Historic Horseshoes: March on Pavement Impressed Military of Value of Calks for Artillery Horses

Here's the 112th Field Artillery, a New Jersey unit, in marching formation. Notice how close to the side of the road they are. In 1935, similar artillery horses from Fort Myer in Virginia were marched 300 miles on hard-surfaced roads to test out horseshoe designs.


One clue led to another, and finally I tracked down an interesting account of how--and why--the US Army selected its horseshoes

When the Master's Away, His Apprentices Will Play (Music, That Is)

People sometimes refer to the musical sound of horse hooves. Others remark on the music that the hammer makes on the anvil.

Hit the right thing the right away, and you'll hear a tone that you can adjust by hitting it with something else, or by hitting the same thing in a different place.

Is percussion by itself still music?





Not only is it music, it's the root of all music. The

Farriers Finish 1-2-3 In the Saddle--Not in the Forge--at FEI Bayer New Zealand Showjumping World Cup

Something caught my eye today in a news release from the always-helpful Equestrian New Zealand High Performance Media Liaison Officer, Diana Dobson.





She wrote a straightforward report on showjumper Tim Myers' win at today's FEI Bayer World Cup New Zealand League round at the Taupo Christmas Classic on New Zealand's North Island.

Myers, she noted (probably for the Hoof Blog's benefit),

Silent Anvil: World Champion Farrier Richard Ellis Has Died

Word has just arrived from Wales that World Champion farrier Richard Ellis has died. Richard had suffered terribly from cancer in recent years.

An educator, competitor, judge and farrier, Richard Ellis was a thinking man and farriery has been robbed of someone who could have continued to help elevate the profession.

Richard won the World Championship in Calgary in 1997, and judged

Laminitis-Surviving Rodeo Star "Vegas" Is Back: Turtle Powell's AQHA Roping Horse of the Year Returns to National Finals Rodeo

Back at it: 2010 AQHA Team Roping Header Horse of the Year RA Sonoita Silver (a.k.a. "Vegas"), was back in his namesake town last week for the comeback of a lifetime. The horse survived severe laminitis and was helped back to the arena by Lubbock, Texas farrier Blane Chapman. (Photo © Molly Morrow Photography, used with permission.)

World Champion Team Roper Turtle Powell was back in the

On the Case: Wrapping Up a White Line Disease Rebuild

 A Series of Case Reports from The Hoof Blog





Lameness-specialist veterinarian Mark Silverman, left, and creative-thinking farrier Ernest Woodward, right, have opened the Southern California Equine Podiatry Center outside San Diego, California. The Hoof Blog asked them to share this case, which is somewhat more practical and more economical than many hoof repair treatments. 

To accomplish

Friends at Work: Would You Put Yourself in His Shoes?

Photographer Arjan Haverkamp saw nothing unusual about this scene at the Dierenpark Amersfoort (zoo) in The Netherlands. I think he was curious about the donkey's hooves. When I saw the photo, all I could see was the farrier's shoes!




Yes, Arjan tells me, it is a good idea for farriers to wear the traditional Dutch wooden shoes when they work around horses. "The wooden shoes give good

Organizations: Canadian Association of Professional Farriers Formed

 News via Press Release: 



 
The Canadian Association of Professional Farriers (CAPF) has been launched as an affiliate of the American Association of Professional Farriers (AAPF) to provide Canadian farriers with a professional organization that not only promotes the integrity of the farrier industry as a whole, but also strengthens the knowledge and skill set of its membership.



The