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Skip Navigation LinksAll Horse Topics > Lameness (Hoof) and Shoeing > Hoof Balance


Articles ( * = TheHorse.com members only )Date Posted
Farriery and the Coffin Joint: Breakover Techniques, AAEP 2008   *
"Breakover (defined as the moment the heels lift off the ground) is very much affected by the surface the horse works on," began Hans Castelijns, DVM, Certified Farrier, of Cortona, Italy, during the "Putting Science into Farriery" session at the 2008 Convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. "Soft ground eases breakover by letting ... Read full story
 5/22/2009
Book Excerpt: Hoof Trimming Intervals   *
How often a horse needs trimming depends on many factors, particularly how fast his hooves grow. A shod horse usually needs trimming every four to ten weeks (depending on his growth rate), since there is no way for the hoof to wear naturally. (Feet tend to grow faster in summer and slower in winter, but there will be a more consistent difference between ... Read full story
 5/6/2009
AAEP 2008: Tendon Angle and Lameness   *
Why might one horse suffer from injury to the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) in the navicular area while another doesn't? A recent study suggests that the angle of the DDFT as it passes over the navicular bone might have a lot to do with it. Justin McCormick, MS, a senior veterinary student and assistant at the University of California, Davis, completed ... Read full story
 3/15/2009
Readers Respond: Tip Toes  *
Almost 1,500 readers of TheHorse.com responded to a poll asking, "What management methods does your hoof care professional use?" Results were as follows: Barefoot trim: 58.84% (875) Shoeing: 48.42% (720) Simple trim: 39.61% (589) Multiple selections were allowed. Results of weekly polls from TheHorse.com are published in The ... Read full story
 6/26/2008
Healthy Hooves, Inside and Out
Do your horse’s hooves have these healthy characteristics? Much has been written about the equine foot, yet many of us know little about how it's really supposed to look and work. Sound horses don't all have the same size or shape feet (just like humans), and that fact often makes it more difficult to understand the healthy foot's form and function. ... Read full story
 3/1/2008
Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium: Self-Adjusting Palmar Angles for Healing Hooves  *
Massage is a wonderfully relaxing, healing experience. As you stretch out comfortably on the table and the massage therapist's hands alternate pressure and release over your sore muscles, they begin to relax, blood flow improves, and you begin feeling better. Why else would you get one? The same principles apply to your horse's feet. When they are ... Read full story
 5/1/2007
The Quest to Conquer Laminitis  *
"Owners and trainers worldwide have the feeling that every veterinarian and every farrier have years of experience and vast knowledge about laminitis and podiatry (foot care). Unfortunately, this is not the case," said Ric Redden, DVM, founder of the International Equine Podiatry Center in Versailles, Ky., and host of the Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium, ... Read full story
 5/1/2007
Equine Podiatry: Underrun Heels and Egg Bar Shoes  *
It will be easier to understand and comprehend the traditional treatment of underrun heels using egg bar shoes (with or without wedges) if we again first review the causes and pathogenesis of compromised heels. The causes of underrun heels are a genetically weak foot, individual hoof/limb conformation, breed, type of terrain on which horse is ridden, ... Read full story
 4/14/2007
Feet First: Farriery Topics from the 2006 AAEP Convention  *
The annual convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, held in San Antonio, Texas, in early December 2006, had three sessions devoted to foot care that were open to farriers. Following are synopses of some of those presentations. Complete coverage and full-length articles from the AAEP convention can be found online at www.TheHorse.com/AAEP2006. ... Read full story
 4/1/2007
Researchers Explain Short Shoeing Intervals  *
Farriers and veterinarians have said for years that shoeing intervals should be at most six to eight weeks, but why? Researchers from the Equine Performance Laboratory at Utrecht University (Netherlands) say it's because horses must compensate for the extra hoof growth by lowering the coffin joint angle, which places additional strain on their deep ... Read full story
 5/1/2006
Hoof Care for Toeing Out
My 2-year-old filly has turned-out toes, which originate from her knees. She does not trip or paddle when moving. However, after trimming her feet, she walks on the outside of the hoof and rotates her weight to the inside. I would like to know if a particular way of trimming her hooves would help the problem, or if I should shoe her. She is due to ... Read full story
 4/1/2006
Barefoot Horses   *
Veterinarians are often asked about leaving horses barefoot. I must say from the onset that I favor horses being maintained without shoes when possible. Whether or not it is feasible for a horse to go without shoes will depend on the owners' situation/ expectations and many variables that influence the feet. Horses can be shod in a physiologic manner ... Read full story
 3/1/2006
One Step at a Time: Hoof Trimming and Leg Stress  *
Have you ever walked in shoes that you've had forever that are just a little worn to one side of the heel or the other? Did you notice that after awhile your knees would start to hurt, or maybe your ankles? Now think about wearing those shoes 24 hours a day, every day, for an entire month without ever taking them off. Image how miserable you'd feel. ... Read full story
 1/1/2006
Helping Horses Worldwide  *
As a responsible horse owner, you make management decisions that affect the current well-being of your horse and his future vitality. You order low-dust bedding for your gelding with heaves. Your veterinarian arrives for her scheduled visit and you observe as she administers your mare's autumn vaccinations. You keep the new pony that shipped in yesterday ... Read full story
 11/1/2005
Big Feet, Big Shoes
Whether you're a heavy horse fancier or not, a big hitch of fancy draft horses is an arresting sight. But what's the connection between all this flash and the ideal function of a heavy horse? Show ring insiders say you're seeing an animal displaying its full range of motion, while skeptics argue that the horse's anatomy is dangerously compromised by ... Read full story
 5/1/2005
AAEP Convention 2004: Distal Phalanx Angles and DDFT Lesions?  *
"We have recognized since we've had the ability to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that deep digital flexor tendonitis is a common cause of lameness, but the etiology (cause) is poorly understood," said Sue J. Dyson, VetMB, PhD, FRCVS, of the Center for Equine Studies at the Animal Health Trust, at the 50th annual American Association of Equine ... Read full story
 2/14/2005
Managing Hoof Problems in Horses  *
Just about every horse out there has what we might call a hoof problem on at least one of his four feet. It might be a simple mismatch that might not really be a problem, or it might be much more serious. In any case, hoof problems, regardless of scope, need to be managed properly to maximize the horse's soundness, comfort, and usefulness to you. The ... Read full story
 6/1/2004
Managing Thin, Shelly Feet  *
Poor genetics, environment, nutrition, and foot care are the main causes of thin, shelly feet according to Ken Marcella, DVM, and farrier Jaye Perry. Marcella co-owns Chattahoochee Equine in Canton, Ga., and Perry, a farrier based in Cumming, Ga., has a large clientele of hunter-jumper and endurance horses as well as pleasure horses. Both men have ... Read full story
 3/1/2004
AAEP Wrap-Up: Lameness  *
P3 Alignment In Laminitic Horses "Chronic laminitis is a frustrating and, at times, disheartening condition to manage," said Stephen O'Grady, BVSc, MRCVS. "Treating chronic laminitis is always a challenge; here we move a bit away from veterinary medicine into the mechanics of farriery." With chronic laminitis, O'Grady said that toe-downward ... Read full story
 3/1/2004
AAEP 2003: Growth and Adaptability of the Hoof Wall  *
"The incidence of problems related to the hoof wall has been estimated to be 30% or more,” stated Robert M. Bowker, VMD, PhD, a professor of anatomy at Michigan State University, at the 2003 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention. "Resolution of hoof abnormalities by corrective trimming or shoeing depends on our understanding of the ... Read full story
 2/8/2004
The Basics of Breakover   *
What exactly is breakover? Most would answer that it is the horse's heel lifting off the ground and rotating over the toe as his foot leaves the ground. Breakover is simple in its definition, but pretty complex in its implications for your horse's movement and soundness. And there's not a lot of research out there yet to clearly define the best breakover ... Read full story
 11/1/2003
Anatomy of a Trim  *
Why do we ask farriers to take knives and nippers (and sometimes a whole lot more) to our horses' feet every six weeks? For many of us, it has always been just one of those things you knew you had to do if you had horses. And we might have also wondered how to evaluate the trim when it was done. To trim or not to trim, and how to trim correctly, ... Read full story
 8/1/2003
Joint Pressure in the Foot   *
New research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in the United Kingdom has advanced hoof balance from a farrier's art form to a measurement of pressure inside the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint (coffin joint). Some day, a horse's ideal balance might be determined by a pressure reading of this type. Excess intra-articular pressure and/or joint ... Read full story
 5/1/2003
Cutting-Edge Hoof Education  *
Described by host Ric Redden, DVM, founder of the International Equine Podiatry Center in Versailles, Ky., as "probably the most harmonious learning event in the world," the Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium held annually in Louisville, Ky., is a mecca for farriers and veterinarians interested in expanding their knowledge of the pathological equine foot. ... Read full story
 5/1/2003
Shoeing in the Frontal and Horizontal Planes   *
When evaluating horseshoeing, many people don't look at the hoof correctly, according to Hans Castelijns, DVM and farrier based in Italy. "There are the sagittal, frontal, and horizontal planes (illustration included in this story)," he said in his presentation "Shoeing in the Frontal and Horizontal Planes" at the 16th annual Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium ... Read full story
 4/16/2003
Using Self-Adjusting Palmar Angles to Treat Heel Pain   *
"How do we use the palmar angle (the angle the wings of the coffin bone make with the ground) to influence the mechanics (of the foot)?" asked Ric Redden, DVM, host of the 16th annual Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium and founder of the International Equine Podiatry Center in Versailles, Ky. First, you have to define which palmar angle you are discussing--the ... Read full story
 4/14/2003
Navicular Syndrome/Heel Pain   *
There is probably no truer adage, "No hoof, no horse." Without this solid foundation, a horse cannot perform to his potential no matter how well trained, how fit, or how athletic he might be. A steady clip-clop rhythm at the trot gives you a sense of well-being as each hoof beat chimes aloud that your horse is sound. But when that cadence becomes even ... Read full story
 4/1/2003
One Step at a Time  *
How hard are you really working to understand what makes a foot healthy, and what's happening that could cause problems? Training yourself to observe--not just see--the horse's foot is the first step. Each person involved with a horse, whether it's the groom, owner, farrier, or veterinarian, needs to be able to recognize subtle differences today that ... Read full story
 1/1/2003
Underrun Heels--Not So Innocent   *
Underrun heels sounds like an innocent term. Certainly it doesn't strike fear into the hearts of horse owners in the same way as, say, navicular syndrome. It should. The disorder is so common today that many people fail to see it as an abnormality. And those who might recognize it as a problem often believe it's of minor importance. Yet, underrun heels, ... Read full story
 11/1/2002
New Focus on the Foot  *
No foot, no horse; these words are as true today as they were two hundred years ago. But during that time, the horse has gone from being a "beast of burden" as the major means of transportation to a leisure animal--one that we ride for pleasure whether it is in competition or on a weekend trail ride. One constant during this time is that the horse ... Read full story
 7/1/2002
Which Foot to Pad?
Q. I just read your June “Ask the Vet” article about muscle toning and development (article #2775). It describes my horse exactly! Her left shoulder is more developed, and the right shoulder is farther forward and flat. Her left foot has a low heel and the right is slightly clubbed. Because of this, she has a hard time moving to the right, especially ... Read full story
 12/1/2001
Barefoot Benefits  *
We often assume a horse needs shoes without really thinking about why or how that affects a horse's overall health. Yet standard veterinary texts, such as books by James Rooney, DVM, and O.R. Adams, DVM, on equine lameness, refer to shoeing as a "necessary evil." What makes shoeing necessary in some instances is the need for additional traction caused ... Read full story
 7/1/2001




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