To celebrate American Farrierâs Journalâs 40th anniversary, the magazineâs staff recently issued a special hard cover reprint of Ohio farrier and professor William Russellâs classic Scientific Horseshoeing book.
Meeting yesterday's and todayâs toughest horse foot care challenges
To celebrate American Farrierâs Journalâs 40th anniversary, the magazineâs staff recently issued a special hard cover reprint of Ohio farrier and professor William Russellâs classic Scientific Horseshoeing book - A âSuper Starâ Historical Reference on Footcare.
The 384-page reprint of the extremely rare ninth edition from 1906 is among the most respected historical references on trimming and shoeing principles ever published. Whether you are a farrier, veterinarian or horse owner deeply interested in hoof care, this book will serve as a valuable reference.
Nearly 140 years since the first edition was published in 1879, Russellâs practical knowledge and careful study of foot and leg anatomy remains astonishingly applicable to many of todayâs toughest footcare challenges. There is hardly an equine footcare article or research paper published today that does not contain some reference to his earlier work.
The book contains hundreds of details on leveling and balancing the action and gait of horses. By reading the book, you will learn hundreds of time-tested footcare solutions for dealing with cracked hooves, laminitis, pigeon toes, heel bruises, long-toe concerns, navicular disease, knock-knees, gait defects, faulty leg placement and much more.
Featuring more than 600 hand-drawn, fully detailed illustrations, the book devotes 57 pages to remedying and curing numerous foot diseases. It also describes 88 different shoes in full detail, including their use and how to forge each shoe.
After arriving in Cincinnati in 1844, Russell quickly became one of the earliest proponents of âscientificâ horseshoeing. This was a concept that required farriers to fully understand anatomy, evaluate numerous other factors involved in shoeing and to master the more artistic facets of forging shoes. In fact, Russell was among the first farriers to stress the concept of properly balancing the foot.
In his book, Russell paid close attention to the development of skills in trimming and balancing the foot with its leg. Not leaving this to guesswork, he made judicious use of a number of mathematical instruments to provide a true picture of the limb and hoof while analyzing differences in each horse.
Continuing on this theme, Russell explains conformational issues in clear and common sense terms that predispose animals to poor gaits and the limitations of farrier practices needed to overcome these faults.
Collectors of farrier-related books say this is one of the most valuable historical references. Once you have read this book, youâll understand why it has been the go-to book for many years for hoof researchers and authors, offering information that is as useful today as it was in the late 1800s.
Russellâs influence on American horseshoeing technique has been tremendous and the industry still relies on his knowledge, more than 140 years later through the pages of this book.
Copies of Scientific Horseshoeing are available for $74.95 plus shipping and handling from American Farriers Journal. Orders can be placed by visiting AmericanFarriers.com/scientific15, by calling (866) 839-8455 or (262) 782-4480, or by writing to American Farriers Journal, P.O. Box 624, Brookfield, WI 53008-0624.