Contracted heels
Contracted heels are heels that have drawn in, often with a narrowed frog — commonly from dry feet, long toes, or pain. It is not club foot (an upright, boxy hoof with a high heel), not gravel (infection tracking up the white line), not a quarter crack (a vertical wall crack), not thrush (frog sulci), and not white-line disease (inner-wall hollow). A photograph cannot diagnose contracted heels. A still cannot tell contracted heels from a club foot, a high heel, a dry contracted frog, or laminitic change. Diagnosis is a vet/farrier exam. The hoof scan is a first look at the heel/frog outline to share with a vet/farrier, not a contracted-heels test, and there is no contracted-heels scanner.
Symptoms to watch for
Heels that have drawn in, or a frog that looks narrower than it used to — the outline is a clue, not a still-photo verdict
A foot that looks pinched at the heels, or a frog that does not fill the space between the bars
Dry feet, a long toe, or pain in that limb that sat with the change — the history is a clue, not a diagnosis
A club foot, a high heel, a dry contracted frog, or laminitic change that can look like contracted heels — a still cannot tell them apart
A new or more obvious drawn-in heel after a long trim cycle or dry standing — a reason to book a vet/farrier, not a photo verdict
Some horses stay almost sound; the first sign is a narrower frog or heels that have come in — that is a vet/farrier visit, not a photograph
Common causes
- Heels that have drawn in and a frog that has narrowed, often from dry feet, long toes, or pain
- A long toe, dry standing, or pain that changes how the horse loads the heel — the trim and the history are clues, not a diagnosis
- Not club foot (upright boxy hoof / high heel), not gravel (ascending white-line infection), not a quarter crack (vertical wall crack), not thrush (frog sulci), and not white-line disease (inner-wall hollow)
- A still cannot tell contracted heels from a club foot, a high heel, a dry contracted frog, or laminitic change — those need a vet/farrier
Prevention
- Pick out all four feet every day and look at the heels and the frog, not only the sole
- Watch for heels that have drawn in, a narrowed frog, or a long toe, and book a vet/farrier rather than waiting on a photo
- Keep a regular farrier cycle and note dry standing or pain in that limb so you can tell the vet and the farrier
- Do not treat a photo, a narrow frog, or a scan result as a diagnosis
- Hoof photos can help you, the vet, and the farrier look at the heel/frog outline — they do not confirm or rule out contracted heels, and they cannot tell it from a club foot, a high heel, a dry contracted frog, or laminitic change
What to do
- 1
Book a vet/farrier exam if the heels have drawn in, if the frog looks narrowed, or if one foot is more pinched at the heel than its pair. Diagnosis is a vet/farrier exam — not a photograph.
- 2
Do not cut, burn, or force the heels open from a photo guess. A still cannot tell contracted heels from a club foot, a high heel, a dry contracted frog, or laminitic change.
- 3
Photograph the heels and the frog in good light, from the sole and from behind, 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 hoof scan only as a first look at the heel/frog outline to share, not as a contracted-heels test. There is no contracted-heels scanner.
- 5
If contracted heels 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 the heels have drawn in, if the frog looks narrowed, or if one foot is more pinched at the heel than its pair. Call sooner if the hoof is suddenly more upright, hot, or the horse is reluctant to land — that can be laminitis (high), not contracted heels, and is a vet call, not a photo diagnosis. A photograph cannot diagnose contracted heels. A still cannot tell contracted heels from a club foot, a high heel, a dry contracted frog, or laminitic change. Diagnosis is a vet/farrier exam. Contracted heels are heels that have drawn in, often with a narrowed frog — not club foot, not gravel, not a quarter crack, not thrush, and not white-line disease. The hoof scan is a first look at the heels, not a contracted-heels test, and there is no contracted-heels scanner.
Related topics
Get a first look at the heels
Scan the hoof 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.