Different Sized Hooves

[Marigold4]

So this horse has one hoof slightly bigger than the other. One is slightly more upright. Horse is slightly toe out on the more upright one and lands a little to the outside edge of this hoof. These are all small differences, more noticeable when this horse is due a trim. Horse is sound and always has been. He is barefoot. Used for all riding club activities.

How unusual is it to have slightly mismatched feet?

Should the hoof be trimmed to make it match - I'm guessing not!

What long term issues might he have ?

Would this issue mean a vetting fail?

Thanks in advance for any advice/experiences.

 

[Laurac13]

Hi

My boy has 2 different size front hooves, he is barefoot and I just use boots occasionally. It’s not that noticeable but I had to buy two different sizes hoof boots for each hoof ?
my farrier has always left them as nature made him and has not tried to match them. I’ve owned him 6 years and he’s never had a soundness issue with them.
I didn’t have him vetted as I bought him as a 3 year old. I haven’t heard of a horse failing a vetting due to it but not sure how common it is either!

 

[Marigold4]

Hi

My boy has 2 different size front hooves, he is barefoot and I just use boots occasionally. It’s not that noticeable but I had to buy two different sizes hoof boots for each hoof ?
my farrier has always left them as nature made him and has not tried to match them. I’ve owned him 6 years and he’s never had a soundness issue with them.
I didn’t have him vetted as I bought him as a 3 year old. I haven’t heard of a horse failing a vetting due to it but not sure how common it is either!

That's encouraging to hear. This horse wears same sized hoofboots and I 've never noticed any difference when putting them on.

 

[ycbm]

It's not unusual. It sometime's means there's a problem, it often doesn't. It shouldn't mean a vetting failure if the horse is sound.
.

 

[TheMule]

If you were to send to sales livery as a horse worth decent money I'm pretty sure they would shoe the horse and make them a pair, just for any avoidance of issues in a vetting.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Both my Arabs have odd front feet one has a had a slightly boxy foot from very young, the other one started after he was diagnosed with navicular, it can often happen after a horse is lame or it's an indication they are not loading that hoof the same as the other one.

Both of my horses hooves have got better since having them barefoot it's much less noticeable now.

 

[rabatsa]

It is rare that everything is truely symetrical.

I have a horse with a marked difference in his front feet but this is caused by hock arthritis and the way he loads himself to take weight off his worst hock.

 

[Marigold4]

Update: horse has now had the overdue trim and trimmer has commented that left is indeed slightly bigger than right and right is slightly more upright than left. He says if you measured your horse's feet very accurately and with a protractor, you would find each foot to be very slightly different. Left fronts are often slightly bigger than the right because when a horse grazes they put one foot forward and load it and it is usually the left. This hoof is then loaded more and so grows slightly bigger. My horse's feet are "within the range of normality". Slow mo video show him landing flat on both fronts. Vet coming next week to check no long term issue as I want to be confident of this before I sell.

 

[Marigold4]

If you were to send to sales livery as a horse worth decent money I'm pretty sure they would shoe the horse and make them a pair, just for any avoidance of issues in a vetting.

Wouldn't artificially making the feet a pair create more problems for the horse though??

 

[Laurac13]

That’s I interesting, it’s merlins left fore which is slightly larger it’s also white hoof and his right is black hoof

 

[TheMule]

Wouldn't artificially making the feet a pair create more problems for the horse though??

Well yes, quite possibly, but I've found a) vets prefer shoes on for vetting and b) it would eliminate any comments which may lead to insurance exclusions