[Doc-t]

Maybe I should call it Phat and Physics – or Fat and Fysics?? This will be a mix of some interesting ideas that started when I saw an “epidemic” of suspensory injuries over the past decade. I try to answer why they have become so prevalent when suspensory injuries were only found in one branch of the suspensory in racing Thoroughbreds back in the 1980’s.

[Kerry]

Thanks Doc T. My horse sometimes drags his near side hind toe in trot and I only notice it because I hear it clip the road when trotting sometimes. Our farrier routinely tries to keep his toes short as he has low heels. Typical thoroughbred I think. He raced as a youngster and I always assumed it was caused by injury/ overuse. Do you think it would be tendon or ligament damage? I’d be grateful for your thoughts.

[Doc-t]

Hi Kerry

There are a lot of possibilities here. The first thing I would ask is whether this occurs when he is engaged or does this toe dragging occur only when he is traveling without engagement. If this is the case, is the toe dragging just laziness or is there pain he is willing to forget as his brain focuses on the task at hand?

Toe dragging means that your horse is not lifting the leg high enough in the swing phase. It is rare to have an injury to the extensor tendons so that would be low on the list of causes.

Shortening the toe without raising the heel will actually encourage toe dragging. A longer toe increases the length of the fulcrum which will cause more effort applied to the extensor tendons to lift the limb off the ground. See the video of Melissa running with clown shoes (long toe, low heel) versus high heel shoes (short toe). The short toe, high heel conformation enhances the “daisy cutting” travel of the hoof while decreasing the tendon strain on the flexors.

Note that after trimming the toe you might not hear as much toe dragging because the toe is removed clearing the ground but the root cause is still there waiting for the toe to grow out.

If the toe dragging is occasional, if it is only during disengagement or it is not affecting the stance phase then I would attribute it to laziness, hoof pain or both. If it is consistent or the stance phase is asymmetric between both hind limbs then you need your vet to evaluate for pain anywhere or a neurologic deficit. Use slow motion video to help you “see” what is happening.