size of "good" foot?

[Susan Evans Garlinghouse <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

Hiya,

Does anyone have some quantitative opinions about what is a good size
foot for a distance horse?  I know that "good foot" has alot to do with
horn quality, good angles, shoeing and way of going as well, but has
anyone ever come up with a minimal and/or ideal number of square inches
for a given amount of body weight?

Does anyone have any thoughts about whether a good-sized foot is related
to good, heavy cannon bone measurements, or are the two measurements
unrelated?

Next question for the breeders (or anyone else) in the group---at what
age does a young horse attain a more or less adult size foot?  I realize
foot size can change throughout the life of the horse, but assuming
regular trimming and no unduly weird circumstances, at what age can you
judge the size of the future endurance horse?

And Yet Another Question!  While we're talking about young horses
developing into big'uns, at what age can you judge an "adult" resting
heart rate?  I know the babies have a higher resting heart rate, so at
what age does it hit the more or less adult rate (also realizing this
too can change with conditioning).

Thanks,

Susan Garlinghouse