Re: The clubfoot that came and went

Bonnie Snodgrass (snodgrab@ncr.disa.mil)
Fri, 10 Jan 97 07:00:29 EST

I think Doug Butler (prominent and published U.S. farrier) put forth
this theory years ago. He had noticed foals and young horses
developing one club foot. They were in dry lots or very over grazed
pastures, and when observed he noticed that they repeated put the same
foot forward and the same foot back while reaching down with those
short baby necks to eat. He convinced some owners to raise feed and
saw the foot pattern change in many. He didn't propose that this was
the exclusive cause of club footedness.

Interesting, no?

Bonnie Snodgrass

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: The clubfoot that came and went
Author: ridecamp@endurance.net at smtp
Date: 1/9/97 4:05 PM

Some years ago my horse began getting notations of "clubfoot" on his vet
card. The first time I didn't worry, just some vet being more particular
than most. Then when another vet made the same notation, I began to
worry.

I stumbled onto an article in a farriers magazine that suggested
clubfooted horses might be causing it by putting stress on the foot when
they eat off the ground. I watched him, and sure enough, every time he
reached down to eat off the ground his good foot would go forward, and
his bad one would go back, causing pressure on the foot.

I immediately started feeding him from a haynet, with a table under it to
catch the droppings. His foot began returning to its original shape, and
after a few months the vets quit mentioning his clubfoot.

I have no idea how common this problem is, but you folks with clubfooted
horses might want to look into it

Donna O'Gara
come see us at:
http://www.concentric.net/~Dlogara