05/07/2025
This is a great visual to understand what is meant by bony column alignment the term I use as this is how I was educated.
In the picture it’s called hoof pastern alignment.
I assume it’s the same thing…
So the historic and current thinking is that those 3 bones at the bottom of the horses leg, are the most biomechanically efficient and all the tendons are in balance if those bones are aligned.
It’s all related to levers and moments. The way I understand it is if you think about carrying shopping bags, if they are close to your body they are easier to manage. If you stretch out your arm a bit then the weight of that bag will be harder to manage plus the muscles are worked more. Stretching out your arm is acting like a lever.
The 3 photos show nicely the different ways those 3 bones can present.
Farriers and trimmers will be striving to maintain or get to bony column alignment. By removing hoof or adding to it, adding by shoes, wedges, casts, acrylics, etc.
Note that to look at the bony column line, the cannon bone must be vertical.
I can’t give credit to this person that owns this photo but I am grateful to them and if anyone knows the owner, please let me know so i
can give credit.
Added to give credit to the canadian horse magazine
Image used for fair use- educational and critique
Lindsey
http://www.patreon.com/hoofstudies
