The horse’s forelimbs are designed to receive the weight and energy generated at each step by the hindquarters. In the forelimb, substance and correct alignment and articulation are thus of the greatest importance.

I wrote an article in the late 1980s on the development of the third phalanx (P3) from a neonate to an adult of 3 years of age. That article went into the stages of morphological development from the dorsal surface to the cup on the bottom and the palmar processes (wing tips). That developmental process is dependent on the animal having a somewhat normal weight-bearing posture. Excessive, abnormal, or focused compression features should not exceed osmotic cellular pressures, ensuring that the growth period occurs in a timely and correct manner. This excessive compression process is similar to a tourniquet, bed sores or other pressure necrosis.