Club foot and Knees? jumping and soundness

Question

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n286/justjumpitlady89/Legend.jpg

ok so look at this horse. he has a clubbed front left foot prob cant see it tho and his knees look like the are not straight under him like the kinda go inward, i dont know the term. Would you suggest jumping him or even worth working with? What can you do to help/fix club foot?

Answer 1

No, I wouldn't jump this horse.  He is very calf kneed, and should only be used in disciplines that concentrate more on the function of the hindquarter such as dressage or pleasure riding.  He is prone to compression fractures to the front surfaces of the bones of his knees, and jumping would make him even more prone.

The clubfoot is also undesirable for a jumper.  There is usually a contracture of the flexor tendon and the hoof is prone to landing on the toes.  Unless you want to pursue dressage or pleasure, and forget about jumping, you should not buy this horse.

ADD....calf kneed means back at the knee.... the knee falls behind a plumb line drawn from the middle of the forearm down to the fetlock.

Answer 2

It's called "knock kneed" if they go in towards each other. This will effect his way of going, so hunter-under saddle(english people correct me if I miss named this class) might be out of question. If they go inward toward the back it's called "back at the knee". If this is the case he should not be jumped. The stress on the tendons will be tremendous.

They have a surgery to "fix" club foot. My horse had it done. I think he is still a gimp. I would say finding a really good farrier is the best route.

Answer 3

Hey! My aunt has a Reg. American Appy who she shows at the breed shows.   The poor thing has a clubbed right foot that couldnt be corrected...but she still wins points in almost everyshow with her and she is one of the best pleasure horses i've ever seen...what im saying is...you may not be able to jump your horse...and you may have to be extra careful with his knees, but you can still find his use in life....like as an english pleasure horse....or a trail/hack horse??  

Answer 4

RUN! There are too many nice ones to take on such potential problems.

Answer 5

Don't jump until you can get both your vet and farrier to look at him. With corrective shoeing, your horse can grow out of it, and he may be jumpable within 6-8 months. Your vet should take X-rays before the farrier does the work, though. See if your vet and farrier can come out at the same time.

Answer 6

I would not jump him or even ride him hard without taking him to a vet to see what your vet thinks. Club feet are hard to fix if they can be fixed at all.