b'The Horse attended the 11th edi-tion, held in the fall of 2019 in Saratoga Feet First Springs, New York, and here well focus on what we learned in the lameness and podiatry sessions. You can find more in-formation at TheHorse.com/2019NEAEP.What Goes on Beneath Hoof Cracks?SPONSORED BY Longtime hoof care provider Paige Poss has studied hoof anatomy and performed thousands of hoof dissections. What she found by cutting windows out The 11th NEAEP Symposium emphasized of the hoof wall and looking at the anato-farriers and veterinarians working together my beneath has changed her perspective on persistent hoof cracks.for the good of the horse Poss showed detailed images of dam-aged tissue to help hoof care profession-STEPHANIE L. CHURCH als understand why it might be difficult to fix some cracks, and when and why you might want to consider calling the veterinarian for diagnostic imaging.In this cadaver limb two primaryVisually you will get an idea of why epidermal laminae have fused atsome of these cracks persist or reoccur, the center of the photo beneathshe said. Then (youll) gain understand-a hoof crack. ing on how or even if to treat, along with how to communicate the expectations to owners. She added the disclaimer that most of her clients are owners of older horses without major athletic demands.I find cracks to be one of the most in-teresting things, she said. Owners are of-ten way more concerned over cracks that rarely cause lameness than they are over issues that are truly detrimental to the COURTESY PAIGE POSS/ANATOMY OF THE EQUINEhorse, such as major hoof imbalances. At the lower (performance) levels, cracks are generally not a problem, and a lot of these athletes do well, though horses working at speed or with greater athletic demands might struggle with those cracks.Everybody wants the hoof wall to be blemish-free and beautiful, she contin-ued, and being able to communicate that T he collaboration of two of the most important people in oura lot of horses arent lame on those cracks and that sometimes there is a reason that horses livesthe professional who manages their physiol- its always going to be there isnice ogy and the one who manages their literal foundationcan(information to have) to tell owners.be powerful. In practice, it can look like co-visits to theToe Cracks In a photo of this most common type of crack, Poss showed the farm, phone calls to debrief after separate visits, and maybe eveninterdigitation of the primary epidermal text message updates. Whatever form it takes, if its functional andlaminae (PELs, reaching out from the productive, it usually means nothing but good for the horse.wall) and dermal laminae (reaching out from the coffin bone), which anchor the The Northeast Association of Equine Practitioners (NEAEP) aims to enable thiswall to the coffin bone, and vice versa. type of relationship. In fact, the organizations mission is to encourage farriers andShe pointed out shortened laminae and vets to work together for the well-being of the horse through communication andPEL fusion at the crack, along with what continuing education. Each year the NEAEP board curates a symposium programappeared to be displaced sole material that covers lameness, internal medicine and reproduction, and podiatry. (corium) and theorized that internal 28February 2020The Horse|TheHorse.comNEAEPWrapUp.indd 28 1/3/20 10:54 AM'