Pigeon toes

[ginnyspinner]

Can anyone tell me about pigeon toes and whether they affect a horses way of going? I know a horse with them will never win a showing class, but would they affect how well they do in other areas such as showjumping/hunting/XC.
I have just spoken to a lady about a youngster for sale which is pigeon toed and don't want to spend time travelling to see him if they would in any way make him unsound or require any remedial shoeing. Thanks all.

 

[threeponies]

Horse at our yard has pigeon toes, he does SJ XC etc but like you say , wouldn't win a showing class. He can certainly jump!

 

[jayvee]

Depends on how severe it is. If slight I wouldn't worry too much. If really bad would leave alone. They should stay pretty sound naturally in regular/moderate work but could cause alot of strain if to be a full time hunter say, and tend to be less stable on footing over rough ground. Wouldn't have thought remedial shoeing is nessecary. I once had a pigeon toed horse and was fine as an allrounder.

 

[Maesfen]

I know a champion show cob with pigeon toes!

Really does depend how bad they are if they have any effect. Your blacksmith can do wonders if they are just a cosmetic blemish but if they are affecting the placement of the whole leg and joints I would certainly walk away. It really is a case of go and see how bad it is I think if in other ways this youngster appeals to you otherwise I would stay well clear; there are enough nice youngsters out there without knowingly buying trouble..

 

[LEC]

Both mine are pigeon toed neither dish and have no problems with it. Both if ours are only mildly pigeon toed. I did have one horse with a twisted foot and she was fine never had a days lameness!

 

[spaniel]

I took a great deal of vet and farrier advice recently prior to purchasing a young horse who is slightly pigeon toed. I went a head and bought him. After two shoeings from a vey good farrier there is an improvement to the look of his feet already. He has always moved straight, his joints arent affected , the issue is purely cosmetic and he passed through two full 5 stage vettings in a week with no problem at all.

Each horse is different so I would spend time, and if necessary money before you make a decision to purchase. I felt the horse I was interested in was worth the extra research and cost, whether the one you are looking at makes you feel the same way is down to you but dont rush in.

 

[ginnyspinner]

Think you have hit the nail on the head - there are enough quality youngsters out there without buying one that could potentially be trouble. Thank you all once again. xx

 

[claire1976]

My TB mare has one slight pigeon toe and doesn't cause probs. My farrier slightly offsets her shoe to stop her stumbling and she's fine. Don't let mild conformation problems put you off. My mare has turned out to be the best horse I've ever had.

 

[Tia]

I don't like pigeon toes at all. One of mine was ever so slightly pigeon toed on one foot - apparently a trait of the Hall of Famer stallion (how he was a show horse is beyond me though). I never had any problems with my guy however I did sell him as it really isn't something I like. Had many consultations with vet and farrier and both said leave well alone.

A horse on my yard in the UK had both toes pigeoned and it didn't bother him in the slightest.....but then owner decided that perhaps remedial shoeing would be a good idea - the horse became crippled and eventually was put to sleep. Don't want to scaremonger as I have to say this is the only horse I have ever met who ended up like this purely because of pigeon toes...but it has definitely coloured my judgement in more recent years.