What conformation fault does a horse usually have as it paddles?

Paddling in horses typically refers to a specific movement issue where the horse swims its legs outward instead of moving them straight forward. This motion is most commonly associated with a condition known as "pigeon-toes," which describes a horse that has a toe-in conformation. In this case, the horse's front feet turn inward while moving, causing the paddling action.

Pigeon-toes can contribute to inefficiencies in movement and increased wear on the horse's joints over time. Thus, recognizing this conformation fault is essential for horse owners, trainers, and evaluators, as it can affect performance and overall soundness.

Other conformation faults such as bow-legged, camped out, and sickle hocks, while significant in their own right, don't directly correlate with the paddling motion. Bow-legged describes a horse with outwardly curved legs at the knees, camped out refers to a horse standing with its hocks too far behind the body, and sickle hocks indicate a horse with a tight angle at the hock joint. None of these conditions predispose a horse to paddling as clearly as pigeon-toed conformation does.