Routine Trimming and Therapeutic Farriery in Foals.

Hoof care in the first few months of life is serious business and should never be taken lightly. Farriery plays a vital role in both the development of the hoof and the conformation of the limb. Management of the feet and limbs during this period will often dictate the success of the foal as a sales yearling or mature sound athlete. A sound foot care program is time-consuming, whereas assembly-line trimming is quick and easy, but the former is much more beneficial.

Farriery for the hoof with a high heel or club foot.

A club foot or flexural deformity may affect a horse at any stage of life from neonate through adulthood. The emphasis of this article is on defining and recommending the appropriate farriery for flexural deformities involving the deep digital flexor tendon and the distal interphalangeal joint. Clinical management of the flexural deformity is influenced by the severity, duration, and etiology of the club foot as well as the degree and source of lameness. Also discussed is the management of mismatched hoof angles, which remains a controversial subject for both farrier and veterinarian.

Farriery for the hoof with a sheared heel.

Sheared heels develop as an adaptation-distortion of the hoof capsule as a result of an abnormal strike and loading pattern of the foot, which is generally a consequence of limb conformation. The growth rate around the circumference of the hoof should be approximately uniform, but regional disturbances in growth rate can occur to either increase or decrease growth. The primary conformational trait that is observed in horses that develop sheared heels is a rotational deformity of the distal limb and a narrow chest. Farriery is directed toward improving the hoof capsule distortion and decreasing the forces on the displaced side of the foot.

Farriery for hoof wall defects: quarter cracks and toe cracks.

Conditions that result in the loss of the structural integrity of the hoof wall, such as quarter and toe cracks, are not uncommon and usually manifest in lameness. The successful management of these problems involves identifying and addressing the underlying causes, stabilization of the foot, and committed follow-up.

Nonseptic diseases associated with the hoof complex: keratoma, white line disease, canker, and neoplasia.

This article addresses nonseptic diseases associated with the hoof complex, namely keratoma, white line disease, canker, and neoplasia. Keratoma is an uncommon cause of lameness, which may be surgically removed. White line disease, a keratolytic process on the solar surface of the hoof, is treated with therapeutic farriery and resection of the hoof wall when appropriate. Equine canker is an infectious process that results in development of a chronic hypertrophy of the horn-producing tissues. Neoplasia involving the equine foot is rare, and melanoma is the most common type of neoplasm reported.

Septic diseases associated with the hoof complex: abscesses, punctures wounds, and infection of the lateral cartilage.

Hoof abscesses are probably the most common cause of acute severe lameness in horses encountered by veterinarians and farriers. Most affected horses show sudden, severe (acute) lameness; the degree of lameness varies from being subtle in the early stages to non-weight bearing. There is still debate between the veterinary and farrier professions as to who should treat a hoof abscess and the best method to resolve the abscess. Puncture wounds to the sole of the foot can introduce bacteria and debris to the solar surface of the distal phalanx and produce a fracture or a septic pedal osteitis.

The equine practitioner-farrier relationship: building a partnership.

The importance of hoof care in maintaining the health and soundness of a horse cannot be overstated. The aphorism, "No foot, no horse" still holds true. For equine ambulatory practitioners, the time devoted to a thorough understanding of the equine digit and it's care is well worth the investment. The effort devoted to developing good relationships with individuals who will likely be responsible for implementing the changes suggested as a result of that understanding will be rewarded many times over in the course of the equine ambulatory practitioner's career.

Farriery for chronic laminitis.

Laminitis is considered chronic once the distal phalanx has displaced within the hoof capsule. Chronic laminitis generally occurs as a direct sequel to acute laminitis. Clinical evaluation of chronic laminitis is best performed with a thorough clinical examination and radiography. The mainstay of hoof care is therapeutic farriery. In this article, the goals and principles of hoof care, the appropriate trim and various shoes that form the bulk of farriery for chronic laminitis, and surgical treatments are discussed.

Basic farriery for the performance horse.

Proper farriery promotes a healthy functional foot and biomechanical efficiency and prevents lameness. Because the equine veterinarian is responsible for the soundness of the horse, a working knowledge of farriery becomes essential. A thorough knowledge of traditional horseshoeing enables the veterinarian to interact with the farrier at the farrier's level; this ultimately enhances and promotes quality hoof care. This article focuses on fundamental farriery and recognizing subtle changes in hoof conformation that can be used to preserve the integrity of the hoof capsule, along with the structures enclosed within, and thus prevent lameness in the performance horse.

Proper physiologic horseshoeing.

Adherence to the basic principles of physiologic horseshoeing is essential to maintaining hoof health and soundness. Most horses do not require special trimming or shoeing techniques. Becoming familiar with a few basic concepts can help the veterinarian to recognize when changes in trimming or shoeing might be expected to help the performance of a sound horse or might help to restore the performance of one that is lame. Sound physiologic horseshoeing can only be achieved by a thorough knowledge of, strict adherence to, and skillful application of basic principles, such as hoof angle, HPA, and mediolateral balance. Only then does the art of farriery truly approach being a science.

Chronic laminitis: current treatment strategies.

Laminitis is divided into four different phases: developmental, acute, subacute, and chronic. The focus of this article is on treating the laminitic horse after the cessation of therapy for the acute phase, that is, usually 2 to 4 weeks after the onset of clinical signs.