War Horse Hoofcare: Keep Your Eye on the Galloping Horseshoe Pouch

It's hard to imagine anyone falling asleep while watching the film War Horse, but I guess it could happen. The sound track is loud enough to wake you periodically, however. If you need to trick yourself into staying awake, you can try to keep an eye on the farrier-related clues scattered through the story like a treasure hunt.

And keep your eye on the bouncing horseshoe pouch.






He's a

War Horse Hoofcare: Holy Horseshoeing

Consenvoye is in the northeast corner of France near the Belgian border, in the region of Lorraine. This is where the famous Battle of the Meuse-Argonne was fought. The Meuse-Argonne battle was the largest frontline commitment of troops by the U.S. Army in World War I, and the final offensive of the war.

Was this a German forge or a British forge or French or American? The shape of the anvil

War Horse Hoofcare: The Way It Was

It's War Horse week on The Hoof Blog. We'll start off with a short and not very sweet video of the British Army farrier encampment somewhere in India.You can see the forges and the horses lined up, and you can also notice the division of labor between the Indians and the British. 



Who's pumping the bellows?



The second part of the clip demonstrates what they are calling the Lightwark

Kauto Star's Horseshoes Are As Good as Gold: British Jump Champion Is a Golden Oldie in the Winner's Circle

Eleven-year-old British National Hunt superstar Kauto Star, one of the racing world's biggest stars, now has golden shoes, thanks to farrier Michael Jones who was commissioned to forge the special shoes. (Betfair photo)


You know you've made it in the world of sports when you look down and notice that your shoes are gold.


 
Olympic gold medalist track star Michael Johnson started the gold

Nothing Says "Happy Holidays" Like a Horse (Or An Anvil) in the Snow

What, you're not in the holiday spirit? The Hoof Blog has a cure for that. Just sit down and watch my collection of favorite Christmas television commercials. All but the last one have horses somewhere in them.

If you don't have the ho-ho-ho's by the time you're finished watching these, try some egg nog and watch again.

1. First, a  montage of Irish Christmas commercials, past and present,

British Equestrian Federation Medal of Honor to Farrier Haydn Price

The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) has awarded its Medal of Honour to farrier Haydn Price of Monmouthshire, Wales. Haydn is consultant farrier to Team GBR--the British equestrian teams--and provides farrier services to the BEF's World Class Performance program, including caring for the dressage and show jumping teams for international competition.

According to the organization's web

A Horseshoe Pile Transformed to a Christmas Tree

The Christmas tree outside the shoeing shop on the Kriz family farm in Bethany, Connecticut is decorated for the season. Notice the chain that encircles it leaves some room for expansion. (photo courtesy of Joe Kriz Jr.)


What happens to old horseshoes when they're pulled off horses? Some farriers leave them behind for clients to dispose, some have a place to drop them off for recycling but

Sunday Humor: Strauss Feuerfest Anvil Steals the Show in Europe

Possibly the only thing that can come close to Vienna, Austria's New Year's Day concert would be when Andre Rieu decided to stage a pageant-like concert outdoors on a summer's night in the courtyard at Schoenbrunn Palace--one of the most outstanding surviving examples of baroque architecture in the world, and a historic site protected by UNESCO.




To make the evening special for Hoof

Educational Hoof Anatomy Gifts to Give and to Get from the Hoofcare Collection

Let's make things perfectly clear...educational gifts go on giving!



Click on the arrow in the lower right corner of the Scribd window to scroll between the pages of our new brochure about educational, creative and crystal-clear hoof anatomy specimen preserved by plastination.



The "relief" or "plain" handheld specimen without acrylic $50


These specimen--or ones quite like them--are

A New Day in Farriery

Sorry, this is a low-resolution file. The people shown at the end are farriers from the US and Canada. 



 TO LEARN MORE

Check back on January 1.



Whether to give or to get: the greatest gift is education! 3-D animation guided tours, lectures, and explanations of the structures from knee to sole of the hoof and back again. Designed for vet school use,  but also includes a user-controlled

Laminitis Treatment and Horse Welfare: Princess Anne and Pippa Funnell Respond to a Question of Ethics

One of the main principles of animal welfare is to provide freedom from discomfort. What justification is there for the prolonged veterinary management of chronic painful conditions such as laminitis or very severe sporting injuries?

At the recent annual conference of World Horse Welfare in London, a distinguished panel bravely took questions from the audience. When a woman rose and asked the

Farrier's Ax: A Museum Restores a Gruesome Tool of Mercy Designed to End the War for Horses

Courtesy of National Army Museum, London



As people in the US prepare to line up at movie theaters to see War Horse over the Christmas holiday, here's some farrier background about a tool you may even see in the movie. I am not sure when they stopped actually using this tool, but no one has stopped talking about it, that's for sure.



It's the farrier's ax, and you'll see one close-up in

New from War Horse: Off-Screen Actors Speak on the Film (and the Horse)

A new two-minute trailer from Dreamworks Pictures juxtaposes the off-screen stars of the new Steven Spielberg film War Horse with their on-screen characters. What do the actors have to say about the film, what it means, and what's at the heart of a horse's journey into the swirling maelstrom of war?

The momentum is building for the premiere of this film in the USA on Christmas Day. To learn

Oklahoma Zebra with Foot Infection Loses the Battle

This video is a window on the earlier treatment of Zephra, a Grevy's zebra with a serious hoof infection at the Oklahoma City Zoo; video courtesy of The Oklahoman. The video may take a little while to load. (sorry about the ad)


For quite a while now, I've been following the travails of a Grevy's zebra at the Oklahoma City Zoo. Zephra

Spielberg's War Horse Movie Television Commercial: Here Comes a Great Film!

It doesn't open in theaters until Christmas, but the television commercial is ready to roll. We all know Santa Claus is coming to town, but so is War Horse; Mr. Spielberg's epic story of what war looks like through the eyes of a horse opens on Christmas Day. Two tickets and a promise to buy the popcorn will make a great gift for anyone you know.

Back to the commercial: Hoof Blog readers will

Thanksgiving: Shoes for Turkeys? The Trot to Market Was Hard on Their Feet

Shoeing the Goose misericord carving photographed by Giles C. Watson

This blog post is an update on one of the most popular posts ever published on this blog. First published for Thanksgiving 2008, people from all over the world have remarked on this unusual bit of history, which is little known but can always fill in the gaps of a slow conversation with the relatives on a holiday afternoon.

Be

AAEP Laminitis Research Project Launched: Phase One to Investigate Pasture or Endocrinopathy-Associated Laminitis with Help of Boehringer Ingelheim Prascend® Donation

(This information is an edited press release that was originally provided by the AAEP Foundation)





On Saturday, the American Association of Equine Practitioners Foundation announced the launch of an aggressive $1 million campaign for laminitis research and the start of the first of multiple studies that will occur to help unravel the mysteries of this disease.

Also announced at the AAEP’s

Equine Lameness Investigator Peter Clegg Receives British Scientific Achievement Award

Peter Clegg, Professor of Musculoskeletal Biology at Great Britain's University of Liverpool School of Veterinary Science, has been awarded the inaugural LitoVet Scientific Award from the Animal Health Trust (AHT).

The award recognizes the person or group whose clinical or scientific work has made a substantial difference to the equine veterinary world. Professor Clegg was announced as this

Prascend® PPID (Equine Cushings Disease) Treatment Approved by FDA for US Horses

Maybe I'm biased, but I thought that the CSI (Cushings Scene Investigation) ad run by Boehringer-Ingelheim Vetmedica in British horse magazines was the most clever horse ad so far this year. It heralded the introduction of Prascend to treat Cushings-suffering horses; Prascend will soon be available in the USA.









The following press release is not an ad, it is published here as a "

Amputation and Prosthetics: Molly the Pony Leads a Parade of Animal Amputees Showing Off Their Artificial Limbs

Here's an old friend: Molly the Pony sent this blog into global "gone viral" paralysis in 2008 when we announced that a children's book had been written about the three-legged Hurricane Katrina survivor. Now she's a global celebrity, and in this little video, she leads a parade of proud prosthesis-wearing animal pals--and rightly so!

This video enhances a spectacular

Happy Halloween with Osirix: A Pumpkin MRI

It's that time of year...and what better way to celebrate Halloween than with a MRI of a pumpkin, rendered via Osirix imaging software? Can you see the seeds inside?



 TO LEARN MORE
© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This

Silent Anvil: Kevin Howes' Video Would Have Brightened a Rainy Day

I believe it was 2009 when British farrier Kevin Howes of Ridgeway Forge Farriers starred in this video about what it's like to be a farrier for Kent Television and the general promotion of British farriery.

I've always meant to post it on the blog, but now regret that I saved this one for a rainy day.

Kevin was killed in a car accident a few days ago in the county of Kent, England where he

A Slice of Life: Behind-the-Scenes of Equine Anatomy with Dr. Christoph von Horst

Suppose you could suspend the animation of a bird or a fish or a horse...by preserving its anatomy in whatever angle or gesture or exposure you wished. That's the power that Germany's Christoph von Horst wields in his plastination laboratory.

Everything that was once alive not only lives again, but lives forever. It may no longer be living and breathing, but it's catching light and

Ohio State Belknap Grant: Laser Capture Microdissection in Equine Laminitis

via press release

The Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) Pilot and Collaborative Translational and Clinical Science Program at The Ohio State University has awarded James Belknap, DVM, PhD, a pilot grant to be used for his research of equine laminitis.

Laminitis is a crippling disease that affects horses. Similar to organ injury in humans with sepsis, it entails an

Dressage, Fuego-Style: It's What's Underneath That Counts as Euro Rocker Shoes Score for Spain

Update: The horseshoe explained in this article is the subject of an update post published 18 February 2012 with a dressage horse in California. Be sure to click on this link after you read this original story: ON THE (Dressage) CASE: Euro Rock ‘n Roll Horseshoe Evolves with Vet-Farrier Collaboration, California Style



Fuego XII, now known as Fuego de Cardenas, is one of the top ten FEI

Laminitis in a Moose? Vermont's "Pete the Moose" Isn't the First--Just the Most Famous--Moose to Founder

The state of Vermont is astir today with the news that one of its most beloved--and controversial--residents has succumbed to what is being called "laminitis". The latest victim of the merciless foot disease is not one of the Green Mountain State's signature Morgans. It's not an iconic draft horse on one of the dairy farms. It's not even a backyard pony.

This time laminitis--or something like

Vet-Farrier-Therapist Team Behind the Team at the Pan Am Games Dressage Event

The 2011 Pan Am Games opened tonight in Guadalajara, Mexico with a gala opening ceremony. First though, the dressage horses had to pass the veterinary inspection at 9 a.m. this morning: so far, so good as far as we know.

It sounds like Team USA has so far kept out of the way of the Mexican hurricane Jova, but the weather was bad enough that ESPN reported the opening ceremonies might be

Bodo Hertsch: German Veterinarian, Researcher and Educator's Accidental Death Leaves an Empty Podium and an Empty Saddle

Professor Doctor Bodo-Wolfhard Hertsch, 68, a noted international researcher and educator on laminitis and navicular disease in horses, has died at Eichenhof Tremsdorf, the equestrian center he ran with his wife outside Berlin in Germany.

The cause of death being reported by German web sites is that he died of injuries after he fell from a horse.

"His death for us as humans, horses, expert

Laminitis Conference Open Poster Session Designed to Convert Attendees Into Collaborators

Ideas move the future forward: Share yours at the Laminitis Conference in West Palm Beach


The Sixth International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot gets underway in just under three weeks. The conference returns to West Palm Beach, Florida with a triple-focus program in scientific, clinical and horse management advancements in the study, causes and treatment of

Secretariat's Death by Laminitis, Revisited: The Night the News Anchors Learned About Laminitis

Secretariat's death announcement on local Virginia television news


Do you remember where you were on October 4, 1989? Maybe you hadn't even been born. Or maybe you still remember that feeling of loss, of stunned disbelief, that the horse to end all horses was no longer in a paddock somewhere in Kentucky.

We know so much more about laminitis now than we did then, but could

Rhode Island Governor Admits He Was an Illegal Immigrant Horseshoer at Canadian Racetracks

The Honorable Governor of the State of Rhode Island was once apprehended for being in Canada illegally to shoe horses. He says that gives him a unique perspective on the issue of illegal immigration and how apprehended aliens should be treated.


You have to admit that he's honest. Or was it perhaps a touch of nostalgia for his past life?

Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee admitted today in

Laminitis In Action: Coffin Bone Rotation Time Lapse Video (International Laminitis Conference Preview)

Laminitis, caught in the act: The foot of a horse suffering from Potomac Horse Fever is recorded as it goes through two processes subsequent to the damage in the foot caused by the disease: the coffin bone appears to be rotating away from the hoof wall at the toe and down at its tip; it is also "sinking" within the foot. These two processes are called rotation and sinking, or sinker

Friends at Work: Will Hellyer Shoes a Real Shire for Virtual Farmers

Shoeing a Shire horse isn't easy. Neither is describing the process in a little more than a minute but The Farm's "Head Girl" Emma Warner did it.

Yesterday The Hoof Blog commiserated with a researcher who had to explain insulin resistance and its role in equine laminitis in less than three minutes.  Who knew an academic could avoid all the big words and cut to the chase?

Today I was

Insulin Resistance and Equine Laminitis Research: Australia's Melody De Laat's Academic Elevator Video

Imagine the challenge laid down by the University of Queensland to its graduate researchers: give a three-minute presentation encapsulating your doctoral work. Tell an audience of everyday people from all walks of life why it matters, what it's all about. But keep it short. Can an Australian laminitis researcher describe equine metabolic syndrome in that short amount of time--using only one

Heart-Bars in Heaven: George Platt DVM Has Died

Heart-bars in heaven: George Platt DVM and farrier Burney Chapman waged war against laminitis from one end of the United States to the other. Credit for their remarkable success rate was always modestly given to the only physical symbol of their treatment, the heart-bar shoe. The shoe inadvertently became a talisman of good or evil, depending on where you stood, and evidence to insurers that

Hoofcare Product Development: For Want of A (Glue-On) Shoe, A Horse Is Scratched

The process of modifying prototypes is complicated when even a small change requires creating a new mold, but that is the reality of designing with plastic. But horseshoe entrepreneurs may spend as much time with lawyers, patent drawings and getting approval from show organizations and track officials as they do around horses. (© Garrett Ford photo) 




The Hoof Blog's ongoing series of

Farrier Travis Burns Promoted at Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine

Travis Burns

Farrier Travis Burns recently received a promotion to faculty level at Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. Travis is now "lecturer and college farrier" at the Blacksburg, Virginia campus.

From the Hoof Prints newsletter of the veterinary college's Equine Field Service: "Travis Burns, hospital farrier, was recently promoted to faculty status in recognition

Standing In A Giant's Hoofprints: Bob McCarthy's Anvil Dedication Saturday

There's a saying that gets tossed around a lot in leadership-by-design books. It's often spouted from the stage by commencement speakers. The words, attributed to Sir Issac Newton, appear on the edge of every British two-pound coin. Newton is said to have said, "If I have seen a little further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants."

I'm sure you understand precisely what this saying

Rood + Riddle Official Vets (and Farriers) for Alltech National Horse Show

The Alltech National Horse Show’s press release was just full of news.

First of all, the parapetetic National Horse Show has moved again. After 100 or so years in the middle of Manhattan and the most glamorous setting imaginable, the show picked up stakes from Madison Square Garden and moved first across the Hudson River to the Meadowlands in New Jersey and then to Florida for a run, then

Urban Search and Rescue Dogs: Barefoot or Booted, They Did Their Job and Lived to See Their Story Told

Watch me first.

Some of the most unforgettable photos from the rescue effort at the World Trade Center in New York showed the hardworking urban search and rescue dogs at work...or in this case, temporarily at rest. Photo courtesy of US Navy, taken by Journalist 1st Class Preston Keres.


Dogs at Ground Zero: No, we'll never forget. Especially with images like this one to remind us of the

Cornell Vet School Honors Steve Kraus With Permanent Appointment as Resident Farrier and Lecturer

Steve Kraus has officially been named to the permanent position of head farrier and lecturer in the faculty of Large Animal Surgery in the Department of Clinical Sciences at the College of Veterinary Medicine, at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

According to Cornell, as head farrier Kraus is responsible for teaching and recruiting farrier students. His position also supports patient

Clinic at Oakencroft 6th Annual Farrier/Podiatry Symposium with Rood and Riddle's Scott Morrison DVM Announced for October 14-15, 2011 in New York

Who: Farriers and veterinarians

What: 6th Annual Farrier/Podiatry Symposium

When: October 14-15, 2011 (Friday and Saturday)

Where: South Bethlehem/Selkirk, New York (near Albany)

Presented by The Clinic at Oakencroft / Greene County Horseshoe Supply



A Hoofcare + Lameness Annually Recommended Event








 The Conference:

World Horse Welfare Launches Inaugural Farriery Education Program in Saudi Arabia

The King Abdul Aziz Arabian Horse Centre, where the first World Horse Welfare farrier training program in Saudi Arabia will take place (photo courtesy of the charity)

The British-based charity World Horse Welfare has been called upon to share its expertise in farriery and hoof care for the first time in Saudi Arabia.

Two British farrier representatives, Tom Burch and Mark Watson, have been

New Bolton Center: "The Rest of the Story" with Radio Legend Paul Harvey

The University of Pennsylvania built a world-class equine hospital and research center outside Philadelphia in the 1950s. So what else is new? New Bolton Center is a household word to Hoofcare and Lameness readers, but it was Big News when the clinic opened back then. It was such big news that legendary radio commentator Paul Harvey had to tell America "the

The Real Mustang Trim: AAEP Task Force Recommends Hoof Trimming for Captive Wild Horses in BLM Facilities

Wild horse warning sign on a highway in Arizona. Photo by Gary Minniss.

Self-help expert Dr. Wayne Dyer has a saying that seems so critical to me that it has made the place of honor in my life: it's stuck with a magnet on my refrigerator.

It's been there a while, and it's faded and curled but I know it by heart: "When you change the way you look at things, the things you're looking at

Biomimetics in Vertical Action: Goat Hooves Confer Ninja-Like Climbing Abilities

While I am recovering from my surgery, some special contributors have stepped forward to offer some interesting content for Hoof Blog readers.  This is a post from one of my favorite blogs, called Core77. It's an industrial design journal, but the content is often fascinating and never boring. Imagine my surprise when I came upon an article about the engineering behind goat hooves one day...I

Travers: Shackleford Sticks with Glue-on Shoes for Summer's Biggest Thoroughbred Race; Horseshoe Technology Exciting Area of Track Safety, Health Innovation

The feet of a survivor: Shackleford ran in all three Triple Crown races in 2011, and provided some exciting memories. He won the Preakness in May wearing polyurethane glue-on Polyflex shoes, thus becoming the first Triple Crown winner to cross the finish line first in non-metal glue-shoes. The shoes appear rather amber-colored in this photo taken by Sarah K. Andrew (Rock n Racehorses) last week

British Racehorse's Story Touches a Nerve: Illicit Neurectomy Revealed Only After Breakdown and Euthanasia

Nerves in the distal limb of the horse, shown in yellow in this image, are very specialized. It is possible to selectively de-sensitize only the heel area of the foot, a common location of foot pain, with a neurectomy, a relatively simple surgical procedure that is commonly used for many racehorses in the United States but banned in Great Britain on welfare grounds. Image from The Glass Horse:

Since It's Sunday...

What does a farrier do? Shoe a horse? Farriers of days gone by did a lot more than that. Even if they specialized in horses, they did plenty of other work, like fitting iron rims on tires, or working on farm equipment, sharpening the tines of a harrow, or making all sorts of metal implements and tools for use in the workplace and the home.

One of the things that has always fascinated me is that

Tell Us About This Shoe...

Not much information was passed along with this photo. Is this a Quix shoe? That was my first guess, what's yours? It looks like it's a big shoe on a big foot, but maybe it's a tiny foot and it's actually an Imprint and just looks yellow? Thanks for your help! (Photo courtesy of Nottingham Vet School, Great Britain)




© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a

Dogs in Motion: An X-Ray Video With a Cold Nose

Here's some eye candy for a summer's day: video x-rays of a dog...share this with your friends who love Dachshunds! Thanks to New Scientist for this video.



Be sure to bookmark the Hoof Blog. You can also sign up to receive an email when a new post is published, or read the blog via the RSS feed. If you have a web site or blog, you can embed The Hoof Blog news headline widget too. Have

Hoofcare World Landmark: Edgar's E. P. Stern & Co. in Yalding, England

On the map of an old village called Yalding in Kent, England, it just says "The Forge".

Farriers all over the world recognize this building. It is a landmark in its village and it is a landmark in the world of farriers. For more than 60 years, farriers have passed through this place, whether for a day or two or a year or two or more, in the case of the dozens of apprentices who were

The Laminitis Conference: 2011 Program and Speakers Announced

Dr. Chris Pollitt used thermography to capture the ebb and flow of temperature change in a foot during the onset of acute laminitis over 48 hours (note numbers in the frames) during a research trial at the Australian Equine Laminitis Research Unit. Dr. Pollitt returns to West Palm Beach to speak at his sixth consecutive conference;

Research: Clayton and Bowker's “Effects of Barefoot Trimming on Hoof Morphology” Focuses on Incremental Heel Recovery

"Lights, cameras, heel angles..." Dr. Hilary Clayton uses the most
advanced data collection and analysis systems in the world to track how
horses move, grow, stand or even sway. Her electronics matched with Dr
Robert Bowker's anatomy studies have placed Michigan State University at
the epicenter of global hoof research. Since both Clayton and Bowker
espouse the advantages of barefoot

Get well, Jessie Ward!

It's hard to keep a good farrier down, as the staff at a Tennessee hospital are learning.


We interrupt this blog to send out a heartfelt and hearty "Get Well!" wish to our friend Jessie Ward of Martinsville, Virginia. Jessie needs no introduction in the farrier world, but others might like to know that she's a creative dynamo--a veteran farrier, a blacksmithing instructor and an extremely

The Unshod Racehorse: Racing Commissioners Table Model Rule on Barefoot Racehorses

When the Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI) met at the Holiday Inn in Saratoga Springs, New York on Tuesday, the state regulators had Lasix on their minds. But after lunch, the meeting turned to the model rules that had been proposed for 2011. 

Model Rule 5 proposed allowing horses to race without shoes. It has a proviso attached to it, however: a horse that runs in a race

Favorite Photo: Proof That Elephants Are Smarter Than Horses When It's Time for Hoofcare

Why won't a horse do this for its farrier? An elephant offers its foot to a handler for cleaning at Taronga Wesern Plains Zoo in Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia. Giraffes are also being taught to cooperate willingly for preventative footcare inspections and trimming at zoos around the world. The Hoof Blog has a series of zoo photos of hooved mammals being trimmed or treated that we'll be

Calgary Stampede: Steven Beane Three-peats as World Champion

Steven Beane of North Allerton in Yorkshire, England captured his third consecutive global title at the Calgary Stampede’s 32nd Annual World Championship Blacksmiths’ Competition on Sunday. Beane is the first competitor to win back-to-back-to-back world crowns at Calgary since Welshman Grant Moon snared his fifth straight WCBC title back in 1992.

And Beane’s competition in Sunday’s

Calgary Stampede: Farriers at the World Champion Blacksmiths Competition

They call it the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. There's no event quite like Canada's Calgary Stampede, held each July in Calgary, Alberta. It's the world's biggest rodeo melded into the world's biggest country fair and a world cultural fair, to boot. You can learn a lot, or just have fun. It has to be one of the world's largest volunteer-run events of any kind. The World Championship

Calgary Stampede World Championship Blacksmiths: View the Live Video Feed on the Hoof Blog

(videostream disabled because event is over)
There is some sort of a scoring problem and, as of Saturday night, the top ten for the live shoeing had not been announced. The competitors don't even know how they're doing!
England's Steven Beane, World Champion of 2009 and 2010 was off to a good start, winning two of the first three classes and finishing second in the other, before the scoring

Shoes of the Stars: CHIO Aachen Creates a Walk Paved with History and Hoofwear

CHIO Aachen Show Director Frank Kemperman stands in the show's new starwalk
CHIO Aachen now has its own “Walk of Fame”. And just as the stars put their hand prints in the concrete on Hollywood Boulevard, it would have to be the horses who leave an imprint at CHIO Aachen, site of the World Equestrian Festival and what is widely regarded as the largest--and grandest--horse event in the world.

Olympic Test Event: London 2012 Will Bring a Country Sport to the City

Some images in this story are hosted from a remote site; please allow time for images to load.



London's preparing! The host city for the 2012 Olympics is running an equestrian "test event" over the inner-city park that will be home to all the equestrian events next summer during the Games. Photo by Ollie O'Brien.
The Olympics began this week in London. Not really, it was just the test event to

On the Case with Austin Edens: Engineering Prevention of Support Limb Laminitis with a Removable Clog Screwed to a Shoe

The plywood "clog" shoe used to treat laminitis can be a tool in itself or it can be a component of a limb extension and support package, as illustrated in this article about a removable clog used as part of a plan to prevent support limb laminitis. The system was designed by Texas farrier Austin Edens.

The Steward Clog was developed by Dr. Mike Steward in Shawnee, Oklahoma as an economical way

Laminitis Research: Australian Breakthrough on Insulin Function in Equine Foot

(Text published as provided)

Researchers funded by the US-based Animal Health Foundation announced June 15, 2011, that they have made a major breakthrough in understanding how the insulin form of laminitis occurs.

Drs. Melody de Laat and Chris Pollitt of the Australian Equine Laminitis Research Unit at the University of Queensland have discovered that receptors designed to receive

What Century Is It? Scotland's Royal Highland Show Clydesdale Shoeing Competition Keeps Tradition in Sharp Focus

Royal Highland Show 2011 Clydesdale Shoeing by David McCrone
Sometimes a great photo just jumps up out of the Internet and begs to be featured on the Hoof Blog. Of all the millions of photos in the world, why do these very special ones find their ways here? I don't know, but I'm glad they do.

You're looking at a Clydesdale, the great national horse of Scotland. Each year the famed Royal

Nicholas Frank, Noted Laminitis Researcher, Will Chair Tufts University's Cummings Vet School Department of Clinical Sciences

(Edited from press release)

Nicholas Frank, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, an equine clinician and researcher with expertise in laminitis, metabolic syndrome and endocrinology, has been named the chair of the Department of Clinical Sciences at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine.

As chair of the veterinary school’s largest department, Frank will lead a group of nearly 50

War Horse: The Movie! Trailer of Spielberg's Film Premieres; Meet His Equine Artistic Adviser

War Horse. Steven Spielberg. Dreamworks. Disney. Get ready to put it all together! Watch for the Disney/Dreamworks Hollywood film version of the hit London and Broadway stage play. You'll be able to see it in about six months; the tentative release date is December 28 in the United States.
The War Horse story took on another dimension today, with the release of the first trailer promoting the

Video: Fix My Crooked Foal! Reality Time for Horse Breeders, Skill Time for Surgeons and Farriers

It's that time of year. The 2011 foal crop is here and breeders are looking at them under magnifying glasses. What have they bred? Will this foal make it as an athlete in the long run?

In the short run, will he or she sell at a yearling sale?

Making a foal look and move like a future athlete is a controversial part of horse production. Many foals are born with problems, so corrections are

Foot Photos: Totilas Used His Shoes at German Dressage Championships at Balve Today, Set New German High-Score Record

German rider Matthias Alexander Rath riding Totilas competes in the Grand Prix Dressage Competition at the German Championships in the western city of Balve June 17, 2011 REUTERS/Ina Fassbender (GERMANY - Tags: SPORT EQUESTRIANISM)

New rider, new trainer, new stable, new vet, new farrier...Dressage World Champion Totilas seems to be putting it all together and, with luck, hit a new kind of

Grazing Muzzles Reduce Pasture Consumption by 80 Percent in Grazing Ponies, According to New Study

"It's not funny!" this horse seems to be saying and there's no question that most horses are less than amused at the prospect of wearing muzzles. Would it be different if all the horses in the pasture had to wear them? This expressive photo is by the talented animal photographer Judith Whelan.

New research, presented at the Equine Science Society (ESS) Symposium in Nashville, Tennessee last

Silent Anvil: Buster Conklin, Retired Cornell Vet School Farrier, Has Died

Say good-bye to Marshall "Buster" Conklin of Horseheads, New York, one of the great faces and spirits of late-20th century horseshoeing in America.

Buster was the longtime farrier instructor and resident farrier at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine but he will be remembered much more for his character and his passion for his profession than for any job he held. After all, no

It's International Helmet Awareness Day! Helmets Are Handy Out of the Saddle, Too--Just Ask This Farrier!

Farrier trimming feet a photo by World Horse Welfare on Flickr.
Today is International Helmet Awareness Day, part of a worldwide campaign to urge more riders to protect their heads while on horseback. But it occurred to me that there are times when helmets come in handy on the ground too. World Horse Welfare recently published this series of photos, which I thought would be appropriate for today.

USA TODAY Laminitis Video: Penn Vet's New Bolton Center and the Legacy of Barbaro

USA Today had a terrific article yesterday about the laminitis work being done at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine's New Bolton Center. At the rural campus outside Philadelphia, 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was a patient for about seven months while he struggled to both recover from a fractured leg suffered in the 2006 Preakness Stakes and, even more

For Want of a Nail...Queen's Colt Loses Epsom Derby (and a Shoe)

If you look closely at this photo by David Davies/PA mirrored from The Guardian newspaper in England, you can see Carlton House's shoe landing on the grass of the Epsom Racecourse as he was charging home in the 2011 Epsom Derby last weekend. Carlton House (red sleeves) was favored to win, and his victory would have brought great joy to his owner, Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth, who is now 85

Farrier Jim Quick's Colorado Shop and Equipment Destroyed by Fire, Explosion

Fire and an explosion destroyed farrier Jim Quick's workshop in Niwot, Colorado on Sunday, June 5, 2011. This is all that remained.  (Jim Quick photo)

 Jim Quick is a lucky man. He has a good sense of timing, too.

He took a break from working on some tools Sunday morning. The well-known farrier clinician and competitor left his farrier shop in Niwot, Colorado to step onto his patio and

Racehorse Fetlock Screening Via Standing MRI Could Identify Horses at Risk for Condylar Fractures of the Fetlock

If there is one thing that we all learned by watching the Kentucky Derby this year, it was the term "condylar fracture". Watching first Battle of Hastings and then Archarcharch load into the horse ambulance was the low point of the day.

Are you one of the people who just shrugs and says, "That's racing!" or are you one of the people who asks, "Why? Why? Why?"

Maybe this article will raise

Polydactyl People and Ponies: A Gallery of Extra Digits (and Hooves)

This polydactyl was found in British Columbia by one of the farrier students at Kwantlen College. Gerard Laverty, the instructor at Kwantlen, sent these images to me, which started my collection. Image © Hoofcare Publishing and Gerard Laverty.



If you visit farms and horse barns in New England, you'll sooner or later find one with a clan of double-pawed cats. Their owners are usually quite

Shackleford's Preakness is First Triple Crown Win for Synthetic Horseshoes; Dewey-Walters Shoeing Team Claims Two-Thirds of Crown, Going for Triple

Jockey Jesus Lopez Castanon had so many reasons to smile as Shackleford lunged across the finish line of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday. Were you watching? Were you one of the millions of people who didn't notice anything unusual about this horse? UPI/Kevin Dietsch/Fotoglif image


"Oh well, another year without a Triple Crown winner," everyone said, as they turned off their televisions

The Royal Thoroughbred Tour: Irish Farriers Greet Britain's Queen Elizabeth at National Stud

When Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth set her royal foot on Irish soil last week, it was the first of her family's to do so since the Republic of Ireland gained complete independence from British rule.

But she didn't waste much time getting to the bits of Ireland that she'd probably been dying to see, like the Irish National Stud, the Aga Khan's Gilltown Stud, and the legendary Coolmore Stud.

An Unusually Silent Anvil: Ron Dyer ("The Horseshoer")

 I learned tonight, completely by accident while researching something on the web, that Ron Dyer the Horseshoer (as he called himself) died on April 23, just shy of his 84th birthday. I don't have much information, perhaps other people have already announced his passing, but I had no idea.

When I knocked on the door of the farrier profession, I immediately noticed that people tended to cluster

Videos: EHV Outbreak in West Means America's Pleasure and Show Horses Stay Home and Horse Professionals Get Re-Scheduled

Surely you're heard by now that a strange outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus Type 1 has sent horses in the western United States and Canada into near-lockdown situations. Horse shows, trail rides and rodeos are cancelled, even though the only horses truly at risk are a group of cutting and western performance horses who were on the grounds of a show in Utah in the first week in May. But how many

Kentucky Derby: Horseshoes (and a Horseshoer's Daughter) Ready to Run for the Roses

Here's the Kentucky Derby news you won't ready anywhere else. And the photos no one else would think to take. But by the time you've read this, you'll have to admit that it makes a good case for ESPN adding a hoof analyst for the Triple Crown. It's not just the shoes and hooves, either, as you'll read. It's the people.

Hoofcare and Lameness will be watching the Kentucky Derby from the comfort of

Why Is That Guy Following Prince William and Kate Middleton Carrying a Big Shiny Ax? Because He's the Farrier, That's Why!

A farrier with the British Army Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment will escort Prince William and his bride, Kate Middleton, tomorrow in the procession through London as part of the Royal Wedding. This photo was taken during the Queen's Birthday Procession a few years ago. Image by Very Amateurish on Flickr.



Here's a farrier escorting the Queen to the Opening of Parliament. I have always

Isabell Werth's Satchmo Follows in Totilas' Heart-Bar Hoofprints at FEI World Cup Finals

Satchmo's left front shoe worn at the 2008 Olympics when he and Isabell Werth helped win the team gold medal in dressage for Germany. (provided by Satchmo's farrier, Franz Helmke)
As the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Finals begin in Leipzig, Germany today, the smooth surface of the arena has a special imprint. It's a heart.

Perhaps many horses at the Finals today are shod with heart bar

Totilas and Matthias Rath Cancel Competition Debut; Hoof Abscess Resolved

Team Totilas: Owner Paul Schockemohle, Totilas, and rider Matthias Rath as they appeared on German television in early February when Rath rode Totilas in a demonstration at a stallion exhibition


Almost two weeks ago, the Hoof Blog reported that world champion dressage gold medalist Totilas is now wearing heart-bar shoes. At that time, he was unable to perform for a press conference because of

Badminton Best Shod Horse Prize: Jim Hayter's Work Wins Second Consecutive Award for Event Horse Farriery

Farrier Jim Hayter DipWCF(Hons), as seen on rider Emily Llewellyn's web site

While the big news from the 2011 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials in England may be that veteran Olympic gold medalist Mark Todd of New Zealand has put a 31-year spread on his victories there, Hoof Blog readers want to know who won the prestigious Best Shod Horse Award.

And this is a story within a story.

Horses and (Golf) Courses: What Was Nike Thinking? New 20XI Commercial Recreates a Hoofnote in American Golf History

I just had to share this video. Can someone explain it to me? I love Nike, love their commercials, love their stores, love their branding. Yet I don't get this commercial.

But then, I'm not in the market to buy Nike's 20XI golf balls, either.

Years ago I lived a few furlongs from a place called The International--just "The International". It was a golf course in Bolton, Massachusetts and a

Laminitis-Survivor Overdose Wins in Germany, Sets New Course Record

Overdose, the Hungrian wonder horse who survived a long layoff for what was described as laminitis, broke a track record in Germany yesterday. (Photo via Flickr.com's Gabor Dvornik)

Some quick good news for a Sunday afternoon: Hungarian wonder-horse Overdose is back to his winning ways. Once undefeated, the horse went into an extended layup when he was suffering from some form of laminitis,

Totilas: Heart Bar Shoes for the Dressage Champion

I've written so many stories about the triple-World Champion dressage stallion Totilas. I've taken so many photographs of him. But you know, I've never really seen his feet. The horse always has bell boots on. They take them off at the edge of the arena, and they put them right back on.
In case you haven't heard of him, Totilas and his rider, Edward Gal, swept the Alltech FEI World Equestrian

Dr. David Hood Launches the Hoof Diagnostic and Rehabilitation Clinic in Texas

David M. Hood DVM, PhD will launch a new chapter of his research and hoof disease treatment work in a purpose-built facility to be known as the Hoof Diagnostic and Rehabilitation Center in Bryan, Texas.

David M. Hood DVM, PhD recently retired from his long-time position as associate professor at the Texas A+M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Dr. Hood is

All Clear! Quarantine Lifted at Cornell Vet School's Equine Hospital

Two weeks ago, this blog reported the closure of the Equine Hospital at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York after a foal died and later tested positive for Equine Herpes Virus. A gelding at the hospital also became ill.

Cornell voluntarily closed its hospital doors on March 30 and worked with animal health authorities from the State of New York to

Farrier History: Negro Ellick Shod Horses for the Confederacy in the Civil War

Today is the 150th anniversary of the beginning of one of the darkest and most painful chapters in United States history: the Civil War. Where I live, every little village has a monument to its men who died in places like Gettysburg and Antietam. The names go on and on. It makes you wonder if anyone came back at all.

I can imagine that in the southern states, the lists could be longer and it

Merial Announces Deadline for 2011 Applied Equine Research Award Nominations

Merial has announced that nominations may be submitted for the 2011 Merial Applied Equine Research Award. The award recognizes outstanding research conducted in a specific field of applied equine science over the past five years. The 2011 award will honor advances in pain management of horses.

The winner will be recognized during the 12th WEVA Congress in Hyderabad, India, to be held November

Cornell Vet School Equine Herpes Virus Quarantine: Hospital and Barns Closed; Shoeing School, Farrier Shop Open

The following information is provided as a public service for horse owners and horsecare professionals.



The world-famous horseshoeing school and farrier shop at Cornell vet school is remaining open during the quarantine, according to resident farrier Steve Kraus. The shoes in the display case are part of the university's extensive collection of shoes made by Professor Henry Asmus, founder of

Equine Biomechanics on Broadway: Technical Videos Preview What the Audience Won't See When War Horse Opens in April

If you're new to War Horse, this video from London explains a bit about the play and shows some scenes of the horse puppet in action.

Everyone will soon be talking about the USA Broadway premiere of London's long-running hit stage play, War Horse. I've been writing about it on this blog and everywhere else that would allow me since it launched in 2007. Now we have a chance in the USA to

Laminitis Research: Equine Insulin Resistance Does Not Respond to Metformin Medication; Diet and Exercise Remain Key to Laminitis Prevention

Researchers in Australia tested the effects of a human medication, metformin, on ponies with insulin resistance, a condition that puts horses at risk for developing the endocrine or metabolic form of laminitis. The medication had no effect. (J.A. Holland image)
New research on the pharmacological management of the condition of insulin-resistance in horses and ponies has suggested that diet and

Midnite: Mini's Back on All Four Hooves Thanks to Prosthetic Boot

Midnite is a miniature horse at a rescue farm in North Texas; he has lived his whole life with a deformed hind foot that is missing its coffin bone, according to the Rescue.
Have you heard about Midnite? His story is all over the Internet and television news shows today. This young miniature horse was a law-enforcement rescue case who hopped into Ranch Hand Rescue in South Argyle, Texas on three

Cheltenham's the Place to Be Today

Last year at Cheltenham, the celebrity riders, trainers and familiar faces got together and recorded a song about the race meet that they all love so much for a charity fundraiser.

UPDATE: Watch the video of today's unbelievable Cheltenham Gold Cup on YouTube!
In Gloucestershire, England they run a four-day National Hunt race meeting that is like no other in the world. It's like Saratoga on

St Patricks Day: It's Never Easy Being Green

Is there anything people won't paint green on St. Patrick's Day? Between blinders and check reins, maybe these horses probably can't see what's happened to their feet. Photo by chautauquatourist








© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need

Farrier Image in Charity Print Auction for Japan

A photo by brailowsky on Flickr.
"The Farrier": You've seen him before; this print graced The Hoof Blog back in 2008. Now our friend Vitek from Australia is auctioning this print to help the people of Japan through a wonderful fundraising auction started by a group of international photographers on the photography web site Flickr.com.

He would like to start the bidding at $100 Australian

Grayson Laminitis Research Funding Breaks New Ground: Richardson, Pollitt and Van Eps Join Forces for International Support-Limb Laminitis Prevention Study

Today the Grayson Jockey Club Research Foundation announced its selection for the 2011 round of equine research projects that will be funded.

Laminitis research figured prominently in the mix of subjects to be studied. In particular, two studies will receive support from the Lexington, Kentucky-based charitable organization.

The first covers the dreadful form of laminitis that led to the death

Equine Hoof Lameness, Laminitis Survey Results from British Study; Statistics Announced at National Equine Forum

Great Britain's Princess Royal addressed the National Equine Forum, where new statistics on horse health were presented.
The 19th National Equine Forum (NEF), held in Great Britain on March 8, 2011, was the launch pad for the results of the United Kingdom’s first public National Equine Health Survey. The event was attended by over 200 of the country’s most influential members of the

Arkansas Veterinary Practice Act Definitions Sought for Guiding Exclusion of Farriers, Tooth Floaters, Other Professions

This video requires Silverlight, a Microsoft video interface. 
Before you click "play" on the video, please take a minute to read this text so you will know what you are watching.

It's time for the politics of horsecare again. Or is it the politics of veterinary care?

We're back in Little Rock, Arkansas, and here are the gentlemen of the House Agriculture, Forestry & Natural Resources

Laminitis Prevention Research: Ponies Adapt to Grazing Time Reduction by Eating More in Less Time

Recent laminitis prevention research soon to be presented at a biannual nutrition meeting in the United States suggests that ponies given reduced access to pasture are capable of ingesting considerable amounts of herbage during the time they are turned out and may indeed increase their intake during this time as they become accustomed to the routine.

Intake of large amounts of fructan and other

Theo Jansen's Anatomical Inspirations: Abstract Musing Can Help You Understand and Appreciate Hoof Design

Spring is in the air and a hoof blog editor's fancy turns to...kinetic sculpture. 

But you'll soon understand why.

To anyone who says we can't improve on the way that horses are trimmed or shod, or the way that lame and sick horses' legs are treated or cared for, I'd have to say we're just not trying hard enough. And the answer is not likely to come from tinkering with the designs and

Racetrack Horseshoer's Survey Launched by Grayson Jockey Club's Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit

The Shoeing and Hoof Care Committee of the Grayson Jockey Club Foundation's Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit has compiled an online survey to collect data from horseshoers at US racetracks. Information from the survey will be used to assist the committee's efforts to study how horseshoers are licensed by states or racing jurisdictions, and what changes horseshoers feel may be warranted

Umbilical Stem Cells Show Promise in Pilot Study at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital Podiatry Center

What's underneath that hoof cast? The latest laminitis therapy is virtually invisible to the observer, and may often covered with a foot cast.

The following article is provided by the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital Podiatry Clinic in Lexington, Kentucky.


Background

Laminitis can be a devastating and expensive disease to treat. Today there is no true cure for the disease. However cases

Winter Worry: Icelandic Horses Fell Through the Ice

Today's video is from the "greatest hits" vault here at Hoofcare & Lameness. Two years ago, a near-tragic event in Iceland was captured on film: eleven champion Icelandic horses and riders plunged into a lake when the ice cracked and broke beneath them. The water was just deep enough that the horses could not get themselves out.

What happened next makes this video all the more worth watching.

No Farrier, No MRI: Diagnostic Imaging Sessions Begin With Careful Un-Shoeing

If you’re a farrier or horse owner who is new to equine MRI, you might be surprised to learn that most horses couldn’t have an MRI without the help of farrier skills.

That’s because horses that are shod must have their shoes removed before the MRI process can begin. This could be done before the horse leaves home, but it is usually done at the vet clinic where the MRI will be done, since the

New Oklahoma State Board Would Make Veterinary vs Husbandry Decisions for Professional Practices

There have probably been simpler times to be in the animal care field. Now you not only have to know what you're doing, but if you can legally do it.
As states continue to grapple with definitions of what the practice of veterinary medicine actually entails compared to the routine practice of animal husbandry, national attention turns again to the state of Oklahoma, which was recently wrenched

Necropsy Report: British Horses Died of Cardiac Arrest; Signs Consistent with Electrical Shock from Leaking Cable Under Paddock

The British Horseracing Authority has provided a summary statement following the completion of necropsy studies on the bodies of two horses that died at Newbury Racecourse in Berkshire, England on Saturday. The horses collapsed and died as the jockeys were preparing to mount; two other horses fell but were able to recover.

Professor Tim Morris, Director of Equine Science and Welfare for the

A Hoofcare and Lameness Valentine to You

The richest source of old advertising art featuring horseshoes is not from a horseshoe company at all. Many people think that Drummond Horseshoe brand was meant for a horse's hoof, but it was actually a tobacco company from St. Louis, Missouri.

Fortunately for us, the company employed some of the best advertising illustrators of their day, and they left a rich archive of ads showing horseshoes,

Silent Anvil: Bob McCarthy

 Bob McCarthy, the senior statesman of Boston-area farriers, has died.
Farrier friends: The late Allen Smith, left, with Bob McCarthy, right, circa 1988.
Wake  4:00 - 8:00 p.m.  on Thursday, February 17
Funeral Friday, February 18 at 10:00 a.m.
Roberts Mitchell Funeral Service
15 Miller Street, Medfield, Massachusetts 02052
508 359 2000

"The end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we

Electrocution's Shocking Effects on Horses

From the annals of Hoofcare and Lameness Journal and the Hoof Blog, here are some memorable accounts of horses who have lost their lives or been injured or at least caught my attention by their ability to conduct electricity:

In 2004, Horse and Hound told us about a horse that really got a warmup before the cross-country phase at the Blenheim Petplan International Horse Trials in England.

Aluminum Shoes May Have Saved Two Horses' Lives as Two Steel-Shod Horses Die in Possible Electrocution at British Racecourse

Video by ITN.
The worlds of both sport and horses were rocked today when news came from England that four horses had become agitated for no obvious reason in the paddock before the first race at Newbury Racecourse in Berkshire. The horses began rearing and falling as the jockeys were mounting. Within minutes two horses had died while two others rose back to their feet. 

The rest of the horses

Buck Brannaman Documentary: Real Life Horse Whispering at Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival

Congratulations to Cindy Meehl and Cedar Creek Productions. Their documentary "Buck" was not only selected to be shown at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival this week in Park City, Utah--it has won the Audience Award!

Buck chronicles the horse training phenomenon Buck Brannaman. Or should I say non-training. Or anti-training. Or alt-training.

Whatever you call what Buck Brannaman does,

Vet-Span: Watch an Arkansas Legislative Committee Consider a Bill to Clarify the State's Vet Practice Act

Legislative committee hearings are the first step in the life or death of a bill introduced at the state level. In the most basic process, it happens like this: a state representative or senator files a bill, it is referred to a committee, the committee approves or disproves it, and the bill either goes forward to another committee or goes to the vote of the House or Senate. If turned down

Video: Equine Biomechanics Integrated with an Icelandic Horse's Disco-Rhythm Hoofbeats by Swiss Researchers

Are you awake now?

This video is your wake-up call. It's a fast-cut peek inside the high-tech equine performance testing laboratory at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, where kinematic- and kinetic-research are undergoing an exciting fusion under the direction of biomechanics research professor Michael Weishaupt PhD DMV. Where the disco beat came from is anyone's guess!

Are the

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Equine Physiotherapist Pioneer Mary Bromiley Receives British Queen's Recognition for Service to Equine Sports

This story is © 2011 Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This is not a press release. No use without permission.

Congratulations to human and equine physiotherapist Mary Bromiley, who was recently listed by the British Monarchy as a recipient of the Queen's Honors for 2011. Mary will be awarded the prestigious title of MBE: Member of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth for her services to equine

Beth Garner: Farrier Industry Legend Goes on Ahead

I took this picture in Australia. The Hunter Valley was flooded when Beth and I were visiting, but our host, farrier Billy Neville, still needed to get into a big stud farm. Life had to go on in the Hunter Valley, so the farm had strung a suspension foot bridge over the raging river so that employees could get to work.

I knew better than to look down. I've seen all the Indiana Jones movies. I

Todd Pletcher Wins Eclipse Award for Best Trainer, Gives Kudos to His Horseshoer, Ray Amato

I didn't see it live, but thanks to the wonders of YouTube and the NTRA's channel, I can share with you a magic moment at Monday night's 2010 Eclipse Awards. As Todd Pletcher accepted the Eclipse for Trainer of the Year, he made a little speech about the team behind  him. In particular he pointed out our friend, horseshoer Ray Amato, who was sitting at the table with him, and looking great in his

IRAP Equine Lameness Therapy: Two Veterinarians, Two Videos to Show and Tell the Treatment's Story

Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Protein therapy (IRAP™) for equine lameness came on the scene a few years ago and seemed to be the province of university and referral hospitals. It was first discussed on this blog back in May of 2007, in New Lameness Treatments: IRAP™ Therapy.




Fast forward to 2011 and IRAP has become a word you'll overhear trainers using at the racetrack, and dressage

University of Queensland's Equine Hospital Keeps Its Head Up Above the Flood

The photos of the devastation on the campus of the University of Queensland are pretty discouraging. As you've probably heard by now, the Brisbane River rose far above its banks and spread through and, in some cases, over the beautiful city of Brisbane in Queensland province in the northeastern corner of Australia.

A core group of veterinarians has created a virtual Noah's Ark for the animals

Friends at Work: John Edwards Is a Young Farrier Who Sees the Big Picture

When I first found out that John Edwards was only 22 years old, I thought that was pretty young. But when I listened to what he had to say about his chosen career as a farrier, I changed my mind, and I think you will, too.

John Edwards has the necessary sense of humility to understand that working with horses is a process, not a top-down delivery. And in almost any career you choose, when you

Historic Hoofcare: The Ice Harvest

What you are seeing in this video is a pond in the Pocono Mountains region of Pennsylvania. This particular project is to cut ice for one residence. The video follows the workers from the measurement of the thickness to the cutting of the ice to the removal of the blocks, loading the wagons, a visit from the man who had hired them, and then the transport and unloading of the ice.

It's hard