Diagrams 2 & 3
When making the assessment, apart from taking into account its age, one must also consider many important factors: 1) Foals almost never stand up symmetrically; neither do they keep still, so that a“ photo” is not enough. One must observe it until you are certain that it has been truly evaluated. Limb by limb; taking all the time it may require to do it right. 2) The ground where they are is never ideal for line assessment. 3) The state of the foal’ s hoof. Because if it has been pared“ naturally”, this is a problem to consider; if it is long; if a piece of the hoof wall has broken off which makes it look“ crooked”, and not because of the bone shaft itself, etc. 4) If only one defect appears in the limb or if it has several. To the unaware observer, one defect could hide another.
5) The growth history is a factor that indicates that a foal raised in the open field must not be evaluated in the same way that one that has lived for weeks in a pen: their growth is different as is its potential for correction.
Growth Control is Key As they grow, progressive change is due to the“ growth process”. Bones grow in length at certain specific places known as“ growth plates”, and the soft tissue( muscles, tendons ligaments, etc) increase their volume and strength as the foal grows. This is a dynamic, changing process which responds to two groups of factors which are: the environment( feed; production of milk;“ bolting” dam; size of field where they live, etc.) and the foal( growth rate; weight increase; body structure; genetics, etc.). The growth plates are extremely sen-
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