sitive to any changes in these forces which regulate them, and the changes occur very quickly. For example: a correct foal, whose hooves are long as a result of“ natural” paring and which, for some reason, gets a portion of the hoof wall broken, turns from being a correct foal to a bandy legged one in only 10 to 15 days.
Active Growth Plate Every bone of the body grows up to a point in which the growth plate stops working. That is the time in which it is important to work on alignment, since many of the treatments focus on“ guiding” the growth plate in the direction in which the vet wishes it to go( bandages; plaster; splints; surgery, etc.). For this reason it is important that it be active when treating alignment defects, and that is closely linked to age. In daily veterinary practice, consultations regarding alignment problems are very usual, together with the wish to correct them when the horse is two years old. Particularly in cases of bowleggedness, because it is the moment in
which it is observed with greater clarity. My answer is always the same:“ You are only a year and ten months too late with your consultation”. In short: there is nothing to be done once the growth phase has ended; when the plate has closed its cycle. Each specific defect has a time in which it appears; a specific moment in which it may be resolved and its emergency( or not) for treatment. Not taking this into account leads to defects that were easily treatable becoming fixed in adult life; during break-in, training or competitions, as well as the occurrence of disabling injuries a few weeks after or later on.
Classification of Defects Defects observed from the side( known as“ flexural alignment deviations”) occur mainly at birth and must be resolved during the first weeks( Figures 3 to 5 with some examples). Those observed from the front or from behind( known as“ angular misalignments”) are more varied when they appear. Knee( carpus) and hock
Figure 3: Retraction( Age: 2 days) Figure 4: Corvo( Age: 8 days)
Figure 5: Relaxation( Age: 3 days)
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