How does he stand?

by Kate Romanenko

We can learn a lot just by what we see. I recently saw a beautiful stallion posing for a photograph.

His coat shone like a brand new penny, his tail flowed with the wind and his ears were perked, and his neck arched as he stood at attention. However, in all that beauty you couldn’t help but notice that his front legs were placed way under (or behind) the correct vertical position.

In other words, instead of standing squarely under himself, his legs were pulled back so that he was putting more weight on his toes and taking pressure off of his heels. Other times we observe horses with their legs stretched out in front of them. This is usually an indication that there is some toe pain and by putting the feet in front the horse can transfer the weight to it’s heels.

In a healthy situation, with a well balanced leg the cannon bone should be vertical. When the whole leg is in front of or behind the vertical, hoofs and joints are stressed.

Often, conformational flaws are not flaws at all, but rather signs of incorrect bone alignment resulting from incorrect hoof form. Horses that seem to have short upright pasterns may just have high heels causing the upright position. High heels can also cause stress on the knees and shoulders. And horses that seem to have long sloping pasterns may just have long under run heels and long toes, causing the pasterns to be stressed and appear sloped. In some cases, horses will point one foot forward and shift their weight to the opposite foot clearly showing us they are trying to take the weight off the pointed foot.

Yes, there are many good reasons why horses stand the way they do. Sometimes we cannot change or help them( eg. old injury, scar tissue or deformation). But most of the time correct balancing of the hooves with sufficient movement on proper terrain will help your horse stand comfortable and straight. Remember that their legs are equipped with a locking mechanism so they can sleep standing up without their legs feeling tired.

If the cannon bone is too far away from its correct vertical position, the horse will not stand straight and often will shift its weight from front to back and foot to foot.

So the next time you see a herd, or your own horse standing at rest, take the time to observe the stance .Take the time and see if he is comfortable.

So.....how does your horse stand?