.jpg "international survey for equine veterinarians and professional farriers")
Responses will be collected from participants using an online survey from June 10 to July 15, 2024.
Participation in the study is voluntary and all submissions will be completely anonymous. No personal identifying data will be collected within the survey, and all information will be stored according to the Data Protection Act and GDPR principles.
How to participate in this study
Please click here to access the hoof knowledge study, and allow possibly up to 25 minutes to complete it. The actual survey begins with a consent query on page 3 of the website.
From the research team:
“No hoof, no horse,” is a phrase commonly used by horse owners, associated professionals and enthusiasts alike, but why?
The significance of proper hoof care and maintenance cannot be overstated for the equine, with upwards of 80 percent of lameness determined to arise from an issue or issues emanating in the hoof.
Equine veterinarians are charged with the overall medical care of equines, including supervision, assessment and an assurance of the hoof’s proper maintenance. The latter is a skill principally undertaken by farriers, who specialize in equine hoof care and procedures including trimming, balancing and application of horseshoes through specific interventions.
How much hoof knowledge does each group have, how was it gained and how do they define common phrases and terms often used to communicate on collaborative endeavors intended for the horse’s well-being and benefit?
However, most veterinary schools offer limited instruction on hoof care and maintenance, and requirements to practice farriery – including education, instruction and licensing – vary throughout the globe.
How much hoof knowledge does each group have, how was it gained and how do they define common phrases and terms often used to communicate on collaborative endeavors intended for the horse’s well-being and benefit? These are among the questions the study aims to help answer.
It will seek to provide clarity on terms such as ‘balance’ and ‘breakover’, important hoof-specific terms that are often loosely or erroneously defined. Recommendations and opinions on the execution of certain hoof-specific interventions – including shoeing prescriptive plans to treat an injury and/or pathology – also tend to vary among equine veterinarians and farriers, all requiring some clarification.
The study will also assess perceptions of collaborative efforts between equine veterinarians and farriers that are often required for the horse’s well-being.
The study has received ethical approval from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies Human Ethical Review Committee (HERC) and has been assigned the following unique identifying number: HERC_2024_057.
How to participate in this study
Please click here to access the hoof knowledge study, and allow possibly up to 25 minutes to complete it. The actual survey begins with a consent query on page 3.
About the researchers
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| Researcher Jude Florio received a Masters in Science degree from the University of Edinburgh after completing the Graduate Diploma in Equine Locomotion at the Royal Veterinary College. He is now pursuing post-graduate studies in equine science at Edinburgh. He was the first farrier to earn a Master's degree in the program. |
Jude Florio is an American farrier serving the sport horse industry in New Jersey and Wellington, Florida. He completed the Royal Veterinary College's Graduate Diploma in Equine Locomotion course, and then earned a Masters in Science at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
Dr. Lindsay-McGee is program coordinator for the University's Master of Science in Equine Science and a teaching fellow at The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.
Any questions regarding this study may be directed to the following researchers:
Jude R. Florio: v1jflori@ed.ac.ukDr. Victoria Lindsay-McGee: victoria.lindsay-mcgee@ed.ac.ukDr. Tamsin Coombs: vt1coomb@exseed.ed.ac.uk.
Closing note
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| Founder of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, farrier William Dick. |
The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh was founded by William Dick, a farrier's son who trained under and shod horses for his father. He was fascinated by anatomy, and loved horses. He continued his studies in the very earliest years of the veterinary profession. After completing a short course at what would later become the Royal Veterinary College in London, he established a school in his home city that educated both "practical or professional" students (farriers and smiths) as well as "general or amateur" students, including "medical men" and Highland Society members.
Practical sections of the courses were offered in his father's forge in Edinburgh, and the school was managed by Dick's older sister, Mary. Queen Victoria appointed Dick as her official veterinarian.
By the time of the founder's death in 1866, Mary and William Dick had made it possible for more than 800 men to become veterinarians, many of whom traveled to far points on the globe and established veterinary schools of their own. The vet school became part of the prestigious University of Edinburgh in 1951.
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