Dr. Steve O'Grady believes researchers need to focus on evaluating the horse’s foot, evaluating the structures in the foot, the appropriate trim, and finding your way about the foot. He says he also hopes to see additional research on anatomy, foot function, and biomechanics published. | Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse

Don’t rely on hearsay when it comes to caring for your horses’ hooves.

“Go to Dr. Google and ask him, ‘What’s the best treatment for a skin rash?’” says Stephen O’Grady, DVM, MRCVS. “You can get anything from a well-documented pharmacologic process to homeopathy to supplements and more, some of which have no proof behind them whatsoever. So which would you rather use: That which has been consistently beneficial, or one that’s somebody’s hearsay?”

The same question applies when you’re managing horses’ hooves: Would you rather treat these important weight-bearing structures using methods based entirely on word of mouth, or would you opt for evidence-based farriery?

O’Grady, a farrier, veterinarian, and owner of Northern Virginia Equine, in Marshall, and Renate Weller, DrMedVet, PhD, MRCVS, MScVetEd, FHEA, professor of comparative biomechanics and imaging at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), in Hertfordshire, U.K., weigh in on the importance of this concept when managing our horses’ hooves