Long toes add leverage which magnifies pull on the tendons, over flexing of the joints, and stress on the navicular bone .

Poor posture can be attributed to long toe low heel. Poor posture can have far reaching negative consequences throughout the entire body.

Shortening the toes minimizes torque on the legs .

You reduce stress whenever you eliminate distortion (breakover or flare) .

When breakover is correct it reduces torque, which reduces the painful effects associated. Stress related to conformational issues can be mitigated by setting breakover correctly.

More about LTLH in our BLOG

The COBIT finds optimum breakover, reducing strain on tendons & ligaments.

In laymen’s terms, the extensor tendon is responsible for extending the foot forward, deep flexor & check ligaments are at the back of the foot.

A properly balanced foot lands heel - toe.

Toe digs in, leg passes over, heel comes off the ground, and the foot breaks over with minimal load on the deep flexor & suspensories.

On an average trim cycle a barefoot horse will wear more.

On an average shoeing cycle, breakover will move forward approximately 3/8 inch (approximately a cm) … when breakover moves 3/8 of an inch, your horse’s feet need to be done.

If your horse’s foot is balanced there will be slightly more foot to the rear of center of balance than to the front. 6 weeks down the road, you are still pretty close to balanced.

When a horse’s toes are too long, the deep flexor & suspensories are over loaded, as the weight passes over, and the check ligaments come tight. A horse has to bend at the knee to break over.

An extra cm of toe length could be adding 50 kg (110 lbs) more pull on the deep flexor tendon for EVERY STEP.

If breakover is an inch (approximately 2.5 cm) too far forward, when the foot lands heel first, in soft ground, for example, heel digs in, toe lifts… The deep flexor & suspensories are tight BEFORE the weight of the horse passes over the leg.

The more breakover is too far forward, the more the pull is on the deep flexor tendon .

Increased pressure on the deep flexor increases the pressure on the navicular bone eventually leading to pain in the navicular area.

Reducing pressure reduces symptoms.

Non surgical treatment = hoof balance

The COBIT finds center of balance, and brings breakover back. This will center the foot under the bone structure, which will provide relief.

The COBIT can be used to prevent the cause of navicular rather than covering up the symptoms.

The COBIT can provide a non surgical treatment of navicular.

Caudal pain (heel pain) and caudal heel failure (breakdown of the inner structures of the rear of the foot) may be the result of breakover too far forward, excessive heel, collapsed heels, underrun heels, quarter cracks, heel cracks, bar cracks...

Horses can have caudal heel pain and caudal failure. Caudal failure leads to caudal pain.

Breakover too far forward causes overloading the heel which causes heel pain.

If breakover is set too far forward, horses that do not necessarily have long toes & low heels can have significant heel pain.

When breakover is set too far forward it shifts excess weight to the rear of the foot causing caudal failure which results in caudal pain.

Excessive Heels

Horse owners often ask their farrier to leave the heels alone. For example, "Don't take any heel off. I want his angle higher."

Heels grow ahead, not down.

You cannot properly trim a foot without trimming the heels.

Longer heel decreases the amount of weight bearing surface behind center of balance, which overloads the heels causing all of the above. If you do not trim some heel, the long toe low heel problem will only get worse.

Long toe low heel syndrome also causes caudal failure and caudal heel pain.

COBIT finds center of balance, guides you to correct breakover, and placement of the buttress of the heels (the farthest back weight bearing surface on a horse’s foot)

COBIT can provide IMMEDIATE RELIEF for horses in pain from breakover too far forward and pain due to long toes & low heels.

Long toes add leverage which magnifies pull on the tendons, over flexing of the joints, and stress on the navicular bone.

Shortening the toes minimizes torque on the legs, which reduces stress.

Trimming a horse properly, and setting breakover using the COBIT can control pain.

The Canadian Equine Hoof Care Association shared this excellent information on December 17th, 2023 Shared in its entirety in the COBIT Horseshoeing Group FB page, or can be accessed at:

https://www.facebook.com/canadianequinehoofcareassociation

...Dyson (2011) and Clements (2019) both state under run heels as the most common hoof morphology. Dyson highlighted that the amount of “caudal hoof failure” correlated with the severity of lameness. So clearly it is a industry wide issue.

The health of the caudal hoof directly affects heel to toe height ratios. This directly affects phalangeal alignment and the position of the point of force and balance around the centre of rotation as the “long toe, low heel” conformation becomes apparent.

The increased extensor moment arms created by these factors mean an increased strain in the flexor structures, which is why there is study after study linking conformations as a result of “caudal hoof failure” directly with Navicular syndrome in the fronts. Waguespack et al (2010-2014) Ruff et al. (2016) Uhl et al. (2018) Osbourne et al (2019).

In the hind feet the links are also starting to be widely established, but with higher pathologies. Mannsman at al (2010) Pezzanite et al. (2018) Clements et al. (2019) Walmsley et al (2019).

As Dyson stated that “caudal hoof failure” is directly linked to lameness and we know that horses compensate for lameness with spinal stiffening creating back pain it’s implications extend again.

So from this we can clearly see that “caudal hoof collapse” is most certainly an issue and can not be ignored any more.

For want of a healthy caudal hoof....

Further reading…

https://www.theequinedocumentalist.com/.../haemodynamic...

https://www.theequinedocumentalist.com/.../the-hoof-it-is...

The COBIT will be most effective on chronic feet

Other laminitic issues need to be addressed in the acute stage.

Please Note: We are not going to write a book on this... In layman's terms, we will say that laminitis is acute and founder is chronic.

Varying degrees of rotation of the coffin bone cause the hoof wall to distort forward, and cause excess heel...which causes pain.

Use the COBIT as a guide to find center of balance, breakover, placement of the heels, appropriate palmar angle & comfort for chronic horses.

COBIT provides a guide to trim the foot in a way that the coffin bone will be in proper alignment with the ground surface, which makes a horse more comfortable

"The COBIT has helped me more with founder than any other strategy.

I have tried special shoes, pads, wedges, and fillers. Horses shod with "all of the above", but not trimmed with the coffin bone lined up with the ground will not be comfortable.

The COBIT helps you shoe to the bone structure.

When I am done, chronic horses that I use the COBIT on walk off sounder than when they showed up." Ross Smith

Breakover too far forward and improperly balanced feet lead to improper bone alignment, which leads to over flexing of the joints which can cause ringbone.

If the foot is flared significantly to one side, and not balanced properly this can lead to the development of ringbone.

High ringbone is between the pastern and the cannon bone.

Low ringbone is between the coffin bone and the short pastern, or between the long and short pastern.

You can’t reverse arthritis, but you can mitigate associated pain by balancing the feet of horses affected by it.

Long toes, for example, create additional force which cause unnecessary pain.

The more a foot is distorted the more it over flexes a joint. As well, every cm extra toe is going to contribute to issues.

Use the COBIT to get rid of distortion. The COBIT finds optimum breakover.

Bringing an out of balance foot back to zero does not cause problems. Going past zero does.

Making small changes to the feet will only prolong the agony, in most cases.

The COBIT will find optimum breakover.

Properly balanced feet can significantly reduce or alleviate general soreness, knee pain, back pain, and stomach issues (ex. ulcers).

Treatments by veterinarians, chiropractors, osteopaths, and other body workers will last longer.

Take a horse’s posture seriously. When pain is reduced horses show it in a variety of ways including lip licking, yawning, and sighing.

Changes in expression and posture are often immediate, and clearly noticeable when a horse brings their legs back underneath instead of standing with their feet out front or behind. Happy horses often stand more quietly, are more relaxed, and are just visibly happier.

The COBIT accurately determines the optimal breakover point for each individual horse.

Breakover found by the COBIT has been consistently confirmed by X-rays.

The COBIT can be used by farriers WITHOUT x-rays.

The COBIT can be used to prescribe adjustments.

AND

the COBIT can be used WITH X -rays to trim or shoe horses with very specific needs.

Similar to shoeing with X-rays, veterinarians can use the COBIT to prescribe farrier work.

The COBIT can be used to establish a repeatable reference point that can then be used by a farrier.

In severe cases, that reference point can be used in conjunction with X-rays for a specific rehab plan.

What you see on the outside of foot does not always represent what is going on inside.

A veterinarian can mark center of balance, using the COBIT, BEFORE taking an x-ray. Measurements can then be taken from that image to be used for that horse over time.

Centre of balance does not move.

Look at the coffin bone. Look at breakover. Look at Palmar Angle.

When looking at X-rays, draw a line off the tip of the coffin bone to see where breakover should be.

Clearly, there is more to look at, but these are basics.

X-rays should be taken in weight bearing phase.

Palmar Angle - industry standard is 2 - 4 degrees, or where a horse is comfortable

A negative Palmar Angle is where the back of the pedal bone is lower than the toe.

Feel free to send us an X-ray for a farrier to look at.

Shoeing your horse based on the optimal breakover point of the foot can improve performance.

Properly balanced hooves can contribute to more efficient and comfortable movement, leading to better athletic performance.

Proper breakover may lengthen your stride, which could result in faster times, for example.

We have included some images below to show how much using the COBIT can improve hoof health.

If you balance the foot, circulation improves, and overall hoof health improves.

Shoeing your horse based on the optimal breakover point of the hoof maintains the structural integrity of the hooves, preventing issues such as cracks, splits, and excessive wear.

The COBIT promotes balanced weight distribution and reduces the risk of lameness.

Did you know that an extra cm of toe length could result in 50 kg more pull on the deep flexor tendon for every step?

If your horse is not trimmed or shod to it’s optimal breakover, unnecessary pressure may be affecting tendons & ligaments, for example, which will cause a multitude of issues over time.

Shoeing your horse based on the optimal breakover point creates proper hoof balance and support, which reduces stress on joints, tendons, and ligaments thereby helping prevent strain and reducing the risk of injuries.

A Solution to Create & Maintain Sound Feet