Christmas with Laminitis Video: St Nicholas Abbey Five-Month Update from Coolmore in Ireland

St Nicholas Abbey - Five months on from Coolmore Stud on Vimeo.


This video is shown on The Hoof Blog with permission of Coolmore Stud. Click the "play" icon to begin the video.

It's Christmas Eve and you can count your blessings. Count your blessings especially if you are a horse that doesn't have laminitis.





We have an update from Ireland, where a Breeders Cup Turf winner won't be

A Farrier's Christmas Tale, World Champion Style, in Video and Poem

There are many tales about Christmas in the forge, but Santa Claus knows exactly where to go when he needs help. He seeks out three World Champions: Grant Moon (Wales), David Varini (Scotland), and Paul Robinson (Ireland) who just happen to be working late on Christmas Eve. But have your read the poem?




This imaginative video, produced by Mustad, inspired me to re-write the signature poem,

What's Eating These Hooves? Readers' Photos Document Stable Pests Have Hoof Hunger

Apparently there's not enough of this activity going on in some barns around the country. Photo by Jurvetson (flickr)






Back in October, the Hoof Blog offered some photos of horses' hooves that could have been gnawed by rodents. The blog post was big news to some, old news to others.

As the weeks have passed, many people have mentioned the article and run-ins they have had with mice,

Book Announcement: Jean-Marie Denoix's Biomechanics and Physical Training of the Horse Published December 2013

Stop the world, Jean-Marie Denoix's new book is out. The first advance copies of Biomechanics and Physical Training of the Horse by Professor Jean-Marie Denoix are hitting US shores. The official publication date was December 30, 2013.

Biomechanics and Physical Training of the Horse is an expansion of Professor Denoix's landmark earlier and highly recommended earlier textbook, Physical

The Real Deal: Laminitic Pony in Australia First Horse in History to Wear 3D Printed Titanium Horseshoes

A pony with chronic laminitis in Australia is wearing the world's first horseshoes that are "printed", not forged or cast or turned. The shoes are made of titanium and were created in a laboratory setting by the government agency CSIRO.

The Hoof Blog promised a follow-up on that viral story back in October about 3D printing of titanium horseshoes in Australia. We promised that when we could

PPID: Equine endocrinology researchers revise guidelines for "Cushings" tests for horses

Equine Cushings Disease or pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) has been easy to identify, with overt signs like a long coat. Underlying PPID is now being identified in younger horses and in horses that show none of the typical signs. Researchers say that an episode of otherwise-unexplained laminitis may be their first and only clue. 

Edited from press release

Equine pituitary pars

Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine to Open Urban Equine Hospital near Belmont Racetrack

Alan Nixon, DVM, MS, BVSc, Diplomate ACVS



Edited from press release





Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine has signed a lease-buy agreement with Racebrook Capital Advisors, LLC for the former Ruffian Equine Medical Center. The arrangement will establish Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists, a referral and emergency care hospital.

The hospital, located near the Belmont

Hoof Explorer: Discover and Interact with the Horse's Foot in Three Beautiful Dimensions, Online, and For Free

Hoof Explorer is a new interactive 3-D anatomy education tool that is in four languages and has almost infinite capacity for displaying the anatomy of the distal limb. And it's free!

It's official: 2013 is the year of 3-D hoof anatomy on the web. In late October, the third of three new websites from three countries went live, and now all you have to do is bookmark these resources and learn

St Nicholas Abbey Update: Champion "Struggling to Overcome Laminitis", Maggot Therapy in Use

Laminitis may be manifest in many ways. It can be a simple detachment of a portion of the "laminae", which are linking fibers that attach the main bone of the foot to the hoof capsule. It can also be a complex combination of mechanical failures that includes a complete detachment of the bone, resulting in a collapse known as "sinking". In this sample tissue plastination prepared by Dr.

3-D Update: The Horse Speaks: No Purple Titanium Horseshoes on Hooves (Yet)

Australian national CSIRO research laboratory engineer Chad Henry has gone back to the drawing board to perfect his titanium horseshoe produced via 3-D printing. (CSIRO photo)




Do you remember the flashy purple horseshoes from the Australian laboratory that were destined to crush racetrack records? The story--along with examples of the way that 3-D printing is used in the hoofcare world--was

Netherlands National Equestrian Training Center Closes Farrier School and All Equine Professional Education Programs

Is the worldwide economic slowdown in danger of jeopardizing educational opportunities for young people who would like to become farriers? Or does it depend on where they live? The Netherlands is the latest country to report a kink in the farrier educational system. (Photo of a farrier working in Dubai by Yousif Al Mulla, used with permission)





Future farriers in The Netherlands are now

Congressional Hearing on Walking Horse Soring LIVESTREAM (Archived Video for Replay)

Please watch this taped archive of today's Congressional hearing on the PAST Act to amend the Horse Protection Act. You should read yesterday's Hoof Blog article on this hearing, and the commentary below.


While the subject is limited to soring and how it affects Walking horses and their showing rules, there are many subtle aspects of the bill that can be far-reaching or that need to be

British Government Opens Consultation Period for Reforms to Farriers Registration Act

Today the Farriers Registration Council in Great Britain announced that that country's governmental Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), jointly with parallel teams in the Scottish and Welsh Governments, have opened a period of consultation for regulatory reform of the Farriers (Registration) Act (of) 1975.






The Act or "FRA", as it is known in the consultation,

Horseshoes in Congress: Whitfield-Cohen Letter Clarifies "Weighted Shoe" Under Proposed PAST Act; House Hearing on Soring Legislation Wednesday

What and when: November 13, 2013 10 a.m. — United States Congress, House Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade hearing on the PAST Act to End Soring



Will the PAST Act finally bring an end to Walking horse stacks, pressure shoeing and pastern soring? A Congressional hearing on Wednesday will hear both sides of the argument. (Photo courtesy of

3-D Printing in the Forge and Clinic: Hoof Anatomy Models, Veterinary Applications, and Horseshoes

3-D printing in the horseshoe world probably was done first in some high-tech factory in Asia, but let's give some credit to Curtis Burns in the United States, who has been using 3-D printing in the design of Polyflex glue-on shoes. Watch for Mucho Macho Man to run in the Breeders Cup Classic wearing shoes derived from this 3-D printing technology on Saturday. (photo courtesy of Curtis Burns/

Video: English Farrier Steven Beane Crosses Ocean to Judge 2013 Canadian Horseshoeing Championships

 




Those nice people up in Canada are at it again. Canadian farrier competitors are setting a world record for media support this year, and it's all been good news. The latest is a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation interview with four-time World Champion Steven Beane of Yorkshire, England, who is in Canada this weekend to judge their national championship in Calgary.















© Fran

Shoeless and Ageless, Tahoe Warrior Wins at Keeneland

Keeneeland Racecourse in Kentucky has a Polytrack all-weather surface that has been used by trainers as a test for a few horses each week to run without shoes. 

It was the last race of the day. Maybe no one will remember it, except it’s not every day that a horse pays $40 on a $2 bet. It’s not every day that a ten-year-old gelding with no less than 84 starts under his girth wins one. It’s not

Laminitis Stalks Champion: All Hands on Deck as Coolmore Reports St Nicholas Abbey Diagnosed with Mild Signs of Dreaded Hoof Disease in Ireland

Coolmore Stud has posted the following news on their website:

"St Nicholas Abbey has suffered a setback over the last 24 hours, having developed mild laminitic changes in the left fore. This is disappointing, as he is now weightbearing and walking well on the operated (fractured) leg which has healed amazingly well to date.


"Although laminitis could be a life threatening complication, we

Anatomy Resource: Alex zur Linden's Clinical Equine Imaging Reference Site

What's new on your iPad?


Our reference systems are evolving as we become both more dependent on and more at ease with our digital tools. There was a time when we didn't want to take laptops, iPads and SmartPhones into barns or lug them along to consultation meetings, but new coatings and cases and diligent cleaning are making tools more resilient and horse-friendly, while our reference

Digital "Post Card from Calgary" Takes You to World Championship for Farriers at the Calgary Stampede

The newly released digital "Post Card from Calgary" is mirrored here; you can preview the pages here; if you click anywhere on it, you will go to the video-capable website where you can read the full-size edition with enlargeable text, watch seven videos, share links to Twitter and Facebook and spectacular photos of the farriers competing for the title of World Champion at the 2013

Rats in the Stable? Check the Horses' Hooves and Your Grandfather's Stable Manual

This is the time of year when some nonpaying and unwanted boarders start moving into stables. The evidence isn't always as obvious as on this mule's foot. (Kurt Fisk photo)


There's a Spanish legend that tells us Noah had no intention of letting rats or mice onto the Ark. It was all a Devil's trick. He found a way to sneak them on board so they'd eat all the foodstores and gnaw the boat's

Laminitis Conference: Poster Session Deadline Is Approaching

The Future Forward poster session at the International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot (November 1-3, 2013 in West Palm Beach, Florida) is open to attendees, factulty and exhibitors. Visit the conference web site for much more information about all facets of this event; an application for the poster session is due by October 23, and the poster may be brought to the

"Future Forward" Poster Session Added for International Laminitis Conference Attendees in Florida

Lamina carefully revealed and photographed by Paige Poss



The International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot is only a month away. The conference returns to West Palm Beach, Florida November 1-3 with a triple-focus program in scientific and clinical causes and treatment of laminitis; the conference is adding a third track this year with 21 lectures and abstracts on

Official National Results from Stoneleigh Team Competition: England Wins; USA 4th

Repeat winners Team England at the award ceremony of the 34th International Team Farrier Competition in Stoneleigh, England, hosted by the British Farrier and Blacksmith Association. Left to right: Matt Randles, Ben Taylor, Ben Casserly, presenter, Steven Beane, and Nigel Fennell.


International Team Farriery Championships 2013
1st Place - England
2nd Place - Scotland
3rd Place - Ireland
4th

Meet Two Stoneleigh International Contenders: Canada's Aaron Steeves and England's Ben Taylor

It happens every year: dozens of nations send teams of farriers to the forge in Stoneleigh, England to compete in the 34th International Team Farrier Competition. In the farrier world, this is a very big deal: national honor is at stake and the dominance of certain countries  over the history of event make this a proving ground for nations who want to show that they just might be able to beat

Could You Carry Scotland's Smiddy Stane?

If your idea of fun is seeing how far you can carry a 363.8 pound stone, Scotland has an event for you. Just don't expect to tie up your horse to be shod at the smithy in town that day. (Photo of Airth, Scotland's "smiddy stane" contest courtesy of Ewan McTaggart)

Another reason to wear a kilt: you can spread your legs far enough apart to carry a 363-pound rock across a field...if you are so

Video: Just like the big guys, a half-pint horse works out in an underwater treadmill

Miniature horses get to have all the fun, sometimes. When "normal" horses use the underwater treadmill at Colorado State University's Orthopaedic Research Center, it's business as usual. But when little Booya steps onto the belt, it's time for a video shoot.




Booya would be swimming if the water level was allowed to rise to the level used for full-sized horses, but the staff knows just how

The Blacksmith of Brandywine: The Story of an American Legend Makes Sense on a Legendary Day

As we remember the attack on the World Trade Towers in New York that occurred 12 years ago today, it's easy to forget that this day has another memorable place in American history.

Today is also the anniversary of the Battle of Brandywine. It was fought near Chadds Ford in Pennsylvania, not far from the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center. And yes, there was hoofcare involved.

Best Shod Horse at England's Burghley Horse Trials Wore Handmade Shoes by Steve Arnold

Four happy faces: Farrier Steve Arnold, event horse Let's Dance, rider Jeanette Brakewell, and owner Ruth Williams were celebrating in the mare's stall yesterday. Steve holds the rosette and plaque awarded by the Worshipful Company of Farriers for Let's Dance's selection as the Best Shod Horse at the 2013 Land Rover Burghley 4* Horse Trials in England. Many of the best event horses and riders

Maryland's Kathy Anderson DVM Will Be New American Association of Equine Practitioners Vice President

The American Association of Equine Practitioners has named Kathleen Anderson, DVM, owner of Equine Veterinary Care PC in Elkton, Maryland, as its 2014 vice president. Dr. Anderson will be installed during the December 10 President’s Luncheon at the 59th Annual Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, and will assume the role of AAEP president in 2016.




Kathleen Anderson, DVM will become the 2014

Goof-proof Hoofcare: “StayOns” Instant Hoof Poultice Wraps Simplify the Way You Wrap a Foot

This article is sponsored by Hamilton Biovet.

Here’s a product that is worth its weight in baby diapers.

If there was ever a contest that farriers, vet techs and veterinarians should run, it would be to see who has the fastest two hands in the world for making a duct tape bootie to attach over a hoof wrapped in a disposable baby diaper.





How many times have you wrapped a hoof in duct tape

St Nicholas Abbey Update: Healing Leg Fracture and the Origin of His Name

Champion racehorse St Nicholas Abbey in his stall at the Fethard Equine Hospital in Ireland, where he is recovering from a fractured pastern suffered while training at the nearby Ballydoyle training center of Coolmore's racing division head trainer Aidan O'Brien.

Today Coolmore Stud released an update on injured racehorse St Nicholas Abbey:

"While still having a guarded prognosis St Nicholas

On the Case: Combined Contracture and Laxity Complicate Limb Deformity in an Irish Thoroughbred Foal

Kevin Corley, BVM&S, PhD. DACVIM, DACVECC, DECEIM, MRCVS of the Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital in County Kildare, Ireland shared photos of a recent case. A 12-hour-old Thoroughbred foal intended for future racing needed a treatment or management plan for an unusual hind limb deformity.




The foal’s foot was flat on the ground, but the pastern was vertical and the fetlock knuckled forward.

The Nobel Prize for Farrier Poetry: Looking Through Seamus Heaney's "Door into the Dark"

One of the world's greatest poets died on Friday. Ireland's Seamus Heaney was one of those people who bridged the past and the present with verse so deft you were never sure where time fit into the story or if time matters anymore. He grew up in Northern Ireland in the 1940s and went out into the world through his words, winning the Nobel Prize for poetry as he wandered.




I've been known to

Case Follow-up: How's the Swiss Cheese Hoof Wall?

Do you recognize this foot? Califronia farrier R. T. Goodrich has an update on "the swiss cheese hoof wall" case. The mare continues to improve and the shoeing treatment has been simplified.


On June 7, 2013, California farrier R.T. Goodrich innocently posted a photograph of a hoof on his farrier service's Facebook page. It wasn't a horse that belonged to any of his clients. He shod it for

Lost Shoes Solution: Shoe Secure Keeps Your Horse's Shoes On, World Champion Style

Whether it’s linked to conformation or a gait abnormality or a swampy pasture, the shoe loss problem may have met its match in an odd-looking product from Scotland called ShoeSecure. Designed by an equestrian entrepreneur with the help of a world champion farrier, and used by a world champion reiner, the new product launched in the USA this summer with a star-studded resume.

St Nicholas Abbey Fracture Fixation Pin Breaks

The horizontal steel pin (top of radiograph, red arrow) was designed to help the injured Thoroughbred bear weight in spite of the fracture in his pastern. This pin, as you can see, is broken and had to be removed. (photo provided by Coolmore Stud)

An important announcement from Coolmore Stud was released today. Coolmore has been judiciously reporting both the good and bad news throughout the

Research Report: Dr James Belknap Summarizes Developments in Understanding Laminitis Funded by the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation

The following report by Dr Belknap summarizes the sequence of his latest research on laminitis through funding supplied by the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and is reprinted with the Foundation's permission.



Dr. James Belknap of The Ohio State University

The funding by the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation (GJCRF) and the NTRA (Barbaro Fund) of our last two projects on the

Vet Video: Fractured Pastern Surgically Repaired on Champion St Nicholas Abbey; Details on Work by Irish-American Surgical/Medical Team

A report on the injury, surgery, illness and recovery of Breeders Cup winner St Nicholas Abbey has been provided by Coolmore Stud, ten days after the initial injury, which happened at the training center in Ireland.


On July 23rd St Nicholas Abbey presented to Fethard Equine Hospital for evaluation and surgical correction of a complex fracture to the right fore pastern which occurred while

Equine Lameness: British Cavalry Horses Suffer Common Minor Hoof and Leg Problems Similar to Recreational Horses

British cavalry horses are large Irish-crossbred types and generally are selected because they have big enough feet, acceptable conformation and good bone. Their lameness problems tend to be less dramatic than you might think, and more in line with recreational horses than sport horses.




A study of lameness among the ceremonial cavalry horses of the British Army may ultimately benefit a much

Federal Court Rules Against Lawsuit: USDA's Tennessee Walking Horse Anti-Soring Regulations Are Not Unlawful

A U.S. District Court in Texas upheld federal regulations to prevent the practice of “soring,” in which trainers abuse horses to force them to perform an unnatural high-stepping gait for competitions. The U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations, which were adopted following a 2010 legal petition filed by The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), require that USDA-certified horse

Hallmarq Standing MRI Presents: Navicular Disease Diagnosis, Then and Now

We have never really understood navicular disease, but maybe we're getting closer. Two horses would have identical lameness symptoms but the radiographs were clean on one, and clearly showed a bone lesion in the other. Some horses stayed lame for years and were never ridden again. Others took a year or so off and, to everyone’s surprise, returned to training.


Navicular disease

British Laminitis Research: Tracking Normal Horses Who Later Develop Pasture Laminitis Vs Those Who Don't

Typical feet of a pony with pasture laminitis. Could laminitis be prevented by identifying likely-to-founder ponies early in their lives? A British research project aims to track normal ponies who, later in life, do and don't develop pasture-associated laminitis. (Nicola Menzies-Gow photo)


Dr Nicola Menzies-Gow of the Royal Veterinary College has been awarded a grant of £42,000 (approximately

The Helpful Farrier: Dimpled Laminitis Treatment Stirs Facebook Furor and Charitable Shoeing

This foot was probably the most viewed, shared and commented on hoof in the world in June 2013.  The only problem was that the people doing all the viewing, sharing and commenting didn't bother to read the details of the case posted by farrier RT Goodrich in California, who found the horse with this unusual hoof wall treatment. (RT Goodrich photo)


It appeared on Facebook on June 7 and it went

Scotland's David Varini is World Champion Blacksmith (Farrier) at the Calgary Stampede

The Mustad family carried on the tradition of sponsoring the World Championship for farrier/blacksmiths at the Calgary Stampede in Canada with Hans Mustad, left, representing his family and his company. Petter Binde, Mustad Sales & Marketing CEO, is at right. The showgrounds had been flooded two weeks before the event but Plan B worked to run an event that attracted a stellar trible of the

Aachen's Walk of Fame: What Does the Plaza Paved with Horseshoes Tell Us About Famous International Sport Horses?

CHIO Aachen Show Director Frank Kemperman stood in the show's new starwalk in 2011. It has continued to grow, with three new shoes added recently.


In 2011, The Hoof Blog was delighted to introduce a terrific new "Walk of Fame" at the showgrounds of CHIO Aachen in Germany. The horse show that stands tall above all others wanted to honor some of the famous horses who have competed there. Their

What Do Laminitis and Wimbledon Have in Common?

Lush grass at Wimbledon is being blamed for the literal downfall of several players this year. This much higher casualty rate is blamed on the late spring, which is keeping the grass so lush at the end of June. According to a British newspaper article, Wimbledon's high-sugar grasses are also more slippery than non-lush grass.





Grass was in the news today. It was in the sports news, of all

British Farrier Training: College-Based Training Replaces Agency-Run Apprentice System

For as long as there have been farriers, there have surely been apprentices, because that is how the skills and knowledge were passed down through the ages. There was secrecy, and some would say there was magic. While in the United States, apprenticeships are free-form and unsupervised, in Great Britain they are part of a government program that charged an alphabet soup of agencies, colleges

Call for Abstracts: 7th International Colloquium on Working Equids

World Horse Welfare is now calling for abstracts from the world’s academic, research and scientific community as well as from working equid welfare practitioners for presentation at the 7th International Colloquium on Working Equids to be held at the Royal Holloway, University of London from July 1-3 2014.


The Colloquium is an essential event for the international audience of working equine

Future Faces Video: Sarah Coltrin, Farrier-Eventer, Shoes to Ride as She Joins the New Cadre of Equestrian Smiths

What do you say to someone who is new in the profession? Sometimes it's best to be quiet and hear what they have to say.

You might learn something.




After all, they are the future. We may be the present, but we won't always be.

And once upon a time, we were the future.



So sit still for five minutes and listen to Sarah Coltrin. 


That's exactly what filmmaker-photographer (and

Flag Day: How a Blacksmith's Apron Became the Persian Flag

It's Flag Day in the USA. That seems like a cue to tell my favorite story about a flag from far away and long ago.



Close your eyes and pretend this is a fairy tale, because it certainly sounds like one. I have patched this story together from history books, flag books and online references that are translations of translations.




In the light of this week's riots in Istanbul, and last

Leeches for Laminitis: Can an Old Idea Work on Today’s Horses?

A leech positioned at the coronet for treatment of laminitis in the German research of Dr. Konstanze Rasch.



In Part 1 of this article, we introduced the idea of the suitability of medicinal leech therapy for equine lameness, and especially distal limb injuries. Please read that article, which contains a great deal of background information and a video, before you read this one.







Blood

Announcing the HoofMakeover Video Series: Farrier Hans Wiza's Case Studies on Restoring Hoof Health

"HoofMakeover" is a series of downloadable case studies of three trims and/or shoeings that each detail the rehabilitation of a hoof over a period of 100 days. Developed by Ontario, Canada farrier Hans Wiza, the videos attempt to simplify hoof re-balancing and de-fuse the challenges of working on horses with weak hooves and conformational challenges by using time, observation and horsemanship

Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital to Acquire Saratoga Equine Veterinary Service

via press release

The shareholders of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky and Dr. Bill and Diana Barnes of Saratoga Springs New York are pleased to announce that Rood and Riddle will purchase Saratoga Equine Veterinary Service in Saratoga Springs, New York.


“This is an exciting and unique opportunity for our practice and we look forward to providing outstanding care to

British Farrier Apprentice System Suspended as Training Suffers Negative Government Evaluation

Apprentices are traditionally part of the landscape of farriery in Great Britain. These apprentices to Jim and/or Allan Ferrie competed at the Clydesdale shoeing event at the Royal Highland Show in Scotland. (David McCrone photo, used with permission)


A crisis has emerged in Great Britain, where the future of farrier education has been endangered by a withdrawal of government funding for the

Video: Oklahoma Tornado Tragedy's Legacy is Both Tragedy and Inspiration for Veterinarians and Horsemen

Please allow time for videos to load.




You know things are bad when CNN dedicates a segment to injured horses in a natural disaster, but that's what happened on Friday when the global news network aired a story by newsman Gary Tuckman, who was on hand with Oklahoma's Joe Boecker, DVM to show in graphic detail what a tornado can do to a horse.

Hoof Blog readers around the world who think that

Lameness Evaluation: American Sensor System Tests Successfully in British Research

Flexion testing, using the sensor-based system, at the University of Glasgow's School of Veterinary Medicine




For many years, opinions on the value of flexion tests in assessing equine lameness have been divided. Now, however, new research looks set to turn what has always been regarded as a subjective process into a wholly objective one. 



A comprehensive study, published in a November

Maryland's Hoof-First Connection to the Triple Crown: Raceplates and Horseshoers in Preakness History

Photos from Victory Racing Plates, a Baltimore-based horse shoe manufacturer whose plates have been on eight of the 11 horses that won the Triple Corwn. (Courtesy of Only A Game's Sam Gallant)
It's Preakness Stakes day in the USA! Whether you think Kentucky Derby winner Orb is a shoe-in to win in his Jim Bayes Jr. crafted raceplates or if you like California's Goldencents, shod by Jim

Have You Tried It Yet? "Blacksmith Buddy" Re-imagines Hoof Demonstrations with Education/Practice Tool

H O O F    B L O G   S P O N S O R E D   S T O R Y




The Blacksmith Buddy 




The Blacksmith Buddy was designed with students like these in minds. Once the Buddy is in place, the real horse becomes an accessory--and someone has to hold him instead of trying out the new practice leg!


Every year there's something. Farriers hang out after a trade show and talk over what stuck in their minds

Medicinal Leeches: The Much-Maligned Traditional Healing Aid is Making a Comeback for Equine Lameness Therapy

In this photo from German rehabilitation therapist Martina Mäter of Kathmann Vital GbR in Vechta, you see three colorful medicinal leeches hard at work. Lower-limb lameness is a common callup for leeches in the horse world; they may soon be in wider use in the United States. (Photo © Martina Mater, used with permission)



You're in a veterinary lecture on laminitis at a major conference on

Connecticut Drops Charges Against "Equine Podiatrist" for Illegal Practice of Veterinary Medicine

For years, Connecticut has been known as the wealthiest state in the United States of America. Add to that the highest number of horses per square mile of any state. It's also one of the most beautiful states. If you had to pick a state to live in and run a farrier business, you couldn't do much better for job security than Connecticut.



After a state legal decision made there last month, it

Badminton Horse Trials' Farrier Prize to the Best Shod Horse 2013 Won by David Smith

There might not be much left of a pair of shoes by the time the horse has made the circuit of the world's most challenging cross-country course, which is just one phase of the Badminton Horse Trials. Video of horses in this year's event courtesy of Centaur Biomechanics.



Each year, the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials presents a "Farriers Prize" for the best shod horse at the world's

Hooves of the Kentucky Derby 2013: Race Shoes, Hoofcare and the Farrier's Daughter

Sixty Minutes featured top jockey Rosie Napravnik the week before the Derby. Her other claim to fame? Her father is a horseshoer!

It's 90 minutes before the Kentucky Derby, do you know where you'll be today at 6:24 p.m.?


Rosie Napravnik, daughter of New Jersey horseshoer Charles Napravnik, knows exactly where she will be: on the back of MyLute, bursting out of the starting gate at

Kentucky Derby News: Scollay Replaces Injured Bramlage for NBC's "AAEP On Call" Role

Dr. Scollay is no stranger to television; she'll step in front of the camera today at the Kentucky Derby.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners reports that longtime AAEP On Call Veterinarian Mary Scollay will serve as the spokesperson for equine health during today's NBC Sports racing coverage at Churchill Downs.


Dr. Scollay, who serves as Equine Medical Director for the Kentucky

Behind the Scenes at the FEI World Cup Finals with Swedish Farrier Bjorn Berg

You're a long way from home when you go to the Gothenburg Horse Show in Sweden. The huge Swedish spring horse show hosted both the dressage and jumping finals of the 2013 FEI World Cup indoor winter competitions. The best in both sports converged on the annual show and turned it into a world stage.

Sweden's Bjorn Berg has been the show farrier at Gothenburg for 12 years but you can bet that

Meader Supply's New Hampshire Farrier Appreciation Day with FPD's Michael Wildenstein

Shoes, shoes, shoes! One of North America's largest horseshoeing supply stores opened its doors last weekend to welcome farriers from far and wide to the annual "Farrier Appreciation Day". Meader Supply soon found out that the appreciation was mutual; the flavor of the day was more akin to a high school reunion than a business event.


Farriers and hoof trimmers from all corners of New

News and HSUS videos: Walking horses seized from show trainer's barn in Tennessee, veterinarian Adair explains soring

Walking horse trainer Larry Wheelon heads to court today in Blount County, Tennessee. The well-known trainer and judge will face charges following his arrest on Friday. As shown in this video from the Humane Society of the United States, horses placed with Wheelon for trained were seized by the USDA, with assistance from the county sheriff and humane society officials, in connection with the

Congratulations to Matt Martin, the Farrier Who Kept Black Caviar Running

Australian farrier Matt Martin and the most famous mare in the world: Black Caviar. Photo courtesy of Abu Masum of J.C. Milton & Company, the supplier of the mare's raceplates.

It's Kentucky Derby time in the USA, but Down Under in Australia, they won't even blink at the thought of twin spires, blankets of roses and mint juleps. The country can afford to have a been-there-done-that attitude

Adventures in Hoof Science: British Farriers Collect Data on Heart Bar and Lateral Extension Shoes at Royal Veterinary College's Structure and Motion Laboratory

Story and photos provided by Carl Bettison, AWCF (Hons)



British farriers spent a day at the Royal Veterinary College's Structure and Motion Laboratory last week; they watched while Jim Blurton shod two horses with bar shoes. Equigait wireless gait analysis technology was paired with high speed video and a force plate to monitor changes with the addition of the shoes. (Gill Harris photo)

A

Lieutenant Boniface's Lost Notes on Shoes (or No Shoes) in U.S. Cavalry History, Part 1

Lieutenant Jonathan Boniface, US Cavalry, used this shoeboard as an illustration in his book, The Cavalry Horse and Its Pack, in 1903. The shoes shown represent the typical shoe used by several different nations' cavalry farriers, as well as some corrective shoe designs. Reading the fine print in Boniface's book gives a new perspective on how, when, and if shoes were used on military horses of

Enthusiastic Attendees or Presentation Pirates? Attendee iPad/iPhone Media Capture is the Elephant in the Lecture Hall

Should you take photos of a speaker's slides at a conference? And if you do, should you share them on Facebook? Conference organizers and speakers are drawing lines on what's allowed and what's not. But they don't always agree. (Bareform photo)

There's an elephant in the lecture hall and it's time we talked about it: If you pay to attend a conference, does your registration fee entitle you

Video: Almost Killed with Kindness, an Overweight Pony's Rehabilitation Begins with His Overgrown Hooves

When World Horse Welfare farrier Donald Nicol first saw a Shetland pony named Haggis, he went right to work on his overgrown hooves. The pony's owners were prosecuted under British law for cruelty in allowing the pony to become so obese. In the video, Donald goes all around the pony and comments on his hooves before he starts trimming. (© World Horse Welfare photo)

We hear so much these days

Shoeless Thoroughbred Wins at Keeneland; Track Lists Barefoot Entries as Trainers Experiment with Polytrack Surface Effects on Hoof Slide

The racing surface known as "Polytrack" is one of several artificial surfaces that have been installed at racetracks in North America to improve safety and help cope with bad weather. But it also changes the way the hoof interacts with the surface. The characteristic slide that horses experience on dirt can be "sticky" for some horses. Experimenting with and without shoes during training and

A Career on the Hoof: Does Geography Matter?

If you're considering a career in hoofcare (or know someone who is), this video might be helpful to you. The requirements of the job, according to South African racetrack farrier Andy Rivas, are pretty much the same all over.


This little video does a great job of answering some of the questions that every aspiring farrier or hoof trimmer should ask. The video is provided by Career Space in

How We Learn: Bracy Clark's Intricate "Model Hoof"

How can we know where we're going if we don't know where we have been?


The founding fathers of hoof theory have gone. Gone with them are their forges, their laboratories, their drawings, their journals. We are left with some books, some papers and isolated museum artifacts that don't quite add up to all we'd like, yet taken alone are treasures.

That's the case with the hoof model

The Laminitis Revolution Begins Wednesday; Register for Webinar

A much-anticipated webinar on endocrine laminitis is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10, at 8 pm London time, which is probably about 3 pm New York time.


British veterinary surgeon David Rendle, from the Liphook Equine Hospital in Hampshire, England, will discuss how the veterinary profession’s understanding of laminitis has been revolutionized in recent years and provide useful tips to

Were Ancient Horses' Fetlocks Less Susceptible to Breakdown Injury?

  
As Saturday's 2013 Grand National approaches, the possibility of some news from the University of Liverpool's vet school has been high. Each year, injured racehorses find expert care at the nearby vet hospital, and the vet school is proud of its long association with the race and its role in helping prevent and

Equine Obesity Research: Breeds Respond Differently to Changes in Diet and Exercise

Does it take a university research study to prove that horses need exercise and diets?

If spring weight gain isn't on horse owners' minds right now, it will be soon. Many horses now come through the winter in robust condition, thanks to modern feeds, warm barns, snuggly blankets and owners who don't ride often in winter...if ever.


Once horses are turned out on spring grass, those owners

On the Case: Thorn-y Hoof Problems at Towcester Equine Clinic

Andrew Hayes BVetMed MRCVS of Towcester Vets Equine Centre in England made this video and writes some details:


The horse featured was a three year old that had been suffering form a fluctuating forelimb lameness for several days. The blood supply to the affected foot was increased (increased heat and bounding digital pulse). 




Squeezing the sole of the foot with hoof pinchers elicited a

Happy Easter from The Hoof Blog

Click for more information on how to submit speaker abstracts and posters for the 2013 conference, to be held November 1-3 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Watch It: Ram Trucks Promotional Video Features Texas Farrier Shawn Nanny, Who Still Likes His Old Truck

If you were in the business of selling trucks, wouldn't a farrier be your ideal customer?

The answer would be an unequivocal "yes"--assuming your truck can fill the farrier's needs...and the farrier wants a new truck.
For years, I have wondered why truck companies didn't fall over themselves to sponsor farrier events and court their favor (and advertise with Hoofcare Publishing). Finally,

Save November 1-3, 2013 for the International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot

What: International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot

When: November 1 to 3, 2013

Where: Marriott Convention Center  

 1001 Okeechobee Boulevard • West Palm Beach, Florida 33401 USA

For more information about the Laminitis Conference go to: 

http://laminitisconference.com



About the Laminitis Conference
The Laminitis Conference provides innovative and

On the Case: California Wrap, British Style, for White Line Disease

One of the best things about the Hoof Blog is hearing from people  inspired to share how they would use different materials or methods to achieve the same thing.

Paul Raw, DipWCF is a farrier in northern England who had never heard of the California Wrap featured on the Hoof Blog back in December 2012. But as soon as he saw what Southern California Equine Podiatry's Dr Mark Silverman and

Laminitis Research: Grayson-Jockey Club Foundation Announces 2013 Support for New and Continuing Laminitis, Lameness Detection Projects

Today the board of directors of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation announced funding of 12 new research projects in addition to five projects that are now in their second year. The 17 research projects are being unwritten by the foundation in 2013 for a total of $874,024.

Three of the projects have relevance to laminitis research and are profiled in this blog post. In addition, one

Farriery: More Than Meets the Eye to Duckett's Blindfolded Shoemaking

“Gotcha!” Farrier David Duckett FWCF used the worst horseshoe he ever made to prove his point: there's much more to forgework than meets the eye. Or was it: "the eyes have it"? His exploits launched a great tale that will be passed through the farrier world and probably cause many a farrier to burn a forearm. In this photo, he's balancing a coffin bone on the end of a pen at "Duckett's Dot".

Wild Horse Research Through the Lens of Dr. Chris Pollitt: Brumbies in the Channel Country

The mountain gorillas had Dian Fossey. The coral reefs had Jacques Cousteau. They were researchers who had a job to do and ended up sharing their fascination for endangered wildlife with the world. And the world paid attention.

Today, the wild horses of Australia--known as brumbies--have a researcher in their midst who came to study their feet but is helping the world understand both the

Equine Lameness Education: Sue Dyson Will Be Milne State-of-the-Art Lecturer for 2013 AAEP Convention

Via AAEP News Room




World-renowned equine orthopaedics expert Dr. Sue Dyson will deliver the Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture during the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ 2013 Annual Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, December 7 – 11.

Her lecture, “Equine Lameness: Clinical Judgment Meets Advanced Diagnostic Imaging”, will focus on three key areas: the recognition of

British Farrier Diplomates in Inaugural Pledge to Uphold Profession and Equine Welfare Standards

Graduate farriers in Great Britain recited the inaugural pledge to their profession.

On February 28, the Worshipful Company of Farriers and the Farriers Registration Council, held a ceremony in the Long Room of the Honourable Artillery Company, London. That day,  44 new farriers – including two women – were admitted to the Farriers Register of qualified farriers allowed to shoe horses in Great

French Sterile Maggot Debridement Study Finds 93% Efficacy for Equine Wounds

The French study is illustrated with this photo of maggots at work on a wound.

A press release from the Equine Veterinary Journal arrived at The Hoof Blog this week. It heralds a French study that documented the successful use of sterile maggot debridement therapy in treating wounds in horses. 

It's great to see this study of more than 40 cases treated with maggots. 

Almost ten years ago,

On the Case with Rood and Riddle's Dr. Scott Morrison: Glue-on Spring Shoe for a Contracted, Club-Footed Cutting Horse

Give the video time to buffer, and hit the "play" icon to begin. Thanks to Saginaw Valley Equine Clinic and Dr. Morrison for this video.


Here's an interesting case that complements an article in the Hoof Blog archives. Watch Dr. Morrison literally put a spring in a clinic horse's step.


Dr. Scott Morrison of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky was the guest speaker at the

AAPF/CAPF Announce Farriers Assistance Program for Injured or Ill Members

You see this message in an elevator. Now you might see this on the side of a farrier vehicle, too. (Seth Neilson photo)


What happens when farriers are injured or ill and can't work? Their friends in the profession help them, that's what happens. And the American Association of Professional Farriers and Canadian Association of Professional Farriers have joined forces to establish a way to get

Video: Inside the Online Veterinary Anatomy Museum with Mark Evans

The Online Veterinary Anatomy Museum ("OVAM") continues to mature, expand, blossom and amaze, and now British television host (and veterinarian) Mark Evans adds his two cents to the value of this web-based resource of sharable resources with this video feature.


If he looks familiar, it's because he is host of the popular series, Inside Nature's Giants, which has been aired recently in the USA

The Laminitis Conference Announces Call for Abstracts/Presentation/Poster Summaries for 2013

Plastination specimen by Dr. Christoph Von Horst, HC Biovision/plastinate.com

The International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot has published its call for abstracts for the 2013 conference, to be held November 1-3, 2013 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The document, visible in this article, can be downloaded for your reference or shared to social media.
Please plan to

Off Topic Video: Slo-mo beach gallop--with a twist

It's no secret that the Hoof Blog is known almost as widely for launching unusual horse-related videos and commercials as for hoof-related stories. You saw the Budweiser Clydesdale ad here first and now you're seeing the new--and slightly weird--Citroen commercial.

The what?


Citroen is a French luxury car that isn't sold in the USA anymore, but that doesn't stop the firm from making

Hoofcare History: Japanese Hoof Sandals Gave Horses Removable Traction

This amazing photo from Japan shows the traditional straw sandals worn by horses there. The sandals attached with straw ties around the pastern. Notice that this horse's hind feet are left alone. (T. Enemi image courtesy of Rob Oechsle)



As much as I love reading the history of hoofcare and lameness from British and American historical perspectives, it's the other countries and other parts

Oklahoma Farrier, Victim of Trailer Theft, Boosted by Fellow Viet Nam Veterans

Please wait for the remote video clip to load.

Sometimes when bad things happen to good people, it brings out the best in other people.


That's the case for CJ Ward, the 64-year-old Oklahoma farrier who was devastated by the theft of his shoeing trailer from his front yard last month. It looked like his career was over, but then someone spotted his hammers for sale at a flea market, and was

Super Bowl Scoop: Hoof Boot Solves Budweiser Clydesdale Safety Concern

When you saw the new Budweiser Clydesdale commercial, was your first thought, "Why on earth would anyone ask a Clydesdale to canter on pavement?" Mine was. This actor was brave to stand in front of the horse as he approached. Notice the horse is barefoot. (photo courtesy of KC LaPierre)






You read it here first. But you're not going to read much. But here's something to talk about

Equine Hoof Research: Digital Cushion Response to Pressure Tested in Horses vs Elephants at Royal Veterinary College

Most of the digital cushion of the horse is housed inside a rigid outer hoof capsule and between the lateral cartilages of the coffin bone. Its function has been proposed by different researchers as having both passive and active roles in weightbearing and shock absorption in the equine foot. (© Christoph von Horst plastinated hoof tissue specimen, color enhanced)


Hoof science turns up in

Video: Farrier and Saddlery Skills in Cambodia Shared by FEI and World Horse Welfare Partnership Professionals

Get a new appreciation of the urban and rural horse culture of Cambodia in this short video profiling the recent programs of World Horse Welfare and the FEI Solidarity programs. Farrier Tom Burch and saddler Mark Fisher made the journey to Southeast Asia to help both the poor working ponies and the elite sport horses of the country's expanding equestrian sports scene.

Tom was the longtime

The Budweiser Clydesdales 2013 Super Bowl Commercial: Advance Showing of the 2013 Commercial on the Hoof Blog

This year's Budweiser Clydesdale commercial is quite a story. "Brotherhood" shares the bond of a trainer and his favorite horse.


Spoiler alert!

Have you been chewing your nails (or hooves)? Are you worried you might be running to the refrigerator or bathroom on Sunday night when the annual Budweiser Clydesdale commercial comes on the Super Bowl?

Fear no more, here it is: (go ahead, watch it

Video: AAEP Extends Pasture-Associated Equine Laminitis Research Project into 2013

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has announced that it is extending its pasture-associated equine laminitis research project into 2013, in hopes of collecting more cases from the field.



Known as The Laminitis Research Project, data submitted by AAEP-member practitioners and horse owners will be collated and analyzed to reveal new information to help more veterinarians

Horseshoeing Trailer Heist in Oklahoma Devastates Veteran Farrier's Ability to Work

Shoeing trailers make a lot of sense, both economically and efficiency-wise. Some are really clever designs and all of them allow farriers to use a truck or hauling vehicle for something other than a work-related rig.

But it looks like thieves love them, too. This is not the first shoeing trailer that I have heard of being stolen. This news report amazed me when I saw that Mr. Ward had stamped

Name the Budweiser Clydesdale Foal Star of 2013's Super Bowl Commercial

There is just no question that the marketing and advertising surrounding the Super Bowl is more interesting than the game itself usually turns out to be. If you needed proof of that, look no farther than into the eyes of the Clydesdale foal in this photo.



This year is the 80th Anniversary of the Budweiser Clydesdales hitch, so you know that there was something special in the pipeline. We

Wes Champagne's Blacksmith Buddy: A Life-like, Positionable Horse Leg Simulates Shoeing / Trimming for Training, Demonstration and Practice

   Sponsored Post from Wes Champagne   



Learn about Wes Champagne's Blacksmith Buddy in this introductory video.


When I heard that California horseshoer Wes Champagne had a new invention, I sat back and said, "Hmmmm...." My mind lit up with imagined new lightweight shoes, or space-age adhesives, or something that you could put on a racehorse so it could break the sound barrier, or maybe

Paynter Recovery from Colitis and Laminitis Voted 2012 Moment of the Year; Owner Designates Veterinarian to Accept Award

Stakes winner Paynter was taken ill in August while training at Saratoga in New York. A month of life-and-death struggles with colitis and acute laminitis followed. Many horses don't survive this type of medical insult but Paynter clung to life and is now back in training at Santa Anita in California. His story was publicly broadcast via the Twitter social media network by his owners, Zayat

Sue Dyson: How Poor Performance and Pain Are Linked in Equestrian Sports

Dr. Sue Dyson brings to her job not just her exemplary career as an imaging and diagnostics expert, but also her expertise as an advanced-level rider and trainer. (AHT photo)


At the 2012 International Society for Equitation Science Conference in Scotland in July, Sue Dyson MA, VetMB, PhD, DEO, FRCVS, presented some data collected in her work as director of orthopedics at the famous Animal

Would You Take a Moment to Vote for the Hoof Blog?

Surprise, surprise--and what a nice one!

The Hoof Blog has been honored by being named a finalist in the "Best Blog" category of the Equestrian Social Media Awards. How wonderful is that?

If you are agree, you can vote for The Hoof Blog (listed under "Fran Jurga") in Group 17 on the ballot web site: http://www.equestriansocialmediaawards.com/finalists.




The competition is tough, with

Science Meets Art: Details of Horses on a Treadmill Fill Screens of Chaja Hertog's "Four Riders" Video Installation

Nothing much happens but there's plenty to look at. Hoof Blog readers may be mesmerized or bored or inspired or exasperated by this two-minute excerpt from a video artist's interpretations of disembodied but parallel equine details. Best experienced in full screen mode; click the embiggen icon between "HD" and "vimeo".



The Hoof Blog talks a lot about science. The anatomy and physiology of

CIA Director Nominee John O. Brennan Has Ties to Farrier World

One of the remaining forges in Kilkenny, Ireland. This one is in Kilfane. It has
three bays; the center one has a horseshoe-arch doorway. It was built from local limestone around 1875 and, according to records, it is empty and in disrepair.

The pubs are buzzing in Ireland tonight. And the forge fires are flaring just a little higher, knowing that half a world away, a son of one of their own