“Doc – What's a 'Good' Foot?”
© A.J. Neumann, D.V.M.
published in The Draft Horse Journal, Spring 2001

The old saying “no foot, no leg, no horse” is as true today as it was years ago when the horse was the primary source of power and transportation for the nation. From day one of its domestication the horse has been subject to multiple uses, many of which have been performed under very harsh circumstances. This, coupled with continual reproduction of hereditary tendencies and defects, has produced animals who are unsound in the foot, and their period of usefulness for any job is short-lived. It is interesting to note that the most common cause for the retirement of geldings serving in the professional show hitches is lameness due to inherited hoof problems. But yet today many judges and breeders of draft horses are paying less attention to the horse’s feet and are just looking at his size, color and action. The value of most horses depends upon their ability to move and perform work or do a job; therefore the animal must have a sound foot which is free of pain and devoid of injuries and disease.

In defining the foot of the horse, old time literature would describe the part of the animal’s body from the knee or hock down. This comes from the zoological fact that the horse’s knee is the same as our wrist, and his hock is the equivalent to our ankle. So basically the horse walks on what would correspond to one of our fingers or one toe. At one time, eons ago, the horse is thought to have been a five-toed, grass-eating animal about the size of a fox.

Today when we speak or write about the foot of the horse or mule we are talking about the structure of the foreleg or hind leg from the coronary band on down.

The coronary band is directly above the hoof wall. It is that portion of the skin which produces the horn which grows down and becomes the hoof wall. This horn tissue is composed of very minute cylindrical tubes which are cemented together by a very tough and tenacious material.

This horn tissue is very similar to the toenails and fingernails of man. The hoof wall is the “thickest” at the toe and “thinner” by the heels. The outside hoof wall is covered with a hard waxy material called the periople. Its function is to seal the moisture in the hoof wall. If the periople is disturbed by cracking of the wall or by rasping the wall, the hoof wall will dry and become more prone to further cracking or in some cases “scaling” of the horn tissue.

Technically the hoof is a container or box of horn consisting of the horn wall, sole and the frog. The box, so to speak, contains the lower section of the pastern bone, the coffin bone, the navicular bone, the plantar cushion and the two lateral cartilages.

In the rear or back of the foot is the heel, made up of tissue known as the two “bulbs of the heel.”

It is interesting to note that the sole of the foot is made of horn tissue produced by special cells which cover the bottom of the plantar cushion and other tissues immediately below the coffin bone. Its cylindrical tubes are not straight, as in the case of the hoof wall, so therefore the sole “scales off” in pieces, either due to normal wear or when the farrier’s knife is applied. The sole is always concave on its lower surface in the normal healthy unshod foot.

The frog is the triangular-shaped mass of special elastic horn tissue which is found to the rear of the foot in the sole. It has a deep cleft dividing it into two halves, called the cleft of the frog. This cleft continues rearward and is known as the cleft of the heel, as it separates the bulbs of the heel. The horn tissue of the frog differs from that of the hoof wall and sole in that it is relatively soft, moist and very elastic or resilient. It is the outside function of the frog to prevent the barefooted horse from slipping and to alleviate shock when the foot strikes the ground.
Excellent rear foot on a draft stallion. Measurement from bulb of heel around bottom
edge of hoof wall to other bulb was 19 inches. Hoof head measured 17 inches.

The weight of the horse is borne on the hoof wall and the frog. It is never borne on the sole. When viewing the bottom of the foot, the forefoot is generally round, and the hind is more pointed at the toe, or “heart-shaped.” This, of course, is seen in the horse. Donkeys, mules, hinnies and other members of the ass family have feet which are longer than wider, both front and rear. Their hoof walls are usually quite straight on the sides. These breeds of animals will also have a narrow heel, but this is entirely normal for them.

A thick pad of spongy, fibrinous tissue is found under the navicular and coffin bone and rests on the sole and frog. It is called the plantar cushion. One of its functions is to destroy shock or provide a cushion to the downward thrust of the leg bones on the coffin bone. This tissue contains many blood vessels and therefore is very vascular.

The lateral cartilages are located one on either side of the hoof and are attached to the wings of the coffin bone. They are surrounded by a large number of blood vessels. When the foot moves, these cartilages will in turn move inside the hoof and act to keep the coffin bone and adjacent structures properly aligned.

The navicular bone is located behind the coffin bone. The two flexor tendons, the big ones on the rear of the cannon bone, pass over the navicular bone and attach to the rear of the coffin bone. Thus the navicular bone acts as a fulcrum for these powerful flexor tendons.

The bulbs of the heels are the most rear portion of the foot. These bulbs are very vascular and so is the underlying tissue. The cleft of the frog continues back into the heel tissue, separating it into the two bulbs. They act as a cushion for the rear of the foot.

In addition to the functions already outlined for the frog, lateral cartilages, and the bulbs of the heel, they play a very important part in the health of the tissues in the hoof, as they act as blood pumps inside the hoof structure. If one or more of these pumps are deactivated, due to disease, improper shoeing, or hereditary factors, the foot will suffer irreversible damage.
protractor

Now that we have defined the foot and discussed its anatomy, let’s see what it should look like.

A foot should be level. To determine this, the foot should be held up so that the wearing surface can be viewed from back to front. One imaginary line is drawn which bisects the cannon bone, pastern and heels and is crossed by an imaginary line crossing the lateral and medial wearing surface at the heels. Where these two lines intersect each angle should be 90 degrees. This is exactly what the farrier is doing when he holds the foot up and levels it with his rasp.

Often when looking at the foot, one need not hold it up to see if it is level. In the so-called “crooked foot” one side of the wall is higher than the other. If the inside wall is higher, the fetlock joint is thrown outward and the toe is turned inward. This condition can easily be seen, and the animal is called “pigeon-toed,” or in horseman’s terms “a bear-tracker.” In exactly the opposite condition the outside of the hoof wall is higher, and the fetlock is tipped in with the toe turned out. This condition is called a “splay foot,” or in horseman’s lingo a “Charlie Chaplin foot.”

Another conformation fault which can easily be seen is the “club foot.” In this condition the wall of the foot is nearly straight up and down, or perpendicular. The heels are very high, and the animal’s weight is carried on the toe of the hoof. It is interesting to note that many mules are club footed in the rear feet, but it does not seem to cause them much trouble in their gait.
Excellent rear foot on a draft stallion. Measurement from bulb of heel around bottom
edge of hoof wall to other bulb was 19 inches. Hoof head measured 17 inches.
bad front

The so-called “flatfoot” is another conformational fault of the horse. The problem is often seen in certain breeds of the draft horse and is found usually only involving the front feet. These feet are generally very broad, flat and with low heels. The wall of the foot is always less upright, will crack easily and the weight of the animal is borne on the sole, frog and heels. These hoof walls are always white in color. I have never seen this condition in a black-hooved draft horse.

Contracted heels of the horse are easy to spot. The whole foot is narrowed, and the width of the heels, when viewed from behind, is greatly reduced. If the bottom of the foot is examined, the frog will be atrophied and recessed into the foot. The rear portion and sides of the foot will give the appearance of having been squeezed. This condition generally involves the forefeet of the horse, but it may involve all four of the feet.

Most every horse person has heard of a “coon-footed” horse. It is a very honest and descriptive term applied to the foot of the horse if the pastern slopes more than does the front of the hoof wall. In a normal horse, when viewed from the side, the slope of the pastern should blend into the slope of the front of the hoof wall to form a straight line. When this does not happen, it appears that the pastern has “dropped” and very closely resembles the foot of the raccoon.

There are many other conditions of the hoof wall which can be seen by an individual if he or she just takes the time to look. One obvious thing is the presence of one or more “rings’ in the wall of the hoof. There are many causes for these rings, laminitis or founder being probably the foremost. Changes in the diet, a high fever, damage to the coronary band and overheating of the animal are other factors which will produce the rings.

The most casual examination of the foot, perhaps just a glance, will reveal the presence of cracks, sand cracks, quarter cracks, tags on the quarters, brittle feet and “shelly” hooves. Longitudinal or horizontal fractures or cracks in the wall of the hoof can be easily seen. These will sometimes appear in the best of manicured hooves.
Excellent rear foot on a draft stallion. Measurement from bulb of heel around bottom
edge of hoof wall to other bulb was 19 inches. Hoof head measured 17 inches.
hoof

I believe the color of the hoof wall is very important. I read not long ago that this does not matter, but I beg to differ with anyone holding that opinion. The white hoof wall seems to be far more prone to pathology such as cracking. The black and white striped hoof wall is more resistant, and the black hoof becomes very resistant to cracking and the presence of tags at the quarters. I have enclosed with this article a number of pictures taken of individual horses whose feet were trimmed in March of the previous year. These horses all received the same ration and were together on the same type of soil. None were used for any work, and none were used on any hard surface such as gravel, asphalt or concrete. These pictures were taken nine months later to show what happens between white and black feet.

So now we come back to the original question: “What is a good foot?”

You should know the answer already from having read this article. In the draft horse the good foot has to be large. It must have a good wide heel—called the width of heel. The heel must grow at the same angle as the toe. The sole must be concave, and the white line where it fastens to the hoof wall must be the same width all around. The frog must be large, healthy and at least four inches across in its widest part by the bulbs of the heel. By the way, did you know that many old time breeders would not keep a mare or stallion for breeding unless the frog was four inches wide or better at the heel?

The wall of the foot must be thick, shiny and free of rings and cracks. If it is black in color, so much the better. The quarters should be reinforced with heavy bars to hold that part of the foot in place.
Excellent rear foot on a draft stallion. Measurement from bulb of heel around bottom
edge of hoof wall to other bulb was 19 inches. Hoof head measured 17 inches.
hoof

If the foot itself is large, wide and lengthy, the hoof head or coronary band area must be large in circumference to match it. A wide flared foot with a small hoof head is an anomaly brought on by Scotch bottom shoes, body shop putty and paint; and it is often seen in our draft horse shows.

Such a good foot as I have described must also be healthy, free of disease and inheritable unsoundness such as side bones or ring bone.

There is only one way to put such a foot on the horse. That is strictly by breeding its qualities into your stock. You cannot do the job with show shoes and body putty. You cannot fool a good judge or a breeder that knows what the score is.

But take a look around. I have! Look at some of the top mares and stallions in shows today. They’ve got the feet of a saddle horse or 1200 pound mule under an 18.2 hh, 2,000 lb. mare, gelding or stallion; and that’s our breeding stock or the product of our draft horse breeding programs today?

I wonder how long these animals will last. I’m afraid I know, and I wouldn’t want to pay a big price to have them around for any job. I too well remember what happened to a well-known light horse breed that got caught up in the same scenario a few years ago!

Now you really knew what a good foot was, anyway—didn’t you?