Any deviation of a limb from the straight plane. It can arise from the joint(s) or growth plates in long bones, or in the cuboidal bones of the knee or hock. The most common type is an outward slant of the forelimb from the knee joint (carpus valgus) and an inward slant of the pastern from the fetlock, away from the midline (fetlock varus). The effect of nutrition is not proven. Causes are believed to include non-symmetric growth in growth plates, trauma, loose slack joints, excessive exercise, and poor limb conformation. See also “Contracted Tendons”.
