The feral horse foot. Part A: observational study of the effect of environment on the morphometrics of the feet of 100<scp>A</scp>ustralian feral horses

Abstract

The morphology of the feral horse foot appeared to be affected by the distance travelled and by the abrasive qualities and mechanical properties of the substrate under foot. There were marked differences in some conformation parameters between the feral horses in the current study and domestic horses in previous studies. Although the conformation of the feral horse foot may have some prescriptive value, concerns regarding abnormal foot anatomy warrant further investigation.