Hanoverian gelding

I'm new to the site so pleased excuse my errors.
I bought a Hanoverian gelding, 9 years old, last year. He is 17hh and about 1,400 lbs. I bought him from my niece who needed the money. Three separate vet clinics said he would probably be best with me because I live on a soft sandy island.

He, Dream, was born with straight back legs. The vets apparently thought he would out grow this poor conformation. He didn't. He has been prone to fluid on the hock, in the past. The joint above the pastern is presently swollen some. This joint is also perpendicular to the ground. There are very obvious problems, though he is in no pain and rides well. Because he is with a herd of horses, I don't use shoes on him or any of the horses. They do occasionally kick each other.

My question is: Would specially made rear shoes somehow help bend his legs in the right direction and take some of the pressure off his rear pasterns. I can present photos, to show the problem, if anyone has any ideas....

No, shoes are not going to fix this conformation fault.

I'm actually kind of surprised the vet thought he would grow out of that. Wonder what the reasoning was.

I have no idea why..., but this is what I ended up with. Now I'm trying to fix the problem, if possible. My horses are mostly on grass or beach sand. He is better then he was for my niece, presumably because of the soft terrain. But he is still a big boy for those legs.
Here he is as a two-year-old. This is his breeders registration photo. The mal conformation is also obvious here, but the joint above the pastern is up at a good angle.

There really isn't any way to fix a conformation issue like that.

Thanks a lot for your comments and ideas, Ryle and Sara. I didn't really expect there to be a solution. But I had to ask so that I could justify telling people that I wasn't going to spend a fortune, that I don't have, trying to correct a problem that can't be corrected with shoes. There are some things that just can't be. Big Dream isn't lame at all and enjoys a good gallop on the beach. I never force him but let him go at his own pace and we are both happy with that.

Poor guy, that looks a tad bit painful. Ouchy. Hopefully you can do what is best for him.

Big Dream doesn't seem to be in pain at all. He runs around the fields with the filly and the mare and is never lame. Because I keep him on soft ground, he has tender soles and doesn't walk well on gravel, I find. At least in the spring, he found the short walks to the field, on the side of the road, difficult. He seems to have callused up some since then. It looks strange and everyone whether they know horses or not notices his angled pasterns. Very few people notice his straight legs until they are pointed out. The white pastern is too shocking, I guess.

I admit I know nothing of this confo flaw. But I must confess that I was shocked to hear that he is fit to ride? I guess it is like a baby born with a defect, they find ways to compensate, never knowing anything is ever different about them because they know no other way.

What are the vets prognoses on him? Do they expect him to live a long life with no complications?

I hope I have not offended you with my comments. This is just a new to me.

I'd be more concerned at the extreme angle of his fetlocks and how low they are to the ground (i imagine those tendons/ligaments are under quite a bit of strain) With his very straight hocks, no, shoeing will not help and I'm kind of surprised that the vet thought he would grow out if it. He might be happy running around now, but I'd be concerned about his future soundness. I'm glad you've been keeping his job easy and he can go on softer ground.


Welcome to the forum!