This weekend my fiance' and I went to look at a horse for me.  The horse is a 2.5 year old gelding.  He looks really nice and moves really well.  The only thing is that he is splay footed.  According to the seller he still has another 2.5 years of growth to him and probably another 1.5 hands of height.  He is narrow in the front and the seller had pictures of when he was younger his splay footedness was more extreme.  We looked at the mare he came from and she is really wide in the chest.  My question is do you think when he finishes growing will he correct himself?  Will it be a problem to start training him fo the next year's show season, or will he get sore from his movement?

Thanks Kevin.

His hooves splay out.  His legs are straight from the shoulder to the holf.  So I am thinking when he broadens out in the chest his legs are going to correct themselves.  Is this a good assumption?

"Is this a good assumption" No, it isn't:) This horse will be splay-footed until he takes his last breath. You didn't mention what breed. Splay-footedness is a common trait in Tennessee Walkers. Trying to "fix" the splay-footedness will lead to muscle/tendon and possibly other issues, so for the sake of the horse's health and well-being it is best to NOT try to fix him, but to merely have a GOOD blacksmith trim him in such a way that he not only travels naturally and comfortably, but also might somewhat mask the splay-footedness. I have a TWH that is not only slightly splay-footed but has a slightly clubbed foot. Neither of these birth-rights have ever caused him one iota of trouble whether I trail ride him barefoot or with shoes on. And he has been trail ridden for long hours in some rough terrain. I owe all that to my blacksmiths. It takes a "savvy" eye to even pick up on the fact that he's slightly "out" and has got a club foot. But to re-iterate, his hoof dilemmas are slight to begin with.

It depends on what you want this horse for as to whether or not he might be able to perform without causing him damage.

If you feel he can perform to your specific show needs, I wouldn't worry about the splay foot.

On the other side of the coin, if you plan on showing him and the judges are going to split hairs and place him low specifically because of his splay-footedness, then you may want to consider finding him a good home with a trail rider if you are pursuing points and trophys with a heartfelt effort and are laying out a lot of money toward that end. JMO :) 

I would think that this horse could competently show in any pleasure class, but I would really hesitate to CONSISTENTLY use him in anything competitive that is physically wearing on the soundest of horses. 

Oopsie, you haven't bought the horse yet, so I will edit my "find a good home" to "you may want to pass on this horse":)

First:  The horse will not grow into his defects(they'll grow worse with age)...I can't believe people still buy into that lie!

Second:  At almost three I would really doubt the horse growing another 1.5 hands...sounds like they know you want a taller horse and are trying to sell you this one instead.

I don't care what your budget is if you look hard enough you'll find a horse that better meets your needs/wants.  The last thing you need to get into with your fiance is a horse that isn't perfect for you...this will keep it from being a sore spot later on, you're going to hate hearing "I told you so" from a non-horsey person!  He might also be resistant to expensive shoeing and training because you wanted this horse, remember?

I'm going cheap on my wedding and expensive on my next horse!

I don't care what your budget is if you look hard enough you'll find a horse that better meets your needs/wants.  The last thing you need to get into with your fiance is a horse that isn't perfect for you...this will keep it from being a sore spot later on, you're going to hate hearing "I told you so" from a non-horsey person!  He might also be resistant to expensive shoeing and training because you wanted this horse, remember?

Huntseat,

Fortunately both of us are horsey people.. Actually she is the person who got me into it.  I enjoy doing the fresh air, carrying buckets and pulling to the shows.  It gets me out of the office.  The horse would be for myself, and It is going to grow some more his rear end is quite a bit taller than his front.  I did not know if his chest would broaden out or not.  From what I am hearing it sounds like it will be with him all his life.  I guess I can't complain about expensive shoeing and training because I will be footing the bill ..  BTW congrats on getting engaged yourself.  We got engaged this spring and hopefully next fall there will be a wedding.  But we are looking for a place big enough for horses too.  So that is another story. :-) 

most horses that are running down hill are bred that way- which is a shame since it only puts more weight and pressure on the forehand which lends itself to legs problems down the road. They generally don't even out. Right now, you might not have concerns about expensive farrier care  but later you just might. I'd pass.....