Frequency of hoof conformation faults and disorders in horses of several breeds

Abstract

The aim of the study was to compare the frequencies of hoof conformation faults and disorders in the front and hind legs of horses of different breeds. The study was conducted on 346 horses over 3 years old (167 Anglo-Arabians, 130 Hucul horses, and 49 Silesian horses). In the study population, over 60% of the horses had some kind of hoof conformation faults and disorders. A significant difference in the incidence of hoof conformation faults (65.5%) and hoof disorders (35.5%) was shown in the analyzed population of horses. In the case of Hucul and Silesian horses, hoof conformation faults were observed more than twice as often as hoof disorders. In addition, the frequency of hoof conformation faults in Hucul and Silesian horses was highly significantly greater than that in Anglo-Arabian horses, in which the hoof disorders appeared highly significantly more often. Both hoof conformation faults and hoof disorders were observed highly significantly more often on the front than on the hind legs. The results suggest that the frequency of hoof conformation faults and disorders is breed-dependent, which may be connected with the tendency of horses of each breed to be used in a specific way.