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
They are questions most horse owners have pondered at one time or another. Does my horse really need shoes? Do they help or hinder him?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer. Consideration must be given to several factors, including a horse’
Even if you have a farrier do your shoeing you should still learn how to pull a shoe properly. There are situations where you should not wait for a farrier.
There are many reasons a horse might stumble. Work with your veterinarian and farrier to determine the cause, since the onset of stumbling might indicate a shoeing/trimming problem, or could be a warning of serious health problems.
“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.
Shoeing horses isn’t easy. To do the job correctly, a farrier has to have an understanding of equine leg and hoof anatomy; knowledge of the biomechanics of these structures; enough biology knowledge to understand how the horse’s soft tissues
Horseman?s Day, held for the third time as part of the annual AAEP convention, was another rousing success. There weren?t as many people in attendance as there were in San Diego last year, but they were just as enthusiastic. AAEP officials said
?The horse?s foot is so integral to most of what we do in equine practice,? said moderator Gayle Trotter, DVM, MS, professor in clinical sciences at Colorado State University, in the Podiatry forum on Dec. 12 at the American Association of Equin
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
Some women love high heels. Walking in them might take some getting used to, but they provide the perfect look for big-city club-hopping or schmoozing at the latest gallery opening. They’re not so great, though, for jogging or other sports. A
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.
One of the most common comments at the 15th annual Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium in Louisville, Ky., Jan. 21-23, 2002, was that if farriers or veterinarians don’t have a passion for working on laminitic horses, they shouldn’t take the cases.
A talented farrier and knowledgeable veterinarian can often do wonders for a lame horse. Applying corrective shoes can change the forces acting on the feet, improving many foot problems. Unfortunately, even the most talented farrier can
Researchers at Colorado State University’s (CSU) Equine Orthopaedic Laboratory are once again recruiting horses suffering from navicular disease to participate in the second phase of a horseshoe study. The first study, which began last August,
Everyone who owns a shod horse will have that horse lose a shoe at some point, but do you know what to do if that shoe doesn’t come off all the way?
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