10/02/2020
"He was always so sound, I don't know what happened!"
"She was fine, and then just foundered out of nowhere."
"I swear the feet didn't look this bad a few days ago!"
As hoofcare providers, we hear a lot of statements like this. A horse "suddenly" has navicular issues, or "randomly" comes up lame. The horse always had nice feet and then "suddenly" they have all kinds of issues and are a mess.
The truth is, subtle symptoms of issues are usually present long before we might recognize distortion or pathology.
That navicular diagnosis? It likely came after months or years of subtle improper biomechanics or hoof landings, and weak heels and frogs giving clues to an impending issue.
The "sudden" laminitis? Probably happened after months or years of unnoticed metabolic concerns or dietary imbalances and sugar and starch excess, with maybe some footsoreness on stones giving clues along the way.
Sometimes we just don't know enough to realize when our horse's feet and movement are giving us warning signs.
And yes, sometimes our horses experience a trauma that causes issue in their feet or lameness. But more often than not, soundness issues are more like a repetitive strain injury- little insults building up over time until it's finally impossible to ignore.
We can educate ourselves to be aware of healthy movement and hoof appearance, so it doesn't progress to something that's unhealthy.
Are you watching for what your horse's feet and movement might be telling you?
