What would cause a horse’s back legs and hoofs to twist when she walks?
Note: The following excerpt is the transcript from a question I answered from my Facebook Live made in the Steady Horse Facebook Group on 8/7/19. Watch the video or read the text below to learn the answer to the question.
Remember: I am not a licensed vet, so whatever advice I offer is from experience with training horses, not treating them.
You may need the consultation of a vet. Now there are some things, for example, the gait of different horses depending on the breed, some of those departures in the back legs, and how the walk up will vary.
So one thing to look at is what kind of breed of horse has this issue. Then obviously the other thing too is that there could be some physical imperative that’s going on. Definitely if you feel like your horse is walking off or walking lanky, get another set of eyes. Sometimes if I’ve been looking at a horse for a while, I miss things.
Definitely get the advice of a vet that can definitively tell you if there is something going on. If you can’t get to a vet immediately, get another pair of eyes from a horse knowledgeable person. Another thing you can do if you have a horse that’s sound, have the two horses walk side by side, have somebody leading them. Look and see what’s going on, just to give you an idea of what’s stemming the movement that looks like twisting movement.
That would be my recommendation and what I would do if it were my pony and there was any concern of that horse being lame or having an issue.