mare, I would start with the obvious, de-worm and check teeth. After that, I really like the senior feeds and beet pulp for putting weight on a horse fast. They are so easily digestible. I also experimented last year with Purina's Ultium and another high fat top dress crumble that they make. (the name is completely escaping me at the moment, comes in a big square bucket) I had extraordinary results feeding a blend of these products to a Big horse we rescued. We got about 150-200 pounds on him fast. It worked really well which is good as he was almost dead.

Anyway, best wishes in your efforts!