The feral horse foot. Part B: radiographic, gross visual and histopathological parameters of foot health in 100 Australian feral horses.

This study evaluates foot health in a sample of Australian feral horses to discern if environmental factors may influence the observed conditions. The research suggests that the feral horse foot, previously believed to be a model of optimal foot health, indeed suffers from various abnormalities, potentially influenced by the horses’ habitat, marking the need for reconsideration of this established standard.

Objective and Methods

• The overarching aim of the study was to scrutinize the foot health of Australian feral horses. The researchers wished to determine if foot health was impacted by factors in the horses’ natural environment, such as the hardness of the ground they moved on and the distance they traversed.
• Twenty feral horses from five different populations (totalling 100 horses) were selected based on their ground hardness and typical movement patterns. The researchers performed radiographs, photographed the horses’ feet, and digitally analyzed the captured images of foot health.
• Further investigation was conducted on samples from fifteen of these feet to check for histologic evidence of laminitis, an inflammation in the tissues of the hoof.

Observations and Results

• From the examination of the 100 left forefeet, a total of 377 foot abnormalities were found. Surprisingly, only three feet displayed no detectable abnormalities.
• While the prevalence of foot abnormalities was similar among the five horse populations, the severity and type of abnormalities varied.
• From the feet that were further evaluated histologically, the occurrence of chronic laminitis- a severe, painful condition was found to range between 40% and 93% among the three populations.

Conclusions and Implications

• The study concluded that environmental factors did indeed impact the foot health of feral horses; specifically, the chronic laminitis could have resulted from either nutritional issues or due to physical trauma.
• Given the surprisingly high prevalence of foot abnormalities, it is now questionable whether the feral horse foot remains the gold standard in equine foot health as was traditionally believed.