Quick facts
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Club foot refers to a tendon flaw that causes the hoof to be very upright.
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Often, club foot affects both front legs with one being more severe than the other.
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Club foot can occur before or after birth in foals.
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After birth foals acquire club feet when the bones grow faster than the tendons.
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Treatment varies with the age of the horse and severity of the case.
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Early treatment results in the best prognosis.
What is club foot?
Club foot refers to a limb flaw, where the hoof is very upright with a long heel. This is the most common tendon flaw in foals. The deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) is much shorter than the bones. Thus, it pulls on and rotates the coffin bone downward in the hoof.
In general, club foot most commonly occurs in the front legs. Usually, club foot affects both front legs with one being more severe than the other.
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Stage I: refers to a rotation by the DDFT that is less than vertical or vertical.
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Stage II: refers to when the top of the hoof wall tips forward beyond the vertical due to DDFT contracture.
Causes
Club foot can occur prior to or after birth. Cases that occur after birth are often from the bone growing faster than the tendon. Foals are more prone to club foot when:
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They nurse from a heavily lactating mare.
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They have the genetic tendency to grow quickly.
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Their caretakers over supplement them with concentrates (proteins, carbohydrates, minerals or vitamins).
Treatment
Newborn foals with severe club foot may be unable to stand and nurse correctly. They will need prompt medical treatment. Often, the following can help relax the tendons:
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Oxytetracycline, an antibiotic
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Pain relief
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Splinting or casting
Trimming or rasping the heel helps stretch the tendons and may be combined with toe extensions. This can result in complete correction in mild cases of club foot. Severe cases may need surgery for a good outcome.
If foals acquire club foot between 3 months and 3 years of age, they will need a balanced diet. You should also wean suckling foals in this case.
Exercise is key to recovery in young horses. Horses must be able to stretch their tendons to correct the problem. Often, these horses need a pain reliever prior to exercise and stretching.
Trimming the excess heel and toe extensions can help promote the tendons to stretch.
Surgery
Severe cases or cases that don’t respond to medical treatment and corrective shoeing may need surgery.
Stage I
For horses with stage I club feet, veterinarians cut the check ligament of the DDFT. This ligament acts as a “check rein” on the tendon. Thus the surgery allows more stretch. For the best results this treatment must also include:
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Pain relief
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Physiotherapy
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Orthopedic trimming and shoeing
Young horses respond better than older horses, but the procedure can be done at any age.
Stage II
Veterinarians usually cut the DDFT to correct severe stage II club feet. A few horses have turned into sound riding horses after the surgery.
Foals with mild to moderate club feet with proper care have good outcomes. Early treatment leads to a better prognosis. Young horses treated before six months of age, have greatly higher success rates.
In severe cases, the prognosis remains guarded. Horses that don't respond to treatment tend to have more coffin joint pain and hoof flaws due to the upright hoof conformation.
Reviewed in 2021