Teaser: Budweiser Clydesdales "Lost Dog" Super Bowl Commercial--or at least a few seconds of it

Fans of the Budweiser Clydesdale Super Bowl commercials could celebrate a small step forward this afternoon as the St. Louis brewery released probably about nine seconds of the upcoming one-minute commercial for next weekend's actual ad.







It's still impossible to tell what the story is, but--as expected--the puppy really is lost and he also really is the star of the commercial. But

Barefoot Research: What Are the Consequences of Shoe Removal for Trotting Racehorses?

How are the health, comfort and wear of the horse's feet affected when shoes are removed for racing? A research special report from Hippolia Foundation and CIRALE


Text and images © CIRALE and/or Hoofcare Publishing 

No reproduction or copying without permission



Professor Denoix

Special thanks to researcher Claire Moiroud and Professor Jean-Marie Denoix, who kindly arranged to share this

The Farrier's Jukebox: New Year's Eve, the "Blacksmith Stomp", and Playlists to Keep

The blog is a jukebox today. But don't worry, you'll never run out of quarters.

Sometimes, you just get inspired. A new song by a band I'd never heard of in England showed up and I decided to play the video. And then I asked a few questions. And here comes this story.

The story is about a song and the people who wrote, inspired and perform it. But it pushed me to do something I've wanted to

Biomechanics of Horseshoes by Dr. Jenny Hagen: Werkman presents the wide-branch (asymmetric) and open toe shoes

In this still image from Dr. Hagen's video, you see the wide branch shoe used in the biomechanical testing (top left) and the results of the pressure mat testing (bottom left). Top right shows the gross anatomy of the horse's foot with the ungual cartilages exposed.

The Hoof Blog is pleased to share with you some additional media from the research of Dr. Jenny Hagen at the University of

Budweiser Clydesdales "Lost Dog" Super Bowl Commercial: Stock Up on Beer and Tissues

Start your shopping list now. Whether host or guest at an annual Super Bowl party, you must be prepared with the universal classics your friends know and love: Nachos. Beer. Chicken wings. Chili. Maybe some more beer. That great dip that you spilled on the couch last year. (Oops!)

And don't forget to pick up a big box of tissues.

Tissues? You're going need them. And not to mop up the spilled

Video U: Watch the UMaine Conference "The Science Behind the FEI White Paper on Equine Arena Surfaces"

On December 7, 2014, a very special seminar took place at the University of Maine at Orono's Witter Farm. You'll wish you had been there. The conference was titled, "For Veterinarians and Farriers - The Science Behind the FEI White Paper on Equine Arena Surfaces."

But maybe it's not too late: we can bring the conference to you.




Videos of the presentations that took place during the

UC Davis Hosts 29th Charles Heumphreus Memorial Lecture for Farriers on January 24

Date: January 24, 2015

Time: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Location: Gladys Valley Hall, Room 1020, 

and covered arena at Large Animal Clinic

University of California at Davis Campus

Davis, California


Registration: There is no cost to attend, and you do not have to register for the morning lectures, but please register here or call 530-754-9223 for the afternoon lab as space is limited to 40

The Annual Report: Wrapping up 2014 with a big blog bow

Happy New Year!

Last week, you read about the Hoof Blog's favorite stories based on numbers. Now, we’ll dissect the blog for you to highlight some stories you might like to bookmark or share, or maybe read for the first time, if you missed them.

Think of this as an index for future reference. You can refer back to it to find stories. Interspersed are some favorite images from the year, which

What You Like: Most Popular Hoof Blog Stories of 2014 Featured Clydesdales, Charley and Race/Show Horse Hooves

Some people watch parades and football games on New Year's Day. Not me, I want to crunch the numbers and see what stories resonated with readers over the year.

Today I found that there are definite trends in what brings large numbers of people to this blog, and that the way people read the blog has definitely evolved.




For 2014, one thing didn't change: people still love the

Laminitis Memorial Wall Honors Horses to be Remembered, Facilitates Animal Health Foundation Research Funding

Flash and Casey are right up there with Secretariat and Barbaro. Little Dixie, Chief, and Midnight are not far behind.

The Animal Health Foundation (AHF), a US charity dedicated exclusively to funding laminitis research, has set a new goal: to make sure that no horse with laminitis is ever forgotten. Thanks to a new website page just for them, the most famous racehorse and the most unknown

Silent Anvil: Bruce Daniels, American Horseshoer, Has Died

Bruce Daniels died today, just before noon, the American Farrier's Association tell us. The icon of American horseshoeing of the late 20th century had suffered several aortic aneurysms and what his son Tad called "multiple strokes". He still made it to his daughter Cary's house in Florida for Christmas, though.

Just try and stop him.

The farrier world will be a little less colorful now.

Best of 2014: Painting of Civil War Farriers Adds Aesthetic Dimension to History, Horseshoeing

I just stared at in disbelief. It was beautiful. It looked accurate. And it depicted something that, to the best of my knowledge,  had never been painted before. And if it has been painted before, it was never painted so carefully and so artistically. Even the details of the forge wagon look correct.




I was staring at Booth Malone’s painting, “Farriers on the Peninsula, 1862”. I

An Amputee Donkey in Egypt Walks Again--on a Recycled Artificial Human Leg

Donkeys figure quite prominently in the original Christmas story, so why not have one star on the Hoof Blog on Christmas Eve? Hector the Egyptian donkey is making news around the world this Christmas, and bringing smiles to faces wherever his story is told or read.


While people think that it is Hector who is making them smile, it is really the story of the humans who came together to help

Veterinary Equine Podiatry Group Announced at 2014 AAEP Convention, Will Pursue Board Specialization Status

At the 60th Annual Convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), held December 5 to 9, 2014 in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Veterinary Equine Podiatry Group, Inc. publicly announced its existence and intended mission.


Formed by four interested veterinarians who met at the 2013 AAEP Convention in Nashville, VEPG is now a group of 32 veterinarians who are interested in

Guest Report: Australia’s 2014 Functional Hoof Conference

by Betsy Lordan, DVM


The second Functional Hoof Conference was held during Melbourne Cup Week (November 6-9, 2014) in Daylesford, Victoria, Australia. The clinic was hosted by a group of hoof care professionals seeking to improve knowledge and understanding of the equine foot and to spark discussions.

To this end, they brought together a selection of international speakers who were experts

Laminitis Research: Feed Company SPILLERS Will Sponsor Two PhD Programs in 2015

Hoofcare Publishing is encouraging donations to laminitis research this holiday season. Right on cue, this press release arrived today with news of new support for program research in Great Britain. Thanks for Spillers for their continued support of laminitis research.
The British horse feed company SPILLERS®, as part of the WALTHAM® International Laminitis and Obesity Research Consortia, is

Barefoot Hoofcare Practices Subject of British Government Survey to Veterinarians

A government survey of British veterinarians is taking no prisoners and leaving no stones unturned. While the clear goal of the newly-launched Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ("Defra") online survey is to collect veterinarians' comments on what they have seen and thought about barefoot hoofcare practices in the field, it's obvious that farriers are under this microscope

Vive St Eloi...and the Spirit of the Monuments Men: Painting of Farrier Patron Saint Returns to Owner

It's the first week in December, time to toast all those French farriers and veterinarians and jockeys who are taking the day off (Monday or Wednesday, depending on your preference) in honor of their patron saint.



But we have something else to toast this St Eloi's Day. Call it an idea whose time came round at last, or call it the influence of Hollywood or the charm of George Clooney and

Victory's Magnum Champagne Award to Stakes-Winning British Farriers for Fifth Straight Year

Congratulations to the six-man farrier team shoeing the Thoroughbred racehorses of top trainer Richard Hannon in Wiltshire, England. The shoers have yet again won the Victory Magnum and no doubt sent Atlantic Equine’s champagne bill into orbit! Notice that the magnums bear special Victory Racing Plate theme labels, and each bottle has the name and silks of a different stakes-winning horse

Hooves@War: Did the Paths of This Vet and Farrier Cross in World War I?

It was called simply "Mons". The war was supposed to be a quick route for the British troops. They left in summer and boasted that they'd be home in time for Christmas. Except it didn't quite work out that way. It turned into a "world war". The war to end all wars.

The Hoof Blog found two names--one a vet and one a farrier--who had their hands on the horses at that first faceoff at Mons.