Hoof Care & Balance

Which Foot to Pad?

Q. I just read your June “Ask the Vet” article about muscle toning and development (article #2775). It describes my horse exactly! Her left shoulder is more developed, and the right shoulder is farther forward and flat. Her

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Nail-Free Footwear

Tough. Resilient. Protective. Whether on a human foot or a horse’s hoof, a shoe supports weight and helps one overcome environmental hazards. With today’s technology, equine footwear can stick to a hoof without the traditional nails. Tough”P>Tough. Resilient. Protective. Whether on a human fo

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Hoof Pads for Healing

They come with an assortment of labels: high-tech hoof pads, comfort system pads, hoof support systems, etc. They come in a variety of thicknesses and materials. But by whatever they’re dubbed, these designer pads have two things in common”P>They come with an assortment of labels: high-tech hoof pads, comfort system pads, hoof support systems, etc. They come in a variety of thicknesses and materials. But by whatever they’re dubbed, th”>They come with an assortment of labels: high-tech hoof pads, comfort system pads, hoof support systems, etc. They come in a variety of thicknesses and mat”They come with an assortment of labels: high-tech hoof pads, comfort system pads, hoof support systems, etc. They”hey come with an assortment of labels: high-tech hoof pads, comfort system “ey come with an assortment of labels:

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The Magic of Disney

Walt Disney World in Florida is in the process of celebrating its 25th anniversary, and there hasn’t been a year of the magic without horses. Walt Disney himself was an avid horseman, playing polo and envisioning a very horse-oriented park with

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AESM Convention

Researchers, veterinarians, and horse people from around the world gathered in San Antonio in April for the 16th meeting of the Association for Equine Sports Medicine (AESM). The program included three full days of presentations concerning the

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The Natural Hoof: A Sign of the Times

The feet of wild horses have been able to adapt to their environment, while the feet of domestic horses seem to consistently fail at adapting and instead collapse, crack, flare, and bruise.

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Navicular Syndrome Treatment: The Brave New World

In spite of the best care given to horses in the history of their domesticated lives, record numbers of carefully bred, reared, and trained saddle horses are prevented from fully athletic lives by the crippling disease known as navicular syndrome.”n spite of the best

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Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium 1999

The name of the conference might be misleading, because the 10th Annual Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium in Louisville, Ky., covered topics from how nutrition affects hooves to what stimulates hooves to grow. The theme of this year’s symposium was

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Horse Show Shoes

Winter’s finally over and you’re ready to roll down the road. Your horse is fit, you’ve been coached to new heights, and visions of blue ribbons dance in your dreams. Suddenly, your happy dream turns into a nightmare as you recall what happened

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Nail-Quicked

Shoeing is necessary to protect the hooves of many hard-working horses, and nails are of course an important part of the process. Ideally, horseshoe nails enter the outer hoof wall, which lies adjacent to the quick, or the sensitive laminae”P>Shoeing is necessary to protec

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Hoof Repair

When your farrier and/or your veterinarian discuss how to solve the hoof problems you are encountering with your horse–be it from injury or disease–you will be better able to understand your options, and get your horse back on his feet in the short

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Shoeing The Laminitic Horse

Of all the medical crises that can afflict a horse, laminitis surely is one of the most alarming. Horribly painful, and potentially devastating to his long-term soundness, the strange syndrome whereby the coffin bone inside the hoof begins to

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The Barefoot Horse: Romance vs. Reality

By leaving a horse barefoot, one allows the hoof’s natural functions of shock absorption, traction, and biomechanics to perform at their optimum. Shoes inhibit natural function and the horse’s natural way of going, and limb interference with shoes

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Barefoot Benefits

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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The Club Foot

My weanling’s foot seems a bit boxy. My veterinarian said it sounds like he has a club foot. What does this mean?

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