Topic:Farriery
Farriery involves the skilled practice of hoof care and shoeing in horses, focusing on the maintenance and management of equine hooves. The process includes trimming and balancing the hooves, as well as the application of horseshoes when necessary. Farriery plays a role in supporting the overall health, performance, and comfort of horses by addressing issues related to hoof growth, structure, and function. Various techniques and materials are employed to accommodate different hoof conditions and activities. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, materials, and implications of farriery in equine health and welfare.
Equine hoof function investigated by pressure transducers inside the hoof and accelerometers mounted on the first phalanx. The dampening of hoof impact was investigated by measuring the accelerations transmitted through structures of the hoof in horses trotting freely on an asphalt tarmac. The hoof dampened the vibrations transmitted to the first phalanx. Shoeing decreased the viscous dampening and increased the median power frequency and the maximal amplitude of the vibrations transmitted to the first phalanx. The pressure inside the digital cushion of the foreleg was recorded. The pressure dropped during the stance phase, indicating expansion of the hoof. The expansion of the hoof was not produced by frog or sol...
The effect of toe weights on linear and temporal stride characteristics of standardbred trotters. Toe weights are applied to influence the stride characteristics of trotters. The quantitative effect of 88-g toe weights on the stride characteristics of Standardbred trotters was evaluated in a kinematic study using a CODA-3 analysis system. Six trotters were studied at a speed of 11 m/s on a treadmill. Temporal gait variables, joint angles, and the trajectories of the forelimb hoof were calculated. The stride patterns of the individual trotters were assessed by a judge and compared to the CODA-output. Those trotters with poor flexion of the carpal joint during the swing phase or with insuffi...
Treatment and pathogenesis of navicular disease (‘syndrome’) in horses. The future directions of navicular disease research are unclear. Often researchers investigate only one of the multitude of factors likely to be important in understanding the disease. Two exceptions to this is work done by Wright in this issue of EVJ and by MacGregor (1988) who compared a number of the treatment regimens (e.g. rest, warfarin, isoxsuprine, shoeing with egg bars) and found that approximately 75% of the horses improved in their performance. Perhaps this percentage of 'recovered' horses from this disease is what can be realistically expected, as often horses with navicular diseas...
Conservative management of femoral diaphyseal fractures in four foals. Femoral fractures in young horses can occur as a result of severe trauma and generally have a poor prognosis despite treatment. Four young horses with femoral diaphyseal fractures were managed with conservative treatment consisting of prolonged rest, analgesics, hind limb support, and corrective farriery. A favorable outcome in the form of pasture soundness with potential for limited athletic usefulness was obtained in 3 out of the 4 cases. This report supports the use of conservative treatment of selected diaphyseal femoral fractures in young horses.
Relationship between locomotor forces, hoof position and joint motion during the support phase of the stride of galloping horses. Three methods were used simultaneously to determine the relationships between the vertical forces exerted on the hooves and the positions of the limbs and hooves at the times of peak vertical forces from 2 horses galloping on a track straightaway. Vertical forces were recorded from an instrumented shoe, fetlock joint motion was measured with an electrogoniometer and the angles of the carpus, fetlock and hoof were determined from slow-motion films. At hoof contact, the mean angles of the carpus and fetlock were 181-182 degrees and 199-206 degrees, respectively. Peak vertical forces on the heel ...
Comparison of the damping effect of different shoeing by the measurement of hoof acceleration. The purpose of this study was to compare the damping effect of 16 types of shoeing by measuring hoof acceleration parameters on two trotting horses. At impact, maximal deceleration had extreme values such as 188 m/s2 (+/- 55) for the most damping combination (p < 0.01) and 746 m/s2 (+/- 14) for the steel shoe (mean = 551 m/s2 +/- 125). After the shock, the hoof was exposed to a mean vibrating acceleration at 418 Hz (+/- 84) which was progressively damped in 37.3 ms (+/- 10.5). According to these results, the damping ability of different farriery products significantly reduces (p < 0.05) shocks...
Evaluation of the hoof and foot relevant to purchase. The equine hoof and foot are the most commonly affected anatomic sites of lameness encountered during purchase examination of the performance horse. This article presents a thorough, systematic approach to the clinical evaluation of the hoof and foot relevant to the pre-purchase examination. Normal and abnormal conditions are discussed with reference to their potential effects on future performance and soundness. Proper trimming, balancing, and shoeing principles are emphasized.
[The history of the book, “The family horse doctor, or the art of healing one’s own horse,” by Francis Clater]. Francis CLATER presumably was born in 1754 near Nottingham. He became farrier after years of apprenticeships at Newark and Retford. In 1783 the first edition of his book "Every man his own farrier" was published. Within 50 years at least 30 editions were printed. This book was translated by PRETOT into French (1822), by S. von TENNECKER (1823) and by LENTIN (1834) into German and by TURNE (1838) into Russian language. Contents of some editions are compared and valued.
Ultrastructural observation on the response of equine hoof defects to dietary supplementation with Farrier’s Formula. Farrier's Formula feed supplement was added to the diet of 18 horses with two types of hoof horn defects. The first group of horses showed sand cracks and crumbling horn around the nail holes; the second group suffered frequent bruising and had flat feet with collapsed heels. Hoof clippings from both groups were studied in the transmission and scanning electron microscopes. All the horses showed a progressive improvement in the gross and microscopic structure of the hoof horn, starting six weeks after the supplementation began. Once good quality hoof horn had grown there was no relapse during ...
Investigation of the vertical hoof force distribution in the equine forelimb with an instrumented horseboot. A greater knowledge of the biomechanics is necessary in equine orthopaedics, therapeutics, farriery and for the selection of athletic horses. The purpose of this study was to determine the normal distribution of the vertical component of the hoof force using a measuring boot. The measurements were carried out using 20 sound horses walking and trotting on a straight hard track. A force measuring horseshoe, attached to the foot with a boot, provided continuous recording of vertical forces at four locations on the hoof. For each measuring location, a computer program produced curves and calculate...
The effect of an acute angulation of the hind hooves on diagonal synchrony of trotting horses. High speed cinematography was used to measure the timing and distance characteristics of the trot in five sound horses. Two farriery treatments were compared: (1) normal, in which the dorsal hoof wall was aligned with the pastern axis in all four feet and (2) acute hind hoof angulation, in which the hind toes were allowed to grow relatively longer than the heels, so that the angulation was approximately 10 degrees lower than the normal hind hoof angle for the individual animal. Comparison between the two treatments showed that the acute hind hoof angulation was associated with significant incr...
The effect of an acute hoof wall angulation on the stride kinematics of trotting horses. High speed cinematography was used to describe the stride kinematics in a group of six, sound horses subjected to two farriery treatments, designated 'normal' and 'acute' hoof angulation. Normal was defined as having the dorsal hoof wall aligned with the pastern axis, whereas the acute hoof angulation was approximately 10 degrees lower than the normal angle for the individual horse. The acute angle was achieved by allowing the toes to grow relatively longer than the heels. The results of a multivariate analysis of variance showed significant differences between the two farriery treatments in t...
Treatment of solar prolapse using the heart bar shoe and dorsal hoof wall resection technique. This paper describes the treatment of 10 horses suffering from acute laminitis using the heart bar shoe and a dorsal hoof wall resection technique. All cases had progressed to prolapse of the tip of the pedal bone covered by solar corium through the horny sole; in one case the exposed tip of the distal phalanx became visible. Nine cases of distal phalangeal rotation and one case of distal displacement of the distal phalanx (sinking) are described. Two animals were destroyed because of the degree of lameness, one remains slightly lame at the trot and the remaining seven have returned to their p...
The construction of the heart bar shoe and the technique of dorsal wall resection. This paper describes a method of fabricating and fitting heart bar shoes and a technique of dorsal hoof wall resection. The rationale behind the treatments and criteria for their use are described. Radiographic technique is also discussed. This article reports the treatment of a series of clinical cases described in an accompanying article (p370).
Clinical examination of the equine foot. The foot is the most common source of limb pain. The problems vary from simple to quite complex. An accurate diagnosis is dependent upon a thorough and detailed knowledge of anatomy and of what is available in the way of ancillary examination techniques. The correction of most foot problems requires an appreciation of a multitude of factors and a thorough knowledge of farrier science.
Diagnosis and treatment of the navicular syndrome in horses. Navicular syndrome can be treated in a variety of ways. This is related to the fact that it has a variety of causes. Prognostically, most horses will improve with treatment. One can expect about 50 per cent of the horses to become useably sound for 1 year, no matter what treatment is used. The disease is progressive, and affected horses eventually will need to be retired because of lameness. The author's therapeutic approach is to utilize shoeing as the primary therapy. Shoeing is performed to correct structural problems and to ensure that shoeing is physiologically sound. Nonsteroidal anti-in...
The relationship of frog pressure to heel expansion. A study was carried out on five horses and four ponies to assess the effect of altering frog pressure on hoof expansion. Measurements of hoof expansion were made using strain gauges. It was concluded that whereas frog pressure affects hoof expansion, it is only one of several factors. Increasing frog pressure may result in increased expansion, or contraction, or may have virtually no affect. The variable results of changing frog pressure should be taken into account when considering therapeutic shoeing.
A technique for assessing hoof function in the horse. This paper describes the application of foil strain gauges to the hoof wall, and the use of measuring equipment to monitor weightbearing and changes in hoof shape in shod and unshod horses. It concludes that the systems can detect hoof movement and that results are reproducible. It is also concluded that the use of a conventional nailed on iron shoe restricts flexion and spreading of the hoof wall at the ground surface, but has little effect on the degree of expansion of the heels of the foot.
The pathogenesis and treatment of osteomyelitis and laminitis in a stallion after the prolonged topical application of formalin to the distal phalanx. A 12-year-old Quarterhorse stallion was presented with a severe lameness in the left forefoot. There was a 3 cm diameter cavity in the sole that extended to the solar surface of the distal phalanx. Radiographs revealed an osteomyelitis and a sequestrum which probably developed following the prolonged topical application of 10 percent formalin. The sequestrum was removed and the infected bone curetted under general anaesthesia. The horse was shod with heart bar shoes on both front feet 7 days after the surgery. Eight months later, radiographs showed marked rotation of the distal phalanx despite...
Measurements of bone strain in foals with altered foot balance. Two to 7 days after birth, 9 foals were anesthetized, and strain gauges were applied to lateral and medial aspects of the third metacarpal bone of the left forelimb. In 5 of these foals, strain gauges also were applied to the radius of the left forelimb. Four to 6 days later, foals were walked (5 sets of 10 to 20 strides), and compressive and tensile strains in the bone beneath strain gauges were recorded on paper and diskette. After recording base-line data, a wedge was fitted to the hoof of the limb with the strain gauges, in such a way that the lateral bearing surface was raised, and strain...