November 11, 2017 - Correcting Crooked Legs in Foals

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Correcting Crooked Legs in Foals

by Heather Smith Thomas

MANY FOALS ARE BORN with some degree of angular limb deformity. Most common are knees too close together (carpal valgus), with fetlock joints wide apart. Next common is bowlegged at the knees (carpal varus), with fetlock joints too close together. Lax ligaments or tendons may cause the fetlock joint to drop to the ground and the toe to flip up. Sometimes a foal has windswept legs, with both front legs or both hind legs curved in the same direction. This deformity is thought to be due to the way the foal was lying in the uterus, perhaps with not quite enough room.