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

Hoof Explorer: Stop Motion Anatomy Video Builds an Equine Foot--But Don't Think About It

The Hoof Explorer anatomy toolbox website is at it again. Be sure to bookmark this little video clip to add to your next PowerPoint presentation. But then sit back and enjoy it.

And stop thinking so hard.


There are many ways to teach science or anatomy or even a step-by-step technique. Teaching involves explaining and breaking down information into chewable, learnable bite-sized pieces.

BEVA Congress Farriery Day Asks, In Many Ways: What Would You Do?

“What would you do?”



That was the question at the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress Farriery Day earlier this fall in Birmingham, England.  One thing that came out of this day long poking and prodding of contemporary farriery was that you might think a bit before answering that question the next time someone poses it.










An international roster of speakers

Required Reading: Dr. John Steele's 68th Year in Equine Practice Profiled in Chronicle of the Horse This Week

If you were the gambling kind, you might have been able to make some money at the World Equestrian Games in France last month.



What if, when Team USA's Beezie Maddie and Cortes C came oh-so-close to the gold medal in show jumping, you had wagered with that Irishman sitting next to you about the veterinarian responsible for that high jumping superstar horse--and all the Madden

10 Years on The Hoof Blog: A Little Bit About You

The 10th anniversary of The Hoof Blog almost slipped by unnoticed. There were no stars on the calendar, no reminders popped up in email. Time just flies by and there's way too much to do and it's far too risky to stop and reflect on all that's happened or all that may happen, so let's celebrate by sharing some statistics about you, the ones who make it all possible!

Thanks to all the

Hooves Get the White Glove Treatment from Best Shod Horse Judge at Burghley Horse Trials in England

Photo courtesy of Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials and Getty Images


You always hear about it, but rarely does anyone ever see it done. Sure, farriers get dressed up in suits and wear bowler hats and white gloves to inspect horse hooves. Sure they do.




"They" are the British farrier judges on the Worshipful Company of Farriers list who are trained in the fine art of recognizing the

Ghost of WEGs Past: Jumper Presley Boy Euthanized Two Years After Colic-Related Laminitis

If a skilled novelist like Tami Hoag set out to pen an international suspense thriller about a jumper, I doubt a more compelling story could be imagined than the sad-but-true tale of Presley Boy. The timing, the cultures, and even the horse's name, suggesting the legendary but tragic American rock star, all fit together. 

And there's our old friend laminitis, right in the middle of it

Scotland's David Varini Wins European Farrier Championship for United Kingdom

Scottish farrier David Varini was World Champion in 2013 and has won the European title previously. (Hoof Blog file photo)



Congratulations to Scottish farrier David Varini, who has just been declared the winner of the European Farriery Championship, held this weekend in England.




Steven Beane of England, reigning World Champion, was right behind him, with less than 1.5 points

Euro Farrier Champions: Top Ten Finalists and Meet Dutch Champion Gert-Jan Salm

The European Farriery Championship is in full swing this week in England; here's a list of the farriers and nations who made it through to the "Top Ten", and are competing today, Sunday.







That's a broad cross-section of Europe represented in those top finishers: United Kingdom, France, Ireland, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Norway, as well as three world champions.

In preparation for

It's Official: England's Steven Beane Wins His Fifth Calgary Stampede World Championship Title

The Calgary Stampede did not provide photos of the awards this year, so The Hoof Blog had to go hunting for some. We found a perfect photo taken by Tony Kay, OBE, Her Majesty's British Consul General to Calgary and the prairie provinces of Canada. Tony is now quite a fan of farrier competitions and especially of Steven Beane. He snapped this photo of Steven on the huge video screen above

Results: English Farrier Steven Beane Wins His Fifth (and Final) Calgary Stampede World Championship in 2014

Steven Beane practicing at home before Calgary. Photo by Aaron Kampfer, used with permission.


Unofficial news from the Calgary Stampede has placed English farrier Steven Beane in the enviable position of having just won his fifth--and no doubt last--world championship at the Calgary Stampede.


The news was reported late last night, Calgary time, by event sponsors Delta Mustad Hoofcare

Calgary Stampede: Forging On to the World Championship's Top Ten

The Calgary Stampede World Championship Blacksmiths Competition is over the hump. Competition through Saturday was an elimination series that was a complicated dance of simultaneous divisions run under timed conditions. At the end of it all, ten farriers emerged as the "Top Ten" who would go forward for the title of World Champion.


The problem is that when they stepped forward, they left

Supply Side: Vettec Hoof Repair and Sole Support Innovator Acquired by Kerr Corporation

The following information has been provided to Hoofcare Publishing by Vettec Inc.:



Kerr Corporation, a global manufacturer of healthcare products, announced today that it has acquired DUX Dental and Vettec Inc. The acquisition will unlock new worldwide opportunities for growth in the large animal healthcare market.


Vettec was established as a subsidiary of DUX Dental over fifteen years ago

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

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

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

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),