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[RC] coon-footed - Mary KraussOk, so I now know coon-footedness generally spells doom. Does the size of the bone/tendon/ligament structure have any bearing on how long a coon-footed horse's pastern will remain functional?My 7 yr. old Polish Arabian gelding is finally in the right sort of shoes/pads to prevent the constant abscessing that prohibited even light work for the past three years. So now that we know his pasterns will not come up much more, I am trying to figure out what amount of work he can take. Much of the literature about coon-footedness describes weak, thin pasterns while Leo's bones and tendons are HUGE. Do the size of these structures have anything to do with delaying the deterioration of his legs? I'm probably looking for someone to say, "ahhh, don't worry, I had a coon-footed horse that made 10,000 miles!" Surrrrre. But seriously, does anyone out there know of any surprise success stories? His pasterns aren't dropping to the ground or anything like that, but they are definitely slung back. If his hoof is 50 degrees then his pastern is probably 40 degrees. Ok, I'm kinda making that part up. But you get the point. His tendons don't look as braced as they did before we got better control of his foot pain (thin walls, flat- footed), but they're still not right. Any thoughts?? (Oh, and no, he doesn't have DPLD. Just bad conformation. And please don't blame his troubles on shoes. He spent most of his life barefoot with excellent natural balance trimming in the years since I've had him. This is a case where shoes/pads (eponas!) saved him from euthanasia.) Thanks for your advice ridecampers! Mary K. p.s. I long-lined him all over the property yesterday--what a great mind this big, powerful horse has. If only his feet worked! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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