Equine Dynamics - Horses in Motion

DUDE

This horse is a great example of why it is important to examine the whole horse before deciding how to address an issue. Dude has a crooked left knee and over time he has developed arthritis. When he loads the leg, the knee actually flexes to the outside. If you look at the picture of the horse’s back notice that the left shoulder is larger and more developed than the right (see picture at the bottom of the page). Normally, you would think that the left shoulder would be atrophied because of pain in the left leg. It’s natural to shift your weight to the other side (the right) when something hurts but in this case that is not what was happening. Without looking carefully at the uneven development in the shoulders we would not have had enough information to help this horse. The camera is a great tool for helping you see things you may have missed in your horse such as unevenness from side to side. Check out the Movement Evaluation section on this website for guidelines.

Looking at the picture below, you can see how the knee is flexed to the outside even when Dude is standing. The drawings on the right show (from left to right):

A properly balanced and aligned horse with the weight distribution in a vertical line through the shoulder all the way to the hoof
The hooves in the second drawing appear to be properly trimmed, but notice that the position of the feet is inside of the vertical line from the shoulders. This will cause stress on the Carpometacarpal, Midcarpal and Antebrachiocarpal joints (these make up the 'knee').
The third drawing shows feet wearing on the inside. This misalignment of the legs puts extreme stress on the Fetlock joint.
The drawing on the right is a more extreme inward turning misalignment. Notice that the hooves are worn on the outside and the feet appear to be 'pigeon-toed'. This puts extreme stress on the Pastern joint.

These and other alignment issues can be corrected by properly evaluating the whole horse - not just standing, but also while he is moving freely and under saddle. Remember, ANY alignment issue affects all of the joints in that leg as well as joints in the other legs, plus the neck and spine. As the weight shifts to compensate for the problems in one leg or foot, other conditions can develop elsewhere.

Notice the difference in height and development between the left and right shoulders. Also notice that the mane which normally lies to the left has flipped to the right above the withers.

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