pigeon-toed horse

Question
Hi, I am looking at a lovely 4 yr old registered paint mare for my kids. She seems terrific, except that she has pigeon toes. The owner says she has always been sound and that regular trimming takes care of the problem. Her legs are straight to her fetlock; the owner says that it is the hooves, not the legs. We plan to use her for trail rides and back-yard riding, maybe 4H, but not serious shows. Is this condition something that I should be concerned about? She doesn't stumble, trip, favor the legs or anything. Also, if we do get her, is this a genetic problem that can be passed on should we decide to breed her? The owner says both parents have good straight legs. Thanks!

Answer
Hello Kim, thank you for your question!
I know quite a few pigeon toed horses that are perfectly sound and have no issues related to this conformation. She would certainly not have the full capacity to do serious showing but if your main intent for her is fairly limited work, pigeon toedness may be ok. This fault does limit athletic ability of the horse, and in the long run does subject the leg to unnatural stresses, but the extent of this is of course dependent on how severely she toes in and what type of work she is asked to do. Horses with different degrees of pigeon toes also have a tendency to swing their legs in an arch when travelling, so depending on how much she toes in, you may need tendon boots to protect her fetlocks and lower legs. Knowledgeable hoof care is and ABSOLUTE key to maintaining the soundness of a pigeon toed horse (actually, also for the straight ones :-). Some farriers/owners are tempted to apply "corrective" shoeing/trimming to make the horse look straight but that is certainly one good way to compromize long term soundness. So, if you are not concerned about what she looks like and can live with the criticism that you may get from other horse owners/trainers/show people that she is "flawed" because she is pigeon toed, and if you have access to a good farrier who is not going to try to "correct her", she may very well be a great horse for your kids. It seems like you are indeed more interested in her attitude and demeanor and whether she is perfect for your kids than whether she has the perfect conformation. That said, however, and without seeing a picture of her legs and feet up close (feel free to send me a pictures, if you wish), the above holds true for a horse that has been trimmed correctly and the pigeon toes are not a trimming artifact (for whatever reason) or the result of some other issues that can go on with hooves. So, to be sure, you might want to take your farrier with you to have a look at her but make him understand that YOU are not concerned about the "looks" unless there is something else going on and that you are not looking for corrections of this issue, just advice. Also, depending on what types of 4H showing you may want to do, I think there are some classes (Halter) where you may be "dinged" because she is pigeon toed...maybe this will not bother you if you are looking to purchase a great family horse/pet and companion for your kids.
So depending on how much she toes in, all the above may be a totally minor issue or something to consider. Again, if you would like to send me a picture of her from the front with where her head and feet are clearly visible, I would be more than happy to give you additional "thoughts"... I don't know whether pigeon toes are inheritable. I tried to find some info on this but not find any.

Please let me know whether the above was at all useful. As long as you know what to expect when buying a horse with pigeon toes and end up making your decision based on that knowledge and don't expect that despite pigeon toes she is expected to perform to the extent a conformationally more correct horse would (once you have had her for a while, you may decide to do more with her than you initially thought), this may indeed be the perfect horse for your kids.

Take care and feel free to send me pictures of her.

Christine