55 deg angle and low heels (from Barb Peck)

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Barb Peck bpeck@together.net
Not posting from my computer:
Barb Peck
bpeck@together.net


Anna said:
One more note as I have been reading this thread....
someone mentioned that wild horses naturally
have short toes AND low heels??? 
I have never heard this....the research I have read indicates wild
horses naturally carry a 55 degree angle. 
 That does NOT indicate low heels to me........

____________________________________________________

Both my horses have been bare-foot for 5 months.

Heels are trimmed back (towards the rear of the foot)
as far as possible, and heels are very short!!.
Wall is rasped flush with the sole, all the way around.
Toes are about 1.5 inches from the frog apex.
Total hoof lenghth is 3.75" toe to coronet.
(Both are big horses).

They're both trotting over frozen, snowless lumpy ground
barefoot like never before.


Front angles are:   Mare/front 53 deg  hind 55 deg
                    Gld/front 51 deg  hind 53 deg 

**I think there is massive misunderstanding about angles.
A 55 deg angle does not mean the heels are high.**

I think most of the misunderstanding is that people
think of it only as a 2 dimensional "triangle", 
and not the 3 dimensional bones that it is.

Horses are individuals, and conformation and living
conditions will have a large bearing on each's individual
natural hoof angle.
There is not one "correct angle" for all horses.

Barb

Regards,
Barb