Club foot
The Club foot
The club foot is created by a too strong pull of the deep flexor tendon which concave pulls the toe wall and presses the growth channels together at the front and pulls them apart at the back. Solution: With a full rocker fitting the tension of the deep flexor tendon is reduced, the concavity of the toe wall disappears and the growth grooves become parallel.
Definition of the club foot
Club foot is a special form of the deformity of the limbs of horses. In extreme cases not only the position but also the shape of the hoof is lost. The hoof is too steep to load and use normally.
Types of club foot
In the case of longhorn bock, a distinction must be made between congenital and acquired longhorn bock. If a foal is born with a club foot, it can usually be completely corrected. The adult horse must be treated more cautiously, as the tendons and ligaments are no longer deformable so quickly.
Features of the club foot
Increased abrasion at the toe, high and steep traditional costumes, a horiontally running coronet, concave dorsal hoof wall, widened white line.
Club foot examples
![]()
Picture 1
Concave toe wall, growth grooves open to the rear
![]()
Picture 2
Extremely strong club foot
![]()
Picutre 3
Club foot with hoof gap formation
![]()
Picture 4
Club foot with sick white line
![]()
Picture 5
Fitting variant for club foot to remove the tension of the deep flexor tendon
![]()
Picture 6
Chronic club foot
![]()
Picture 7
Full rocker shoe for club foot
![]()
Picture 8
Hoof clip to extend the traditional costume area
Hoof abscess
Definition of hoof abscesses
Accumulation of pus in a tissue cavity created by tissue melting and enclosed on all sides. Hoof abscesses can be very painful and lead to severe lameness.
Cause of hoof abscesses
Extremely cracked and dry hooves, hooves that are often found in urine and horse droppings (risk of ammonia decomposition), sharp objects on the pasture or in the run (e.g. broken glass, nails, etc.), improper or rare hoof processing by a blacksmith or farrier, open wounds on the ball or crown, extremely strong impact on pointed stone, horseshoes that are too narrow, incorrect nailing of the iron, thin soft hoof horn, etc.
Treatment of a hoof abscess
The place where the pus is located can be palpated with a pair of hoof tongs. The hoof knife is used to cut a funnel-shaped hole at this point so that the pus can drain off. In some cases it may be necessary to cut several times over a period of days until the pus has completely drained off. After cutting with a hoof knife, the wound is disinfected.
Use of cover irons
Covers are used for large hoof abscesses in cases where the treated horse should be shoed again to be taken home. This treatment usually takes place in the animal hospital. The advantage of this method is that the wound on the sole side can be treated again and again after unscrewing the cover.
Examples hoof abscess / cover iron
![]()
Picture 1
Cover iron
![]()
Picture 2
Horseshoe for cover iron
![]()
Picture 3
Horseshoe for cover iron with screws
![]()
Picture 4
Cover iron
![]()
Picture 5
Hoof abscess
![]()
Picture 6
Hoof abscess
![]()
Picture 7
Fitting with cover iron
![]()
Picture 8
Cover iron
Hoof balance
Definition of hoof balance
Ideally, the hoof balance is such that the pressure point - the centre of the hoof joint - falls into the centre of the horseshoe. The same applies from the front view, of course.
Features Hoof balance
With an optimal hoof balance, the hoof walls behave straight and symmetrically, without significant changes in the growth grooves and without dents.
Hoof balance Examples
![]()
Picture 1
Ideal hoof balance, parallel growth grooves
![]()
Picture 2
Hoof balance too far forward, growth grooves narrow in front
![]()
Picture 3
Hoof balance too far back, growth grooves narrow behind
![]()
Picture 4
Ideal hoof balance, straight lateral toe axis
![]()
Picture 5
Extremely flat position, hoof balance too far back
![]()
Picture 6
Ideal hoof balance with a balanced blood circulation
![]()
Picture 7
Hoof position too flat
![]()
Picture 8
Correction: By means of Rockerrail fitting
Laminitis
Laminitis
Once the cause of laminitis has been determined and can be treated, the aim is to relieve the diseased, poorly supplied lamella zone in order to prevent rotation of the coffin bone (rockerrail fogging). This shoe must be attached until the lamella zone grows parallel to the tip of the coffin bone, then your horse is healthy again.
Definition of laminitis
Laminitis is a disease that occurs in ungulates. It is an aseptic diffuse inflammation of the hoofskin, in which the hoof capsule detaches from the dermis. Acute laminitis is an emergency and requires immediate treatment. In extreme cases it can come to shoe-shoeing. The chronic roe deer can lead to a rotation of the coffin bone.
Types of laminitis
Es gibt verschiedene Arten der Hufrehe, wie
- - Contraction
- - Fodder laminitis
- - Burden laminitis
- - Poisoning laminitis
Here an example of a laminitis treatment that I did in 2011.
Characteristics of laminitis
Laminitis of the hoof can be recognised from a distance and at a glance, so unmistakable are the signs and symptoms of an acute lesion of the hoof. The horse walks clammy and stiff as a stick, sensitive, has pain in turning, can walk very badly over hard ground and uneven ground, the facial expression is pain distorted, breathing faster, the pulse faster (from pain...), sometimes even additional fever occurs. Symptoms range from mild to moderate to very severe. Not all horses, not even with a very massive hoof deer thrust, are in the so-called "roebuck position", which is therefore not an unmistakable sign of laminitis or better said not a common sign of laminitis, although it can sometimes be seen naturally. Laminitis is characterized by painful pain, many horses can hardly walk at all, many horses lie down and don't want to get up anymore, every step becomes painful...
Laminitis Examples
![]()
Picture 1
Chronic laminitis with necrotic coffin bone
![]()
Picture 2
Akute Hufrehe mit starker Rotation des Hufbeins
![]()
Picture 3
Venogram of chronic laminitis of the hoof
![]()
Picture 4
Acute laminitis with hoof bone rotation
![]()
Picture 5
Venogram of chronic laminitis of the hoof
![]()
Picture 6
Venogram of acute laminitis of the hoof
![]()
Picture 7
Rockerrail fitting for acute laminitis of the hoof
![]()
Picture 8
Chronic laminitis of the hoof
Hoof crack
Hoof crack
The longitudinal gap comes from a crown injury, which is usually not dangerous. A hoof gap from bottom to top is usually also harmless. However, a crevice from top to bottom is dangerous. The lateral as well as the hoof balance must be determined exactly from the front. The cause of the tension in the hoof must be recognized, then the ideal relieving shoe must be applied and in addition the gap can be glued, screwed or even sewn. A hoof gap can lead to lameness if an infection can spread!
Definition of hoof gap
Horn fissures are cracks in the horse's hoof that run parallel to the horn tubes at the edge of the supporting surface. At the beginning of their development, as long as they are still small and inconspicuous, they are called wind cracks. We only speak of horn fissures when they are so deep that they extend through the entire hoof wall to the hoof corium.
Types of crevices
There are several types of horn fissures, namely
- - wind cracks
- - bleeding column
- - bearing edge gaps
- - continuous horn gaps
- - fissures of the coronet
It is only an excerpt, of course there are more...
Features Hoof Split
Stumbling, unevenly lame, reversible pain, you can't see anything on the outside, only appearing in front, show jumpers stop in the combination.
Hoof Gap Examples
![]()
Picture 1
Sick white line due to large hoof gap
![]()
Picture 2
Quarter crack
![]()
Picture 3
Quarter crack
![]()
Picture 4
Quarter crack in traditional costume and injury of the hoof leather skin
![]()
Picture 5
Fixing of the quarter crack by means of hoof clasp
![]()
Picture 6
Bleeding side wall gap, fixed by means of aluminium bridge
![]()
Picture 7
Cross hoof gap due to crown injury
![]()
Picture 8
Fitting variant to remove the pressure from the overloaded walls
Position problem
Definition of position problem
In the case of a position problem, we speak of a deviation from the ideal. Ideal means a lateral straight toe axis and a positive palmar angle. The position must be found in such a way that the joint gaps - especially the hoof joint and the crown joint - behave symmetrically.
Types of position problems
- - position too steep
- - position too flat
- - tookew position
Characteristics Position problems
Changes to the growth grooves, namely:
- - the growth grooves are narrow at the front and wide in the heels of the hoof that is too steep
- - the growth grooves are wide at the front and narrow in the heel area of the hoof that is too flat
- - are dents and bumps on the side of the horn wall and the load grooves squeezed in the case of a lateral imbalance
Position problem Examples
![]()
Picture 1
Position too flat
![]()
Picture 2
Correction option: Rockerrail fitting
![]()
Picture 3
Slightly forward broken toe axis
![]()
Picture 4
X-ray for the evaluation of joint gaps
![]()
Picture 5
Dramatic negative palmar angle
![]()
Picture 6
Eggplate: Possibility for the horse to find his comfortable hoof position
![]()
Picture 7
Hoof length compensation due to variously thick underlays
![]()
Picture 8
8 degree wedge sole to tilt the hoof balance forward
Navicular bone
Navicular bone
A very good solution for relieving the navicular region is the full-rock iron (aluminium), which increases the palmar angle by up to 8 degrees and relieves the tension of the deep flexor tendon from the floor by means of a rocker mechanism.
Definition of the navicular bone
As navicular bone one calls the sesame bone at the deep flexor tendon of the hoof-animals. One navicular bone is formed per toe. It lies under the tendon at the joint between coffin bone and crown bone. Between tendon and navicular bone lies a bursa, the hoof roll bursa.
Types of navicular bone
There are generally four types of fractures affecting the navicular bone, namely
- - Chip-fractures
- - Simple fractures
- - Comminuted fractures
- - congenital interrelationships
Characteristics of the navicular bone
Increased abrasion at the toe, high and steep traditional costumes, a horiontally running coronet, concave dorsal hoof wall, widened white line.
Navicular examples
![]()
Picture 1
Representation of the navicular position with too flat angulation
![]()
Picture 2
Change of the angle by means of Rockerbeschlag
![]()
Picture 3
Extremely flat fitting without roll-off point, very high beam impression
![]()
Picture 4
orrection by means of rockerrail fitting, extreme relief of the navicular bone
![]()
Picture 5
Too flat fitting without roll-off point, very high beam impression
![]()
Picture 6
Too flat fitting without roll-off point, very high beam impression
![]()
Picture 7
Fullrocker fitting with light jet pressure
![]()
Picture 8
Fullrocker fitting with light jet pressure