>>> In the picture he was REALLY showing off - in a new field with mares over >>> the hedge >>> and another stallion in an adjoining field. Plus his feet really needed a >>> trim - I >>> think part of the "flip" is flare on the hoof. Here's another trot pic.
I don't think what I saw in the original picture was a flare in the hoof - the flipping seemed to originate in the pastern, not just the hoof. That said, I also know that displaying stallions can show some weird things that aren't necessarily a real problem, or even typical for that matter. I've never noticed toe-flipping in a displaying stallion before, but my guts says I shouldn't worry about it from one picture. Even a flat-moving, lazy stallion can look awfully floaty and animated if there are ladies to impress. Even flat-moving, long-strided Melnir could (and often did) look like Pepi Le Peu when there was a mare in heat he wanted to impress. So, if you don't see that on a regular basis, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. But, Judy is right to ask questions - a good horse can stand up to scrutiny, but we'd hate to miss a possible problem. The other side of the coin is that people often show pictures or videos of their stallions while displaying for mares, implying that action or way of moving is typical. If the way of moving is only coming from a short burst of testosterone, one can hardly expect the stallion's gelding colts or fillies to move the same way. And let's face it, the majority of any stallion's offspring will be geldings and mares. I'd like to see a video of this guy. He's very cute in the pictures. Karen Thomas, NC
