Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Hi All,
Just caught the last ride camp, so I'm not sure if this aspect of the hi/low
syndrome has been mentioned, but if not, here goes.  

Nutrition is obviously important to the well being of a foal, too much a
good thing certainly doesn't help matters, but this effecting the hoof
development, imho, is not a factor.  However, regarding the hereditary
aspect.... It is a factor, only issue of a horse having a tendency to be
right footed or left footed, much like a human is rt. or left handed, is it
truly hereditary.  As babies, these horses have a habit of standing with one
foot in front of the other while grazing or eating in a stall.  The foot in
back has less heel pressure & more toe pressure, thus, over time, the toe
shortens & the heel (w/o pressure gets higher), on the other "foot", since
it is forward, there is more heel pressure & less toe pressure.  The heel
becomes lower & the toe longer.  

If good trimming doesn't correct this immediately, it becomes a life long
flaw.  In my experience with the barefoot trimming, (going on 3 years now)
you can actually correct most club feet, or as I would rather call them,
hi/low syndrome.  Strasser recommends taking down the high heel dramatically
& getting the coffin bone ground parallel as quickly as possible.  Then if
you really want to get a lasting change, one needs to work on keeping that
heel low twice a week if possible. Then in time, once every 3-4 weeks
becomes sufficient. 

These feet are usually going to go thru a pretty radical change with the
frog becoming quite "moth eaten" looking, as the foot decontracts and
"rebuilds" itself.  yes, Yes, YES the high foot is almost always severely
contracted, depending on the age of the horse.  Thru my experience, these
high feet have a tendency to develop navicular syndrome later in life, and,
once again, in my experience, anytime a hi/low horse goes lame, most of the
time, its in the high foot.  This is because the species actually demands
the deep digital flexor tendon (which attaches to the coffin bone) to be
strung nice & tight.  When the heel is high, that causes slack in the tendon
& seems to result in suspensory injuries.  

Another problem which evolves from this high foot is usually a high
shoulder, thus causing a saddle fit problem and eventually an asymmetrical
way of going.  If you listen u can even here the difference in the way a
high foot hits the ground.  Many people think this high shoulder is an
over-developed shoulder resulting in the horse favoring one lead over the
other.... or being right or left sided... once again... the reasoning is
somewhat close, but the actual reason the horse favors one lead over the
other is because of the high/low syndrome.  Over time, one will even see a
tautness in the muscle right above the ulna (elbow) of the high side.
Imagine standing on one shoe with a heel, and in a no heel sandal or
barefooted on the other foot.  Imagine how that would affect your way of
going, your back, and everything else.

Addressing two club feet or four club feet:  This can usually be traced to a
very unnatural early living condition, such as being confined to a stall in
deep soft bedding, or living in exceptionally soft sand or mud & not getting
enough exercise on firm footing to induce proper hoof mechanism.  Other
problems with bones & tendons are created by this unnatural living condition
too.  (See article in March/April End. news "The Stabled Horse", regarding
nat. living conditions.)   Without proper hoof mechanism which requires
considerable movement on firm footing (10-15 miles per day), proper trimming
(ground parallel coffin bone), and hooves exposed to water regularly, the
babies are going  to develop one, two, or all high heeled feet.  

If correct trimming and shoeing (if one must), is not done, with continued
lowering of the high heel, this malady just perpetuates through the horse's
life until it eventually causes so much pain or asymmetrical movement that
he is no longer an athletic candidate.  I've seen many good endurance horses
& even race horses that have competed successfully for years with a high/low
syndrome, but eventually nagging things begin to happen and finally disable
them for competition.  What's really, really cool however, is our ability to
start correcting this in even an aged horse.  Check out
www.thehorseshoof.com for many case studies, and links to other web pages
that discuss the correction of the hi/low, or club syndrome.  You can order
Dr. Strasser's LIFETIME OF SOUNDNESS there too.  Its an incredible book and
so in line with the way most Endurance riders think and treat their horses.
Happy Trails
dare
Darolyn Butler-Dial       CYPRESS TRAILS EQUESTRIAN CENTER & HORSEMAN VIDEO
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