SPANA Launches Fundraising Effort to Train African Farriers

A recent SPANA survey of 320 cart horses in two Ethiopian towns found that nearly all were suffering with problems caused by poor farriery.
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A British animal charity has launched a fundraising campaign to help prevent lameness in working equids in developing countries, after a study in one area found that up to 99% of horses had some kind of hoof abnormality.

In the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad's (SPANA) survey of 320 cart horses in two Ethiopian towns, nearly all were suffering with problems caused by poor farriery.

Poorly trimmed or overgrown hooves and ill-fitting shoes are a significant cause of lameness for working animals in developing countries. If left untreated these problems can become chronic and leave the animal in pain and incapable of work. SPANA hopes to train local farriers in Ethiopia, Morocco, and Tunisia to improve techniques for hoof trimming and shoeing.

“This study is just the tip of the iceberg," said Andrew Stringer, BVSc, PhD, MRCVS, SPANA’s director of veterinary programs. "A simple and very treatable problem like overgrown hooves can lead to tendon damage and in some cases horrific trip injuries. We often see horseshoes crudely hammered in with masonry nails penetrating sensitive areas of the hoof

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