I just got these X-rays back and I’m curious to your guys’ thoughts… He’s a 5yo 16.3hh APHA/TB cross that is experiencing no visible pain whatsoever. He was in training before my new barn suggested I get the vet out bc of his dished flared front hooves. He had fared hooves when I aquired him last September… here are the X-rays…
I linked them in a reply below…
I can’t X-rays.
No pain is good.
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here for the xrays 
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What does your vet say about the x-rays?
(if you meant to link them, there’s no link in your post)
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My honest first reaction was WTF!?! My second was, oh, is that what badly managed club feet look like from the inside?
I hope the horse is truly comfy and will be managed appropriately whether that means maintaining or trying to improve the profile or whatever. That assumes my guess is right - I’m not great with foot rads and hope that more knowledgeable people step in to say, “Hey, lucky guess” or “You’re all wet! What those rads actually show is …”
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Do you have pics of the actual feet? Offhand I would say it’s poorly managed founder, as it’s more likely to be bilateraly like…this, than to have 2 club feet of this degree. I’d be looking to see if the growth rings widen as they go back towards the heel
I WISH vets would learn to mark the coronet band at the very least. It also appears that these feet have sunk a little, with the top of P3 being below the coronet band. They both also have the tell-tale bulge at the coronet band which typically indicates founder
This horse can’t be sound, but he’s probably bilaterally sore.
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Seriously, the horse exhibits no pain when walking/trotting on all types of surfaces? The horse doesn’t short stride?
The X-rays sure suggest the horse has foundered and needs corrective farrier work.
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Laminitis and founder are the same thing.
They are 2 separate things.
You can’t have founder without laminitis.
You can have laminitis without founder.
In a really acute situation, it may seem like the 2 happen at the same time as “one thing”
Laminitis is literally lamina-itis - inflammation of the lamina.
Founder is when the bony column rotates and/or sinks within the hoof capsule.
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Good point. I’ve seen bilateral club/contracture in calves but due to late gestation mineral levels. I haven’t seen the degree of contracture that would to that degree of club feet bilaterally in foals. On the other other hand, I’ve seen and handled many, many more hundreds of calves than foals.
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To me, the xrays appear to depict rather classic signs of founder. I’d definitely have some veterinary follow up to make sure there isn’t an underlying reason that makes this young horse prone to laminitis.
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Looks like a horse that initially foundered some time ago and needs some different farrier work. Did you do an exam before you acquired him? You said the toe flare was there then…no comments from a vet?
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Agreed! He is probably even, not sound. It would be educational to block one foot and see how sound he is. Those are some ugly rads!
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I had the same question, but wasn’t sure if I should combine it with my previous post.
Was a pre-purchase exam done? Were xrays taken at that time, which would provide some comparison images?
I would think (hope) that if a vet saw dished, flared front hooves in a PPE he/she would have recommended investigating further.
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pre purchase yes but without X-rays last October
vet says laminitis
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Trainer told me it was clubbed feet and he was born w it and not much I can do…his farrier was a complete hack and jerry rigged the shoes to stay on with special tape and didn’t think it was at all a priority to tell me that there was an issue or how thin his soles were or that he could have laminitis BUT! he didn’t fail to charge mew $40 dollars each time he came out to replace a shoe ( 3 x’s). ~ shoes fell off one by one literally 2 wks later and I finally got my original farrier out after putting my foot down and demanding the guy not touch his feet again.
Needless to say, he was horrified at the state they were in and said that he couldn’t put shoes on him if he wanted to.He politely said that the past 3 cycles done by trainers farrier were not ok. called vet vet said stall rest… I pulled him from trainer and ranch immediately to be closer to farrier and where he could have decent experience in dreaded confinement with more room, an ocean view and plenty of clean shavings for him to roll around in… this is my first horse. He’s been in training since end of December… farrier wanted to seethe X-rays before he shod him for obvious reasons. Feel like I paid to have my horse crippled. 100 hrs of research and it is still so confusing bc of conflicting variables and advice.
He’s currently in soft rides and in stall rest. farrier comes tomorrow to see what he can start doing and to devise a plan
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