Newsdate: Friday, March 10, 2023 - 9:00 am
Location: PALM BEACH, Florida

Dr, Stephen O'Grady has written a very informative article for the Palm Beach Equine Clinic news related to the importance of farriers being proactive in caring for horses' feet. The article includes many important photos and illustrations related to hoof care.

Basic tools used in caring for horses' hooves

There are three important aspects of farriery used to keep the horse sound, beginning with the appropriate foot trim, along with the correct size and placement of the horseshoe.
© 2007 by Montanabw New window.

The article begins with "The importance of good quality hoof care in competition horses cannot be denied. Farriery can be a major asset during the show season and beyond. The farrier can be proactive in keeping the horse’s feet healthy and thus preventing lameness. Learn more as Dr. Stephen O’Grady of Palm Beach Equine Clinic in Wellington, FL, explains the philosophy behind correct basic farriery in sport horses."

The Hoof
"The equine hoof is unique as it is comprised of a group of biological structures (anatomy) that follow the laws of biomechanics. Therefore, if the veterinarian and farrier know the anatomy of the equine foot combined with an understanding of the biomechanics and good basic farriery principles, proper physiological farriery can be consistently applied (see Figure 1A and 1B). There are three important aspects of farriery used to keep the horse sound, beginning with the appropriate foot trim, along with the correct size and placement of the horseshoe."

The article  ends with Thoughts From Dr. Stephen O’Grady:
"Most competition horses now show year-round instead of on a seasonal basis. My observation is based on years of experience regarding the farriery performed on these horses. Many of these horses are given a rest from competition prior to leaving for Wellington for the winter show season. Many horses arrive with very reasonable foot conformation. However, upon arrival, horses are often shod with various specialty shoes, wedges, pads, pour-ins, etc., as a means of protection and perhaps to enhance their performance."

"As the season progresses and the workload becomes more intense, the sole thickness starts to decrease, and the feet become softer from multiple baths. Now the farriery that was applied for protection at the onset may be causing pressure on the thinner, softer structures of the foot, thus becoming somewhat detrimental. The horses continue to be trimmed and shod on a monthly basis, and the farrier may not be aware of the change in the integrity of the hoof structures, especially the sole, and perhaps some horses may be over-trimmed. As the season progresses into March, the structures of the foot deteriorate further as a result of the workload. Many horses begin to become foot sore. At this point, the farrier options become limited because all the protective methodology was already used at the beginning of the season."

Read the entire article HERE