Pointing out that hoof balance or imbalance helps explain much about the mechanics of the foot, Michael Wildenstein says you need to evaluate both to determine how to trim and shoe to reduce abnormal stress in the moving horse. He told members of the American Association of Equine Veterinarians at their annual conference in San Antonio, Texas, that fully understanding the mechanics of the hoof actually makes it easier to balance the hoof.

She is a wonderful filly, full of energy and perfect in every way with no health problems. I am really looking forward to racing her.

I've recently been called to trim a horse and noticed that the hoof on the off-side front has separated from the coronet front by about 3 inches. After pointing out this problem to the owners, they told me that the horse was totally lame about a week prior and it's now sound and putting full weight on the foot. There's no sign of infection, and during trimming the horse shows no signs of discomfort. There's a lot of movement in the separation opening and you can see a sensitive area that appears to be healthy.

The late Anthony Gonzales (1986) described limb length disparity as, "when a pair of feet are mismatched. Usually one is flat footed, bull nosed and/or underrun and the other is more upright or clubby looking."