b'NEAEP Conference Wrap SPONSORED BYunderstand, she says, when you see the extent of bone loss behind themand tricky to stabilize.Farriers and veterinarians can help owners understand that if theyre really concerned about a crack, they need to get 60-degree DP (dorsoplantar) X rays.The onus is on the owner to stay on a 4- to 5-week trimming schedule to help COURTESY DR. ROBERT BOWKERkeep chronic cracks under control.Trimming to Aid Structure & FunctionRobert Bowker, VMD, PhD, longtime podiatry researcher and former professor and head of the Equine Foot Laboratory at Michigan State Universitys (MSU) Solar view of a foot before starting treatment after removing shoes, and the same foot seven months College of Veterinary Medicine, in Eastlater. Notice how the frogs central sulcus is shallow and broad. Lansing, never leaves home without a clear plastic ruler. At least thats the casehorses have been managed using correc- less support and becomes thinner and when hes working on horses feet andtive shoeing methods, with pads or trim- thinner along the edges, especially the helping owners, vets, and farriers see andming with boots, etc., during this timelateral (away from the midline) side of understand whats going on inside themas things are going backward. He saidthe foot. These changes will often result and recognizing and correcting balance.every single horse usually has somethingin pedal osteitis.Bowker described his perspectives andin common: a too-long toe and underrunWhen theres a bout of laminitis (and trimming approaches. heel. He believes this can be avoided withadded) toe pressure through some rota-Reaching for the Right Ratio Bowkercareful and correct trimming. tion at the toe, the bone cannot support measures every foot, and even photos andThe mechanical forces of the 60:40the weight of the horse with this periph-drawings of feet shown in seminar pre- and 70:30 ratios Bowker sees put pres- eral thinning of the bone, and the coffin sentations or books, to illustrate balance. sure on the coffin joint, which eventuallybone becomes crushed, he added. Thats The general guideline for the industryleads to navicular disease, he said (seethe end of the horse!in balancing the hoof is approximately#5 in the sidebar on page 32). EveryoneWe are setting the horse up for failure 50:50 (toe:heel), meaning that half of theknows this and understands some of theby having a long toe with our trimming foot is in front of a perpendicular linebiomechanical issues with this type ofmethods, regardless of whether the horse dropped from the center of rotation offoot, but few try to aggressively correctis shod or barefoot, he said.P2 (short pastern) bone, with the otherthe problem, he told The Horse. ManyBowker trims to shorten the toe and half being behind this same line, he said.foot professionals say that such feet arepromote caudal (toward the rear) migra-This ratio would be reasonable in mostnot correctable, or they are only manage- tion of the heels to bring the central sulcus cases, if most hoof care professionalsable. With this long-toe, underrun-heel(cleft between the heels) back to the sole practiced it. However, most do not seemfoot, the already-long toe continues to getso it makes light contact with the ground. to be using this guideline, as most feetlonger. I mean thecoffin bone beginsHe said trimming with these goals can have an approximate ratio of 60:40 orto get longer: Its conformation is gradu- improve foot health and get the ratio to even 70:30. Most people arent measuringally changing. approach 40:60allowing the caudal foot it but only relying on observations. As the bone gets longer, the vasculatureto enlarge and return to its robust health.After retiring from MSU, Bowker hasbeneath it must change at the expense ofTips on Trimming Youre trimming the continued his research with other vets,the back part of the foot and the frog; thefoot to change the inside of the horse, farriers, and trimmers from the U.S. andexpanded toe area demands more of thehe said. With a long toe and underrun beyond. He compares his findings infoots blood supply, routing it away fromheels, you have to trim every three to four cadaver limbs to what he sees in live clientthe back of the hoof, which he said is det- days until you get the toe and heels back horses, their X rays, photographs, and therimental for the hoofs long-term health. under the horse. Then trim periods can be like. Most cases he handles are extreme,Of all these husbandry practices, thelonger but not six to eight weeks, as that is because he usually gets calls after all tradi- long-toe, underrun-heel is probably thewhy the foot got to becoming long.tional treatments have been exhausted. worst one that will give rise to navicu- With his cases, he gets the owner in-These cases usually involve periodiclar and will definitely make any bout ofvolved and gives the trimmer instructions:lameness in both forefeet that has persist- laminitis much worse, Bowker told TheBring the heels back to the level of the ed for years, with radiographic changesHorse. With this foot, the tissues sup- frog.in the navicular apparatus, he said (seeporting and surrounding the coffin bone Bevel the toe from the sole, not the Navicular Issues Begin Earlier Thanbecome compromised and the distal (bot- dorsal hoof wall.We Think, TheHorse.com/181721). Thetom) end of the coffin bone gets less andThe frog should kiss the ground. Too 30February 2020The Horse|TheHorse.comNEAEPWrapUp.indd 30 1/3/20 10:54 AM'