A broken forward hoof-pastern axis is also a problem that needs to be corrected to whatever degree is possible – but not forced if it is going to hurt the horse. Have any of you had experience with this? Coco was lucky; the pastern joint was not affected, which enabled him to undergo a series of shock wave treatments to speed up the healing process. Wiki User Answered . There should be a balance between the slope of the shoulder, the slope of the hip, and the slope of the pasterns. The pastern is a part of the leg of a horse between the fetlock and the top of the hoof. Coon-Footed – The slope of hoof wall is steeper than the pastern. A too-long pastern reduces a horse’s potential for speed, as it takes longer to ‘push off’ at each step to get the foot off the ground. We feature 65,000,000 royalty free photos, 337,000 stock footage clips, digital videos, vector clip art images, clipart pictures, background graphics, medical illustrations, and maps. What do long sloping pasterns help a horse to have? A nicely sloped pastern increases the likelihood of a long career. A nicely sloped pastern increases the likelihood of a long career, it improves the animal's ability to travel on uneven terrain, helps it withstand the rigors of a competition or race, makes the gait more comfortable for the rider. About a week ago, I posted a photo of him on a Thoroughbred group on FB and a few people commented on his hind legs, particularly his hind left pastern and fetlock. Long, sloping pasterns Long, sloping pasterns are commonly seen in Thoroughbreds and Saddlebreds. I'm a little concerned with the degree of angle, especially on the hind pasterns in the first pic. Many horse-people thus feel that short pasterns are actually an advantage for propulsion, but this is dependent on whether the pastern slopes enough to absorb concussive forces. Long pasterns can put extra strain on the fetlock joints and the digital flexor tendons. This is a horse that will likely be ridden 2-3 X per week, but only as a back-up pleasure and trail riding horse. Discussion on Long Pasterns Author: Message: Member: Tangoh: Posted on Saturday, Apr 12, 2003 - 12:16 pm: I have a question regarding horses with long sloping pasterns. This is a common "problem" with many racehorses, as they often have long, sloping pasterns. On this being pointed out to him by a lady, he gave in reply the famous quotation: "Ignorance, madam, pure ignorance." I have a fear (probably irrational) that a horse with a long sloping pastern will put too much strain on the fetlock joint over long, fast distances. This is especially likely if the horse is tired, such as at the end of a race. Horses with a long pastern tend to have a much softer action and in my area a long pastern is very much liked. They are sometimes bred for in a riding horse because they increase the shock-absorption ability of the leg, making the horse's gaits smoother and more comfortable for the rider. 5 6 7. The pastern is a part of the horse between the fetlock joint and the hoof, or between the wrist and forepaw of a dog.It is the equivalent to the two largest bones found in the human finger. If the shoulder is too straight, there will be more pressure at the shoulder and knee joints. * A to B is the slope of the shoulder. But they transmit more shock to the joints in the legs so they could be more prone to injury, may need corrective/preventative shoeing, and can be more of a rough ride for the rider. mva21050 Fotosearch Stock Photography and Stock Footage helps you find the perfect photo or footage, fast! Certainly your guy's pasterns are on the long side, but I can't tell if they are overly long from the pics, so you should measure. Answer. Good luck and keep us up on how your baby is progressing. (Point of shoulder to the highest point of the withers.) Poor shoeing and conformation, such as long, sloping pasterns, upright pasterns, long-toes with low heels, pigeon toes, splay foot, or unbalanced feet may predispose the horse to ringbone, as they create uneven stress on the pastern and coffin joint, unequal tension on the soft tissues, or worsen the concussion that is … What does Ringbone look like? Ideally it will be close to the same angle as the slope of the shoulder. I've got a QH with long sloping pasterns (my trail horse), healed suspensory tears, and a dropped sesamoid. However, they have the distinct disadvantage of being weaker than more upright pasterns. If you do observe the pasterns down or falling don't hesitate to use the techniques I mentioned in my downed pasterns article to help get them back up - but if you have other questions don't hesitate to speak with your vet or breeder too. Update : so it would just be a long bouncy stride(? They appear a bit more sloping than is ideal, especially since the pasterns are somewhat long. The pastern functions as a shock absorber. It was famously mis-defined by Dr Johnson in his dictionary as "the knee of a horse". I did speak with our vet who pretty much said the same. See more. I thought maybe putting some light weight aluminum shoes would allow his heel to grow out and maybe correct the angle of his pasterns slightly. The front legs should angle out of the shoulder into a long, sloping pastern. there is a farrier that makes the horses feet flatter than shown above as he says it gives a softer action, it only gives a softer action if the horse has got the sloping pastern to go with the slope of the hoof. A farrier cannot alter the angle of the hoof as to do so will cause many more problems. If the neck is long then I like to see the hip have a long slope. They're stronger than long, sloping pasterns. H. hellybelly6 Well-Known Member. The pastern slants from a nearly upright position to a deep slant and back again. Long, sloping pasterns are seen in Thoroughbreds and Saddlebreds. Long sloping pastern, equine Clipart - LifeART. Medical problems that are more common in horses with long, sloping pasterns include: Bowed Tendon Sesamoiditis A fracture of the sesamoid bones found at the back of the fetlock, should the joint hyperextend to the point where it touches the ground. The pastern at the left in the picture here is normal, the one at the right isn’t, and we call that one being “down in the pasterns.” Bad pasterns can be inherited, but there may also be environmental factors: A bad diet and obesity can cause a dog’s pasterns to collapse.In developing puppies, teething and trauma may also come into play. 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