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The front and hind hooves are identical in the foal but differ visibly in the adult horse. This is good evidence of the medium-term plasticity of the whole hoof shape, as a result of variation in its use. Slow changes in hoof shape occur under any consistent change in the horse's movement pattern and under a wide variety of pathological conditions.
The two things which can directly affect the health of the hoof are diet and exercise. Observers of wild horse populations note that the equine hoof stays in notably better condition when horses are in a herd situation and are free to move around 24 hours a day, as wild horses do, permitting good circulation inside the hoof. [11]
Additionally, their feet do not have the small claws and digits of rodents or lagomorphs, instead resembling miniature elephant-feet, with toenails specially adapted for climbing rocks. The hare, for chewing the cud without having cloven hooves. [2] [5] The pig, for having cloven hooves without chewing the cud. [6] [7]
The trot is the working gait for a horse. Horses can only canter and gallop for short periods at a time, after which they need time to rest and recover. Horses in good condition can maintain a working trot for hours. The trot is the main way horses travel quickly from one place to the next. [citation needed]
The ideal hoof has a parallel hoof-pastern axis, a thick hoof wall, adequate sole depth, a solid heel base and growth rings of equal size under the coronary band. [5] There are four layers within the exterior wall of the hoof. From the outside, a hoof is made up of the stratum externum, the stratum medium, the stratum internum and the dermis ...
The ideal horse has legs which are straight, correctly set and symmetrical. Correct angles of major bones, clean, well-developed joints and tendons, and well-shaped, properly-proportioned hooves are also necessary for ideal conformation. [25] "No legs, no horse" [20] and "no hoof, no horse" [26] are common sayings in
The domestic horse is almost alone among extant equines in having chestnuts on the hind legs. [5] Chestnuts are absent from the hind legs of asses and zebras . [ 6 ] The majority of domestic horses have chestnuts on all four legs, as does the Przewalski's horse , [ 6 ] but a few horse breeds are reported to lack chestnuts on the hind legs. [ 6 ]
While the two are linked in terms of length and musculature, the angle of the hip and croup do not necessarily correlate. But it is desirable for a horse to have a square to slightly pear shaped rump. A horse can have a relatively flat croup and a well-angled hip. Racehorses do well with hip angles of 20–30 degrees, trotting horses with 35 ...