“Balance” in a horse, as Hall of Famer farrier Randy Luikart writes, “per this discussion, could be a point or a series of points that move in a predictable fashion as the conformation, angles, fulcrums and levers change during this consideration portion of the weight-bearing phase.”

This discussion pertains strictly to the horse during the weight-bearing phase of the stride, after all four quadrants of the hoof are on the ground and to midstance.

“It is physically impossible for the surface center of the hoof to be the center of balance in the horse’s hoof and leg during the support phase of the stride. If this were true, the hoof would be a vertical cylinder, the bony column would project vertically from the hoof head, and the horse’s center of mass would be directly over the center of the leg — in other words, the horse would have a fence post for a leg,” Luikart writes. “However, we don’t have that scenario. Instead, we have a leg composed of levers, angles, fulcrums (centers of balance) and tendons (which are guided by ligaments and conformation) to transmit the forces applied by the muscles to these levers and around these fulcrums to create support and propulsion during various portions of the stride.”

The first center to be discussed is the medial/lateral center (fulcrum). Its position is a result of the center of mass of the horse being medial to the center of the leg. Simply put, since the center of the horse’s weight is medial, this puts the medial/lateral fulcrum position (and influence) medial to the surface center of the hoof.

“The anterior/posterior balance is similar to the medial/lateral influence. Since the center of mass of the horse is caudal (toward the tail) to the limb, the influence of anterior/posterior balance is rearward of its original position,” he writes. “The dynamic/static balance is a bit more complex. To understand this balance, one must incorporate the static balance’s influence on the leg and the dynamic influence of the shoe and movement (controlled by various factors including conformation, weight, rider influence, gait, acceleration, deceleration and more) of the horse.”

For more information on how a horse keeps its balance, and what treatment can be provided to the horse to remedy imbalances, read Luikart’s article “In Pursuit of Center of Balance in Hoof Care” featured in the May/June 2026 issue of American Farriers Journal.