Degrees of Comfort

Degrees of Comfort

My dad always said that one degree off in the beginning, is a mile off in the end (or something to that effect).

So what does it matter to a horse when its hooves are just a few degrees off balance? Are 5 degrees really THAT big of a deal? Let’s ask this horse…

This is an up and coming endurance horse. While many disciplines are hard on a horse, endurance is one of the most demanding physically and mentally. How many strides are in 1 mile? Let’s just say the average horse’s trot stride is 4.5’. That is 1,175 strides per mile. An endurance horse will work for 50-100 miles. That is 58,750 - 117,500 every 50-100 miles. HOLY WOW right?!

So again, what is a few degrees off in a hoof matter?

Here are some markups of a horse I have been asked to condition for a few weeks while the owner is busy with work. This particular horse has fully recovered from a mild collateral lig injury (rehabbed as if it were serious). This horse is prone to tension in the SI area. They are a long-legged, ballerina mover. Very elegant and athletic. I’ve been concerned (as well as the owner) about this horse’s hoof angles becoming lower and lower, and the foot becoming run forward (you can google that term).

2-3 hoof care providers (I’m not bashing only farriers here) have been asked to keep the angles as steep as they can get them and to keep the foot under the horse's leg properly. The horse never had an issue with this (low angles) while the owner trimmed it themselves for almost a year prior to shoes. Hoof care providers would do wonderful for a while or when the owner would be very assertive and insist. But soon, the same thing would happen over and over – low angles, run forward hooves.

For this horse in particular, there are some things in its conformation that NEED the angles to stay consistently steep, even before we add the stress of work. These needs are not the whim of an owner that happens to know how to trim. They are not from some trainer that just likes to be difficult. They are not required by looking at the outward anatomy (although even that is not brain surgery, if you don't know basic leg anatomy - you should not be a hoof care provider). They are needs confirmed by X-Ray. You cannot argue with that. You cannot think anyone is nuts or pushy or “one of those owners” when you have radiographs to PROVE what a horse needs. No guesswork. This should be a hoof care provider’s dream right?

To this horse, these few silly degrees mean the difference between a stressed weak stifle and a strong one. It means the difference between hocks being able to load bear or not up and down steep, rugged terrain. It means the difference between future DSLD issues or not. It means the difference between an inverted posture vs a weight-bearing posture. It means the difference between a sore or strained SI joint area or a functioning lower back/loin.

It means the difference between a sport they were bred for and love to an uncertain future.

Take a few minutes and really look at your horse’s angles and joint alignment. As a trainer with a Rehab, Bodywork, Acupressure, Trimming, and TSR background - I see horses struggling ALL the time with something that is COMPLETELY in our control to maintain correctly. There are MANY parts affected when things are off by even small amounts. Energy pathways, fascia (webbing that holds the horse together) strains, tears, gut and digestion issues, mental and emotional struggles, etc. Training setbacks are not where the problems start or end, although it is often when we start understanding that there is something wrong.

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The sooner owners and hoof care providers start shifting their perspectives, the sooner horses will live much more comfortable and less troubled lives.

Picture rights and credits to Sarah Orloff / Still Waters Equitation.