Club foot
Club foot is an upright, boxy hoof with a high heel and often a broken-forward pastern-hoof axis — congenital or acquired, one foot (often a front) or both. The acquired form can follow pain or disuse. It is not laminitis (rotation or a sinker is a different, high-severity disease), not white-line-disease, and not a hoof abscess. A photograph cannot diagnose club foot. A still cannot tell a club foot from a high heel, laminitic rotation/change, or a contracted heel. Diagnosis is a vet/farrier exam. The conformation scan is a first look at the hoof/pastern outline to share with a vet, not a club-foot test, and there is no club-foot scanner.
Symptoms to watch for
An upright, boxy hoof with a high heel — the outline is a clue, not a still-photo verdict
A broken-forward pastern-hoof axis, or a foot that stands steeper than the other
One foot (often a front) that looks more upright or contracted than its pair — or both fronts
A high heel or contracted heel that can look like club foot, or a laminitic change that can look like a high heel — a still cannot tell them apart
An acquired upright foot after pain or disuse — the history is a clue, not a diagnosis
Some horses stay sound; the first sign is a new upright or boxy outline — a reason to book a vet/farrier, not a photo verdict
Common causes
- Congenital or acquired club foot — an upright, boxy hoof with a high heel and often a broken-forward pastern-hoof axis
- Acquired form can follow pain or disuse in that limb — the history is a clue, not a diagnosis
- Not laminitis (rotation or a sinker is a different disease, and that is high), not white-line-disease, and not a hoof abscess
- A still cannot tell club foot from a high heel, laminitic rotation/change, or a contracted heel — those need a vet/farrier
Prevention
- Watch both fronts for a new upright, boxy, or high-heeled outline and book a vet/farrier rather than waiting on a photo
- Do not treat a sudden high heel, heat, or reluctance to land as "just club foot" — that can be laminitis, which is high, and is a vet visit, not a photo
- Keep a regular farrier cycle so heel height and pastern-hoof axis can be checked on both feet
- Do not treat a photo, a high heel, or a scan result as a diagnosis
- Conformation photos can help you, the vet, and the farrier look at the hoof/pastern outline — they do not confirm or rule out club foot, and they cannot tell it from a high heel, laminitic rotation/change, or a contracted heel
What to do
- 1
Book a vet/farrier exam if one foot looks upright, boxy, or high-heeled, if the pastern-hoof axis looks broken-forward, or if both fronts have changed. Diagnosis is a vet/farrier exam — not a photograph.
- 2
If the hoof is suddenly more upright, hot, or the horse is reluctant to land, treat that as a vet visit, not "club foot from a photo" — laminitis is a different, high-severity disease.
- 3
Photograph both feet in good light, from the side and the front, and keep the photos on the horse's record so you, the vet, and the farrier can see change over time — a first look to share, not a diagnosis.
- 4
Use a conformation scan only as a first look at the hoof/pastern outline to share, not as a club-foot test. There is no club-foot scanner.
- 5
If club foot is confirmed, follow the plan your vet and farrier prescribe. Do not start a treatment protocol from a photo.
- 6
Keep the vet and farrier on the same page. Share what you see; do not treat a photo as a verdict.
Pick up the phone if…
Schedule a vet/farrier exam if one foot looks upright, boxy, or high-heeled, if the pastern-hoof axis looks broken-forward, or if both fronts have changed. Call sooner if the hoof is suddenly more upright, hot, or the horse is reluctant to land — that can be laminitis (high), not club foot, and is a vet call, not a photo diagnosis. A photograph cannot diagnose club foot. A still cannot tell a club foot from a high heel, laminitic rotation/change, or a contracted heel. Diagnosis is a vet/farrier exam. The conformation scan is a first look at the hoof/pastern outline, not a club-foot test, and there is no club-foot scanner.
Related topics
Get a first look at the hoof outline
Scan conformation in HorseCare. 5 free scans this month, then Pro.
5 free scans this month, then Pro. Scans run in the HorseCare app.
Educational content only. Not a substitute for veterinary advice.