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Re: [RC] horse question - desertrydr1It depends on the horse to a certain extent. I've known lots of horses, including one of mine, who had a clubby foot. Everybody will tell you about RT Muffin, one of the greatest endurance horses of all time, at least in the NW. One of the problems with a club-footed horse is that they are usually crooked, and it can take some work, with the farrier and under saddle, to get the best foot and the best body-straightening program. Dressage lessons, even at the lowest levels, will help. There are other arena exercises that can be done too. The other issues are:1. Is it a true club foot, or just high/low syndrome? My personal opinion is that the difference is one of degree. There are VERY FEW horses who have perfectly matched front or rear feet. 2. Did the horse have check ligament surgery when it was young? I don't know if this makes an overall difference in the performance ability, but it should be disclosed. My 22 yr old mare who only did LDs, (I've posted about her) had bilateral upright front feet, with one more upright than the other. She didn't have check ligament surgery that I'm aware of. She has had some minor lameness issues due to the clubbiness and accompanying toed-in stance a couple of years ago, but now I limit her under saddle time to no more than 1-2 times a week and watch the surface I ride on, and we haven't had a lame step in over a year. I don't keep shoes on my mare, she has feet like iron. but I did try to find the best farrier I could when we were competing. My girlfriend had a gelding that was clubby in one front. He was a going machine, with a huge trot, and had 600 completion miles of 50's with only one pull. He had the check ligament surgery before she bought him. She only sold him because she fell in love with a mare and her husband said she had to sell one if she wanted to buy one. He's still around, also in his early 20's, and still being ridden as far as I know. She also had a mare that had a clubfoot. She had one 50 and about 7 LDs, none of which seemed to bother her. Incidentally these three horses were closely related, and came from the same farm. I guess if it were me, and I had told the present owner what I planned to use the horse for, I would wonder about thier overall honesty, and be reluctant to do business with them. But then, I'm a cynic and don't like being lied to or played with. The clubfoot may only be a cosmetic problem for a horse that is ridden in the ring for a half hour or hour or so, on flat terrain. But it can also have a long term effect on the horse's soundness because the bony column is not aligned properly, and there is a difference of alignment between the two fronts that puts stresses on the joints. Not saying don't buy, just be aware that you are going to have to pay a LOT more attention to foot care than with a horse with evenly shaped feet, and a LOT more attention to your riding and body alignment. jeri
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