Research: 3D Printed Horseshoe and Hoof Scanning Trials Launched by Vet School Farriers at Utrecht University in The Netherlands

A team of vet school researchers and farriers at Utrecht University (NL) is hard at work fine-tuning how to scan the morphology of a hoof and use a 3D printer to create a shoe with specific size, shape and material characteristics to fit the particular and individual requirements of lame or conformationally-challenged horses.

3D Printed Horseshoe Update: No Purple Titanium Horseshoes on Hooves (Yet)

Australian national CSIRO research laboratory engineer Chad Henry has gone back to the drawing board to perfect his titanium horseshoe produced via 3-D printing. (CSIRO photo)

Do you remember the flashy purple horseshoes from the Australian laboratory that were destined to crush racetrack records? The story--along with examples of the way that 3-D printing is used in the hoofcare world--was popular on the Hoof Blog last month. 

The Hoof Blog contacted the horse's trainer to see how it was doing with the special new shoes and he kindly responded. Apparently the rest of the media in the world re-published the story without checking on the result.