"I have a foal with knock-knees," writes
John Marsh of North Carolina. "Both knees are so bad that they hit together
when he walks. Is it possible that keeping the hooves properly cut could
help straighten the knees? I have ordered a knee brace. Have you heard
any news (good or bad) about knee braces for this problem?"
Foals with severe knock-knees may be helped by trimming the outside
heel and quarter of the hoof wall lower then the inside hoof wall, and
squaring the toe of the hoof wall. But you can accomplish only a limited
amount with trimming alone.
Other things you need to do are: exercise the foal twice daily by hand
walking it for 15 to 30 minutes; massage the legs, top to bottom, for
10 minutes each leg; ice-bag the knees for 15 minutes to help with pain
and swelling. You can make an ice bag by combining one cup isopropyl
alcohol to three cups water in a Ziploc-type bag and freezing it overnight.
The result is a nice cold ice bag that is not solid, so will form to
the knee. Wrap the ice bag with terrycloth, so as not to injure the
horse's skin.
Knee braces, if designed to help this problem, will probably help. I
have not seen any long-term study on their use, but I would be concerned
that prolonged use of braces could weaken the knees. Other options to
consider with your vet are surgery, epiphysial stapling, and casting.
