Veterinarians are often asked about leaving horses barefoot. I must say from the onset that I favor horses being maintained without shoes when possible. Whether or not it is feasible for a horse to go without shoes will depend on the owners’
As a rule of thumb, we know that our horses should be trimmed (and shod if necessary) at least every six to eight weeks. But where did those numbers come from? Van Heel recently studied how a hoof changes between trims, and she found that neglecting
As a responsible horse owner, you make management decisions that affect the current well-being of your horse and his future vitality.
Whether you’re a heavy horse fancier or not, a big hitch of fancy draft horses is an arresting sight. But what’s the connection between all this flash and the ideal function of a heavy horse? Show ring insiders say you’re seeing an animal
“How do we use the palmar angle (the angle the wings of the coffin bone make with the ground) to influence the mechanics (of the foot)?” asked Ric Redden, DVM, host of the 16th annual Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium and founder of the International Equine Podiatry Center in Versailles, Ky.
We all should be aware of our level of competence with foot problems–horse owners, veterinarians, and farriers. Since there is no formal education in the field of podiatry, training must be sought on an individual basis.
Underrun heels sounds like an innocent term. Certainly it doesn’t strike fear into the hearts of horse owners in the same way as, say, navicular syndrome. It should. The disorder is so common today that many people fail to see it as an
The twenty-first century is going to be exciting for the horse world. We will see technology continually improve our ability to study, diagnose, correct, and hopefully prevent more of the hoof problems that have plagued horses for centuries.
We often assume a horse needs shoes without really thinking about why or how that affects a horse’s overall health. Yet standard veterinary texts, such as books by James Rooney, DVM, and O.R. Adams, DVM, on
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