Most horses do not have perfectly matching feet. Why? Often, the shapes of
the coffin bones inside them are very different. When the bone angles vary by up
to 15°, is it any wonder that the hooves are shaped differently?
Matching hoof angles when bone angles are significantly different has an
inherent risk of causing unwarranted lameness because the forces within the foot
are drastically altered.
If you try to make feet like these match externally, you might create a
lameness problem. It?s a mistake to think that forcing one to match the other or
making both conform to a vague standard will make them healthier. A horse?s feet
can be perfectly healthy and functional at very high levels of competition
without matching each other or some "perfect" standard. They just have to be in
equilibrium with their internal structures to stay "happy."
