It’s not uncommon to observe minor asymmetries in any horse’s feet. But when there is a significant difference between a pair of hooves, typically the front, the unevenness may be attributable to club foot. Club feet are estimated to be present in 5% to 20% of the equine population.

Horses with significant disparities between a pair of hooves often are separated into two categories: an upright foot, or a club foot.

Severity Of Asymmetry

The distinction between using upright foot and club foot boils down to the severity of asymmetry between the two hooves.

“The club foot has a bad stigma about it,” says Vern Dryden, an equine veterinarian and farrier with Bur Oak Veterinary and Podiatry in Lexington, Ky. “Sometimes we say it’s an upright foot when it’s used to describe mild asymmetry in cases that the horses can have a successful career. But club feet are upright feet and upright feet can be club feet.”

Club feet are a highly inheritable trait that can be congenital or can develop after birth from rapid growth or an injury. Dryden added that professionals who specialize in farm work could predict which foals will develop…