In the future Moyer predicted more use of glue-on shoes, more new shoeing materials from metals to composites, a move to more group/corporate farriery and veterinary operations, more partnering between veterinarians and farriers
Evaluating what trimming/shoeing these horses need requires a combination of gait evaluation; hoof tester examination; discussion of the horse’s history with the owner, trainer, and veterinarian; and evaluation of the wear patterns of the old shoes.
We’re all familiar with the medical/veterinary axiom: First do no harm. A recent Colorado State University (CSU) study extended this principle to biosecurity for ambulatory veterinarians: First, don’t bring any diseases into a patient’s
“Breakover (defined as the moment the heels lift off the ground) is very much affected by the surface the horse works on,” began Hans Castelijns, DVM, Certified Farrier, of Cortona, Italy, during the “Putting Science into Farriery” session at th
Hunt discussed several limb and hoof deformities in foals and recommendations for correcting or managing them during the “Putting Science into Farriery” session at the 2008 Convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. One of his bi
Glue-on shoes and other materials are indicated for cases of poor hoof quality or repeated shoe loss, or for crack repair, rebuilding a hoof, and preventing wear, began Bryan Fraley, DVM, of Veterinary Podiatry Associates in Harrodsburg, Ky., wh
Upper airway problems can ruin a good horse, whether they slow him down or cause airway noise that hurts his show placings. But they haven’t always been easy to sort out because the upper airway couldn’t be examined under natural exercise conditions (with rider, tack, competitors, etc).
What causes these structural failures? Old scars at the coronary band, genetically weak feet, too much sole pressure, poor hoof balance, and/or lots of trauma to poor-quality hooves can contribute to abscesses that cause pain and undermine foot integ
Since artificial insemination is currently practiced in most equine breeds (except Thoroughbreds), processing semen for cooling and transport is a common task in most equine reproductive centers. However, processing a dilute ejaculate–one with a relatively low concentration of sperm–requires modified procedures to get enough viable sperm in each breeding dose.
Extension tests (such as trotting a horse off after he stands on a toe wedge for a short time) are sometimes used to detect certain lamenesses, but their use and interpretation are generally not very standardized between practices and practitioners. Until now.
Radiographs provide information for making diagnoses, planning treatments, and guiding trimming and shoeing. “The quality of the radiographs and the final product generated are dependent on the preparation of the foot, the position of the foot, and the views required for a particular study,” he noted.
There are many ways to support a laminitic horse’s foot; one common European method is to use plaster of paris foot casts.
Supporting (also called contralateral) limb laminitis strikes a previously healthy hoof when it bears excessive weight for long periods because the other front or hind foot is extremely painful (such as from a fracture, surgery, severe infection, etc.).
When a horse has pain in the rear half of the foot, injection of the navicular bursa (sac cushioning the navicular bone from the deep digital flexor tendon) is often considered as a treatment option. Corticosteroids (to control inflammation) and possibly hyaluronate (HA, to improve the bursa’s lubrication and decrease synovial inflammation
Although it’s a painful option to consider (especially for the males in the profession), for some horse health problems the best treatment is partial phallectomy, or amputation of part of the penis. Such conditions might include penile injury, chronic paraphimosis (inability to retract the penis into the sheath), neoplasia (tumors), and stenosis (narrowing) of the urethra
Think floating a horse’s teeth improves his feed digestion? Think again, says one study.
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