1.0 Introduction The hoofs interaction with the ground should provide the horse with mechanical and functional efficiency while...

Changes in hoof balance are associated with increased strains in the soft tissue structures of the equine digit and injury. These links...

The effects of posture on equine musculoskeletal health have been recognised subjectively and visually and are now becoming quantified...

An investigation into the current hoof balance parameters and the quantification and definition of a new hoof balance paradigm The...

The interconnectivity of the horse’s musculoskeletal system, and the complexities of movement is continuously being unravelled and has...

An Investigation into the Postural Link Between Negative Plantar Angles and Concurrent Pathology Along the Dorsal-Myofascial Line Using...

How can we change the palmar/plantar angle with the trim? We know that hoof growth during an average shoeing cycle reduces the...

Long toe, low heels are something that every farrier deals with at some point in their daily practice. But are there misconceptions on...

Very often, certainly in the argument of barefoot versus shod, comparisons re made between the wild and domestic horse. But in reality,...

Farriery, until recently, has been based on tradition, anecdotal evidence and personal experience, but with the introduction of objective...

To understand the hoof – horse connection there are certain principles of hoof biomechanics we must first appreciate. How the hoof...

Pilot study into the accuracy of an external template for the assessment of dorso - palmar hoof balance according to internal...

we, both owners and professionals, are failing to recognise pain and lameness in our horses, but there is technology available now that...

Farriery has, up till recently, been largely based on anecdotal evidence and experiential opinion. We are entering a new era of...

There is much debate about the ideal angle for the pedal bone to sit at in relation to the ground. Some sects suggest a palmar angle of 0...

Winter is coming and with it comes the rain and mud and boggy fields. The reality is in the wild horses would never choose to stand in...

For thousands of years horses roamed the grasslands, surviving, thriving and all without the need for something applied to the bottom of...

Nature has an inherent ability to improve, to adapt, to survive and to overcome. The miracle of the evolutionary complexities that it...

Hoof pastern axis (HPA) is a term for the relationship between the hoof and the pastern. There are three categories for HPA; broken back,...

Tensegrity, a combination of the words “tension” and “integrity”, is a principle that has been used in structural engineering for...

Every biological entity is made up of systems upon systems, existing in symbiosis for the collective good. Even our own evolutionary...

Social norms are a collective representation of acceptable group conduct and an individual’s perception of their particular groups...

This debate is often fiercely contested and remains controversial with two schools of thought, traditionally diametrically opposed. As...

Most horses will suffer with a severe unilateral lameness at one time in their life, when this is for prolonged periods of time, such as...

The ability to withstand concussive and load forces is vitally important in musculoskeletal health and the hoof is on the front line. At...

There is conflicting rhetoric traversing the social universe about the importance and ideals of phalangeal alignment and stance angles,...

Shoeing cycle length is a vitally important factor in hoof health and controlling the morphological changes associated with hoof growth...

The relationship between conformation and hoof morphology has been studied, Curtis (2002) outlined the effect of limb deformities on hoof...

Navicular syndrome (NS) is all too common a pathology, one paper expressed it as appertaining to a third of all forelimb lameness’ and...

Often horses and their teams of professionals struggle with perpetuating cycles. Vets, and physios in particular struggle with...

Why do so many ex-racehorses have bad feet? This very interesting question was asked to me recently and the answer is complexed. There is...

There is a long list of factors that influence the amount of length a farrier shoes a horse with, many are environmental; type of work,...

A question that is asked very often whenever people are looking for advice on farriery related issues is “what shoe would you put on for...

A horses conformation is the way it is made up, its structure, how its body parts relate to each other and how it is proportioned....

Many, many horses are in unrecognised pain. As their owners and caring professionals the responsibility lies with us to get better at...

Frog function is a vitally important factor in hoof health. A cliché has emerged amongst some farriery circles “use it or lose it.” when...

Wedges are widely debated in the farriery world, do they help to create better geometric hoof proportions in a broken back hoof pastern...

Farriery care can often be guilty of being fore limb focused, most of the research on horses’ feet has been fore limb dominant, there are...

There is a complexed relationship between the hoof, its conformation and the forces applied to it which affects the entire...

The physiological effect of poor conformation and hoof morphology on the wider skeletal system of the horse is a highly complexed...

The potential uses for thermography in equestrian care have been outlined historically, as far back as Von Schweinitz (1999) its...

Ligaments are short fibrous connective tissues which connect bone to bone or cartilage, farriery can have huge potential influences on...

Equine Powders and Potions- Fact or Fable? The list of supplements, herbal remedies, powders and potions is almost endless, tales of...

The digit is on the end of the limb, the limb is attached to the body and all this weight is transferred through the hoof. Creating a...

Our understanding of laminitis is changing and developing but one thing is clear, it can be a debilitating disease and has long been...

Introduction “No Foot, No Horse!” what does that mean? Originally it came from the cavalry, you needed the hoof of your deceased horse in...

Introduction The navicular apparatus is designed to dissipate force between the Deep Digital Flexor Tendon (DDFT) and the third phalanx...

The potential benefits of vibration therapy have been long studied, in 1867 Gustav Zander created a series of weights and pullies to...

Introduction Lameness diagnosis is not a straightforward process, it requires both skill and experience, firstly recognising the lame...