One of the most hotly debated and contested topics pertaining to hoof care is the so-called ‘correct hoof angle.’ Oftentimes, people will let traditional depictions or beliefs shape their thinking, not realizing that the same hoof angles can produce multiple postural stances. There are, in fact, a number of factors which determine the hoof angle for each horse, and simply assigning a numeric value is not indicative of good posture.
Sometime in the previous century, someone assigned a numeric value to the angle of the toe as a reference point for farriers. This may have been useful for horses being shod by different farriers, but, generally, unless a farrierwas previously acquainted with the horse, this value was somewhat arbitrary and often not even pertinent on the day it was assigned. Several other elements needed to be taken into consideration, as hoof angles are as varied as the horses that have them.
Factors Affecting Hoof Angles
We have been taught that the toe ought to be parallel to the pastern angle, and that the pastern ought to be parallel to the scapula. This is not always correct, however, because pastern and hoof angles are quite variable. There is no such thing as a standard angle for any pastern, nor is there a standard angle for any hoof wall.