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Originally Posted by pgardn
So soundness has nothing to do with conformation?
And conformation is not genetic?
A horse that steps on a nail will also be slow.
I think what you are saying is that feet, because they take so much abuse, can have very random things happen to them. Things that are clearly not genetic, I agree. But to imply that all horses are born with the same hoof/foot durability is imho, not true. To say that genetics has very little to do with hoof/foot durability because randomness (nails, stones, etc...) plays a much larger role is a very different arguement.
-Humbly yours.
Dr. Phil Garden
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No conformation has a lot to do with soundness but conformational defects are not a given and there are degrees of which are critical. 10 horses with nearly identical conformation can have completely different soundness levels in their lifetimes due to a huge amount of outside influences including where they are raised, the weather and soil content, the manner in which they are raised including how much time they spend outside or in larger paddocks or with other horses, the diet they are on, the type of grass they consume, if they are prepped (worked) for a sale or left alone till they are broke, the way they are broken including different styles and the amount of time spent on each horse, the surface on which they train, the amount of time given when minor non conformational issue occurs (cuts, step on rocks, kicked by other horse), how hard they are pushed to make a race early in their career versus allowing them t develop at their own speed, etc...