Laminitis In Action: Coffin Bone Rotation Time Lapse Video (International Laminitis Conference Preview)

Laminitis, caught in the act: The foot of a horse suffering from Potomac Horse Fever is recorded as it goes through two processes subsequent to the damage in the foot caused by the disease: the coffin bone appears to be rotating away from the hoof wall at the toe and down at its tip; it is also "sinking" within the foot. These two processes are called rotation and sinking, or sinker syndrome. Many laminitis terms have parallel names in other parts of the world or even within the same country. (Andrew Van Eps video)

(You might have to watch this a few times, and if you have a slow connection, you might need to click on the stop button. Once the video is buffered, it should play smoothly. Watching it in full-screen mode helps.)

What you are seeing is a time-lapse of the radiographic view of a horse going through the process commonly called "rotation". What rotation actually is and which part of the foot is the chicken and which is the egg is perpetually debated. This particular foot is also "sinking" within the hoof capsule.

Andrew Van Eps

The video was created by Andrew Van Eps, BVSc, PhD, MACVSc, DACVIM of the University of Queensland. Dr. Van Eps earned a PhD while he was researching laminitis at the Australian Equine Laminitis Research Unit under Dr Chris Pollitt. Among the insights Dr. Van Eps' PhD research has contributed to the treatment of laminitis is the efficacy of cryotherapy in the prevention of laminitis. He created the video of the Potomac Horse Fever case during a residency at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

At the Sixth International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot in West Palm Beach, Florida next month, Dr. Van Eps returns once again to speak. Among his subjects will be suggestions for ways to apply cryotherapy, clinical techniques to prevent support-limb laminitis and his intriguing-sounding lecture, "Lamellar Bioenergetics Studied Using Tissue Microdialysis".


You might be interested in reading "Equine laminitis: cryotherapy reduces the severity of the acute lesion" and "Equine laminitis model: cryotherapy reduces the severity of lesions evaluated seven days after induction with oligofructose" by van Eps and Dr. Pollitt, originally published in 2004 and 2009, respectively, in the Equine Veterinary Journal.

He's probably forgotten all about this video. But to anyone dealing with laminitis, the question of whether or not rotation is inevitable in a given horse remains a paramount concern. How many horses technically experience laminitis and have damaged laminae, but have minor rotation or none at all, and why is there such variation between horses? How many horses have bouts of laminitis that their owners never even notice? Is it still laminitis if no one notices but the farrier, the next time the horse is due to be trimmed or shod?

And what is rotation? Is the deep digital flexor tendon, which attaches on the underside of the coffin bone, actually pulling up and back on the bone as the laminae at the toe loosen their hold on the bone, as we've been taught, and as this video would so nicely illustrate? Or is it the weight of the horse on the compromised structures, compounded by unusual posture, that encourages a combination of those forces to work in concert?

A paper from New Zealand published in this month's (September 2011) Equine Veterinary Journal proposes that the soft tissue structures in the back of a contracted, bar-humped foot make it possible for the palmar processes of the coffin bone to act like a fulcrum around which the coffin bone rotates, and that the tendon has no involvement. (See "The effect of hoof angle variations on dorsal lamellar load in the equine hoof" by Ramsey, Hunter and Nash.)

Lead author Gordon Ramsey was kind enough to send his paper and this section begs to be highlighted; using a Finite Element analysis model, Ramsey calculated forces on the proximal hoof wall at the toe when the heels are raised, as recommended in some laminitis therapy regimen. Extrapolating from that finding, he challenged the mainstream concept of coffin bone rotation in laminitis.

Please note that the author is from the University of Auckland in New Zealand and so uses "lamellae" instead of "laminae" in his text; instead of referring to raising the heels of the foot, he refers to mechanically altering the palmar angle of the coffin bone. It's food for thought whether measurements of heels and coffin bone palmar angles are interchangeable.

A typical laminitis foot, with increased heel growth, which would elevate the palmar angle of the coffin bone as per Ramsey's FE model. According to his calculations, as that palmar angle is intentionally increased in some laminitis treatment protocols, the stress on the proximal (closer to the coronet) laminae inside the hoof wall at the toe would be increased. (University of Nottingham vet school photo)

Ramsey writes:

"The first stage of structural failure in a laminitic hoof involves a stretching of the laminar junction (Pollitt 2007), with rotational displacement occurring subsequently. This seems consistent with a mode of failure that begins at the most loaded proximal part of the lamellae, as predicted by this model, with rotation only occurring after the lamellae have been weakened. 

"It has been proposed that rotational displacement of the distal phalanx, as a sequel to weakening or failure of the laminar junction, is a result of the forces imposed by the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) and leverage of the dorsal wall on the ground during breakover (Hood 1999). Experimental results have shown that in laminitic ponies the DDFT force is zero for the first 40% of stance and only approaches a normal value near the end of stance, but that the peak vertical ground reaction force (GRF) is only reduced by 13 percent compared to normal ponies (McGuigan et al 2005). 

"Since the peak lamellar load, predicted by this model to occur at the proximal (not the distal) region of the laminar junction, is more strongly influenced by the GRF than the DDFT force and does not occur during breakover, then this mechanism seems unlikely. 

"An alternative proposed mechanism is that the digital cushion and the region of the attachment of the DDFT are a fulcrum about which the distal phalanx rotates (Coffman et al 1970). As both the DDFT and the digital cushion are soft tissues, it seems unlikely that these could provide sufficient support. 

"However, if the hoof has contracted heels or ingrown bars (Strasser 1997), then these could provide support for the palmar processes to act as the fulcrum for rotation. This could explain why in some hooves the distal phalanx rotates but in other cases, where this fulcrum perhaps does not exist, it only displaces vertically."

Join in the discussion at the Laminitis Conference, October 29-31. The early registration discount ends soon!

 TO  LEARN  MORE

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.  

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Education Connection: Speakers at Equitana Australia November 18-21, 2010

Jockey-turned-farrier Laurie Paltridge is one of the few people in the world who can say he has both ridden and shod the winner of his nation's top jumping race. You can hear Laurie speak and watch his shoeing demonstration if you happen to be lucky enough to be in Melbourne, Australia next week, where the Downunder edition of Equitana will be underway. Laurie is one of many speakers addressing hoof and lameness problems in sport and recreational horses at the event. Photo mirrored from the Melbourne Standard.

Melbourne, Australia may be half a world away for our USA readers, but if you read the statistics of who reads this blog, you will know that a good number will be attending Equitana Downunder this week. The organizers have put together an interesting program in equine lameness with something for everyone--no matter what your bent, from the alternative to the mainstream, from the traditional to the high tech, a speaker will be presenting on your wave length.

This is quite a switch from most horse expos, which seem to choose speakers based on exhibitor and sponsor provided experts, or the current popular circuit speakers. While popular speakers bring in crowds, they don't always provide a balanced view of what's going on in the field. It takes a roster of speakers to achieve that goal, and rosters cost money.

The biographies you'll read in this post are presented as supplied by Equitana, and they were surely only slightly edited from what the speakers provided, so please keep that in mind as you read.

Lots of information about Equitana Melbourne can be found online; most of the speakers have their own web sites as well. The original Equitana, in Essen, Germany, will be held in March 2011, and is one of the most outstanding equine/equestrian educational/commercial events in the world. The German show includes the famous Hufdorf, or Hoof Village, as well as a new Center for Excellence for Equine Welfare.

Spinal pain and/or dysfunction, and related stiffness, behavioral and performance problems, are the main focus of Dr. Ian Bidstrup's veterinary practice. He is one of a handful of Australian veterinarians using the combination of acupuncture, prolotherapy and veterinary chiropractic to treat these problems.
In addition to a veterinary degree, Ian has a masters degree in chiropractic science and international qualifications in acupuncture. He lectured part-time in animal chiropractic at RMIT Univeristy from 2002 to 2009 and in saddle fitting for the ASFA level 1 and 2 courses from 2000 to 2009. His presentation this EQUITANA Melbourne is on sacro-iliac joint complex troubles.
Learn more about his work for horse at www.spinalvet.com.au

Andrew Bowe began working as a farrier in 1990 after graduating from Dookie College (B.App.Sc). He is a Trade Accredited Master Farrier with a difference. His business combines a lifetime's experience of traditional farriery with modern barehoofcare ideas (training horses' feet to be healthy and strong enough to be ridden without horseshoes).

He specialises in returning chronically lame horses back to soundness with barefoot rehabilitation: restoring correct form, movement and function to horses' feet, using modern hoof boots when necessary.

Known as 'The Barefoot Blacksmith' he travels Australia-wide, teaching horse owners how they can help their horses grow and maintain healthy feet, the foundations to a healthy horse.

Learn more about Andrew at www.barehoofcare.com

Jeremy Ford, a farrier of 16 years is now a professional natural hoof care specialist.  He runs his practice Wild About Hooves in Tasmania with his partner and barefoot endurance rider, Jen Clingly.


After being introduced to barefoot trimming he has hung up his hammer and stored the anvil to promote healthy, sound, metal-free horses.

Jeremy has been involved with horses all his life in all disciplines including hunting, endurance and stock-work.  His encounters with wild Australian Brumbies in the outback were the major inspiration for the switch to barefoot.  These horses have hooves, hard and strong, and able to cope with the hardest terrain.  This natural world led him to study with the AANHCP (American Association of Natural Hoof Care Practitioners).

Jeremy's life revolves around horses' hooves.  He runs educational workshops on hoof care Australia wide and is principle lecturer in the trade certificate Equine Hoof Care course run by the government education institute, TAFE.  Wild About Hooves runs annual tours to the outback to observe brumbies in their natural desert environment.  Coupled with this, they have produced educational documentaries and hoof trimming tools.

The aim of Wild About Hooves is to highlight the bare facts of keeping horses without shoes, about changing horse keeping practices to complement evolutionary needs and ways to adapt our domestic home environments and to keep some of the "wild" elements for the health and happiness of our horses.

Learn more about Jeremy at www.wildabouthooves.com.au

Dianne Jenkins is a passionate and highly successful equine specialist.  During 25 years of practice, she discovered that many horses suffer from previously unidentified patterns of common low-grade injuries that cause postural, training and behavioural issues and lead to lameness.

Her research indicates that she has solved the mystery of equine chronic lumbar pain that cannot be diagnosed by radiograph or ultrasound.  She can explain the primary cause and gradual patterns of compensatory issues that lead to early wear and tear and ultimately joint dysfunction.  These experiences and abilities led her to develop the Jenkins method of Equine Neurophysiological Therapy (JENT); a system that integrates comprehensive scientific knowledge with therapy.

Dianne presently resides in Ireland and travels abroad to work on horses by appointment. Learn more about her work at www.diannejenkins.com.au

Kevin Keeler has been a farrier for over 30 years and has experienced first hand the physical demands of working on horses feet.


Inspired by an injury early in his career, and then later after having survived a plane crash in the Idaho backcountry while being flown to work on ranch horses, the concept of a lightweight and safe hoof support system was borne.  Wanting to get the weight off his body while working under the horse, Kevin developed the Hoofjack®.  The Hoofjack® was designed to fully support both the front and hind feet of a horse and can be used by anyone providing hoof care such as the farrier, barefoot trimmer, veterinarian, or horse owner.

Kevin travels internationally sharing with the equine community the benifits of using the Hoofjack® for both the horse and the hoof care provider.  Kevin is the owner and CEO of Equine Innovations Inc., which in addition to manufacturing the Hoofjack® also manufactures the Tooljack® a unique tool cart designed to hold farrier tools and equipment.  Although "officially" retired as a farrier, Kevin still maintains a clientele of approximately 60 horses and lives in Star, Idaho, USA, with his wife Dawn, 2 dogs, cat, goat and 2 horses.

Helen Klowss is a qualified Horse Masseur and has been a leader in this field for over 16 years.  She has worked with horses in many aspects of the equine industry in Australia and overseas.

In 1968 Helen was employed by the legendary racehorse trainer Bart Cummings as a strapper and spent many years acquiring knowledge and experience with the master trainer.  Specialising in nursing and rehabilitating racehorses with training injuries, Helen soon discovered that she had the ability to see unsoundness in horses which seemed obscure to others. Knowing that there was more than the conventional treatment involved in the healing, recovery and ultimate return to racing, Helen set out to develop a form of treatment to compliment the training and veterinary treatment.  After studying the available equine literature of the time she also studied massage for humans to extend her knowledge.

During 1970 to 1981 Helen traveled to Europe and studied with the Classical Dressage Trainer Egon Von Neindorff in Karlsruhe, Germany.  She is still a student of dressage in the classical form and is now training in the Phillipe Karl system.

Since developing her system of horse massage she has been teaching her techniqes for over fifteen years.  Helen has treated winning horses from Group 1 Racehorses, Grand Prix Dressage horses to 3* Eventers.  She has a passion for the complete rehabilitation, recovery and retraining of horses to gain optimum results in whatever field you aspire to.

Learn more about Helen Klowss at www.animaltalkaustralia.com.au

Seeing infrared images of a horses leg in 1995 led to a "Eureka!" moment in 2000 when thermography again appeared in Jean Koek's life.

Then, as a EMRT™ therapist, she found thermography invaluable for giving progress reports to an abscent client.  The next ten years took her all over the world to study and work with this exciting but controversial diagnostic aid.  Presently, thermography is mostly used when regular diagnostic tools have failed!

Examples:

1.  FEI Dressage horse (Prix St. Georges Inter I) lame o/f six months following an arena fall.  Thermography showed o/f to be 11 degrees colder than n/f.  An amazing series of infrared images taken over an hour as a massage therapist (and NSW Dressage Team Manager) Jenny Carroll, worked on the horse, showed circulation returning.  Horse went Grand Prix in January.

2.  Pleasure horse owner was told by many that she was imagining a problem.  Infrared imaging during saddle fit assessment showed that horse was warming up on one side of her body only.  Veterinary chiropractic and acupuncture successfully addressed the problem.  Possible cause - post-birth problem.

Jean is currently involved in a variety of projects where thermography is one of the measurement tools.  Using video infrared to watch the body under stress in an ongoing love and she hopes to do further studies on the effects of the rider on the horse.

Learn more about Jean Koek at www.vidi.com.au.

Jonathan Leoncini has been handling and riding horses since he was 12 years old.  With the love of horses very much a part of his life with endurance riding, it was there where he wanted to give something back to the horse, and more importantly to endeavour to rectify horses' problems.  Farriery was the answer.

He was one in seven apprentices who were the first group to complete a formal apprenticeship.  Jonathan's passion for horses has continued throughout his 25 years as a farrier.

He has competed in farriery competitions throughout Australia and has represented Australia at the World Blacksmiths/Farrier Championships in Calgary, Canada. Jonathan was recently invited to Malaysia to judge the Asian Pacific Farrier Championship, and also lectured there.

Jonathan's passion is strong as ever and he enjoys lecturing and giving the horse owner an understanding of what to look for in their horse's feet.  "Every horse is someones Phar Lap".

Laurie Paltridge has been shoeing horses for 17 years in the Western Districts of Victoria.  He obtained his 'Trade Certificate' in 1994.  He is based in Warnambool in Southern Victoria.

Laurie shoes a range of horses, including racehorses, eventers, show horses, pony club horses and ponies.  'Kibbutz' (who came 9th in the Melbourne Cup) 'Hissing Sid' (Warnambool Cup) and Arch Symbol (Wangoom HDCP) are among some of the racehorses whom Laurie shoes.

Alongside that, he does remedial work at Warrnambool Veterinary Clinic.  The Veterinary Clinic gets a lot of horses with feet and leg problems coming to Warrnambool to get trained on the beach.  This has allowed Laurie to see a wide range of hoof problems, which in turn has been a great learning experience in rectifying their problems.

Laurie is a great believer in furthering education and tries to attend as many farrier clinics as possible.  He also has his Certificate in Horse Management (MOFMC) and Certificate in Small Business (TAFE).

Joanna Robson, DVM, CVSMT, CMP, CVA, SFT is a graduate of the Washington State University Honors Veterinary Medicine Program.

Unable to find helpful professional resources, she determined to learn everything possible about a grounded holistic approach to pain-free performance and longevity in our horses, and to build a community of like-minded equine professionals.

Combining traditional veterinary medicine with veterinary chiropractic, veterinary acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and the science of saddle-fitting, Dr. Robson’s goal is to provide integrated soundness solutions, and to educate the equine public about understanding and achieving the pain-free horse.

She has published numerous print and online articles about the effects of ill-fitting tack and the importance of correct engagement on the equine body and mind, and has an acupuncture case study pending for the Journal of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine. Her focus is objectively demonstrating the before and after changes in equine movement following treatment and use of a correctly fitting saddle.

She is the owner of Inspiritus Equine Inc.  in Napa, California, and the founder of Intregrated Soundness Solutions (sm).  She found her way to her passion when her horse needed help healing from a back injury.

Learn more about Dr. Robson at www.inspiritusequine.com.

Maureen Rogers is a pioneer and leading expert in the field of Equine CranioSacral Therapy work. She is the founder of the Equine CranioSacral Workshops - an international education program which offers the most extensive program of study.  Her pioneering efforts have opened doors and changed lives of horses around the world.

Ms. Rogers travels internationally for teaching, lectures and private consultations.  She works with horses of all disciplines and her clients include competitive horses, Grand Prix showjumpers, to Olympic athletes through to novice.  Travelling year round, she brings her cutting edge principles to working with vets, equine physio's, farriers, equine dentists, horse trainers and owners world wide.  She is internationally sought out for her expertise in equine craniosacral work, rehab therapy skills and especially in treatment of conditions of headshaking, TMJ issues and biomechanics of the horse.

Her first DVD Hope for Headshakers - A CranioSacral Approch to Equine Health has sold copies worldwide and has opened doors for horses who suffered with this condition.  Maureen will be releasing her new DVD "Is it Posture or Conformation?" in November 2010 during her visit to EQUITANA.  She will also be offering her Equine CranioSacral workshops in November in Australia.

To learn more about her work: www.equinecraniosacral.com 

Dr. Chris Whitton has extensive experience as a specialist clinician investigating and treating lame horses in Australia and the UK.

Twenty five years of observing lame horses and their injuries have directed his research into the problems that are of greatest importance to veterinarians, owners and trainers.

He is currently heading Equine Orthopaedic Research at the University of Melbourne Equine Centre which involves collaboration with leading research centres in biomechanics, subchondral bone and cartilage microstructure and epidemiology in Australia, the United States and the UK.

You can learn more about his research at www.equinecentre.unimelb.edu.au.

Trevor Wozencroft has had a lifetime of experience in the horse and cattle industries, specialising in nutrition and reproduction, managing properties throughout Queensland and Victoria where all cattle work was carried out on horseback.
Photonic Therapy was an obvious choice to continue in the industry as Dr. McLaren, the developer and world leader in photonic therapy was his vet in the early days of the photonic therapy development.

In the 1970's Trevor held a Thoroughbred owner/trainer license in Victoria, at the same time being involved with his young family at pony clubs and shows.

2002 saw Trevor working and studying with Dr. McLaren and is now a Level 3 Equine Photonic Therapist working with racing and pleasure horses and supplying self treatment McLaren Photonic Therapy Kits throughout the world.

Trevor has been teaching the use of McLaren Photonic Therapy to horse owners at workshops and seminars on how to better understand their horses problems and treat them using Photonic Therapy. McLaren Photonic Therapy is an Australian designed and manufactured product.

Learn more about Trevor at www.wozenphotonictherapy.com.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.
 

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Before the Sun Sets on the Triple Crown

by Fran Jurga | 10 June 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog

Mine That Bird, winner of the 2009 Kentucky Derby, originally uploaded by Rock and Racehorses.

Before the 2009 Triple Crown series of races fades from our memories, I'd like to share this photo with you, which is my pick for the best of many, many great photos to come out of this year's Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont races for three-year-old Thoroughbreds. Sarah K. Andrew did it again, and I'd like to thank her for being in the right place at the right time and for sharing this photo.

What's special about this photo is that it was taken minutes after the finish of the Kentucky Derby. My guess is that Mine That Bird's camp had not done a dress rehearsal of where to go and what to do if the horse won and would be headed to the winner's circle.

Charlie Figueroa has been Mine That Bird's groom and exercise rider throughout the Triple Crown, as well as Chip Woolley's legs while the trainer has been on crutches. Charlie normally works at the farm back in New Mexico, where he breaks and trains the young horses.

I've seen a hundred pictures of this man in the past couple of months and he's been smiling in most of them. But the smile on his face in this photo, when he's just grabbed his muddy horse out of the winner's circle to bring him back to the barn, is very special. You can almost see the lift in his walk. He's a happy man.

After all that racing has been through lately, the Triple Crown seemed to have an angel looking over it, even though Friesan Fire and Dunkirk are now out with fractures, I Want Revenge has fetlock ligament damage, and we're still waiting for Florida Derby winner Quality Road to get back to the races after recovering from his matching front and hind quarter cracks.

They've gone to the four winds: Pioneerof The Nile with his hot fit flames is back to California. Belmont winner Summer Bird is headed to Louisiana. Mine That Bird's team seems to understandably like it at Churchill Downs, where rumor has it that the Kentucky Derby Museum has asked Chip Woolley for his crutches when he's ready to walk on his own again.

The Triple Crown may be over, but in six weeks, the sun will be glowing through the fog in Saratoga at dawn, the way it always does and the way it always has. With luck, these three-year-old horses we've come to know and maybe even Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra will give the racing tribe some thrills at America's oldest track.

Charlie, his big smile, and his fast little horse would fit right in.

See you there!

Hoofcare Publishing will host a series of informal educational events in Saratoga during the race meet on Tuesday evenings. Watch this blog for more details of speakers and sponsors, or email Saratoga@hoofcare.com for more details about attending or sponsoring. The blog will come alive! Most events are held either at the Parting Pub's back room or at the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame.

Zenyatta's Revealing Close-up: Secrets of the Foot That Always Crosses the Finish Line First

Zenyatta, originally uploaded by Rock and Racehorses.

"Flats" are in for the front feet of racing Thoroughbreds these days and here we see evidence that champion supermare Zenyatta is playing by the rules with her flat-as-a-pancake front plates.

This revealing shot was taken back in May when The Zen of Horse Racing passed through Churchill Downs. New York area racing photographer Sarah K. Andrew (a.k.a. "Rock and Racehorses") stood in a puddle waiting for her to lift her foot so you all could see her frog and wall and plate and nails.

Zenyatta is shod by California farrier Tom Halpenny.

Thank you, Sarah and Zenyatta!

Click here to see her full-fit hind feet, also shot by a puddle-jumping Sarah.

Badminton Horse Trials Farriers Prize 2009: Photos of New Zealand's Winning Best Shod Horse

We've been halfway around the world and back again this week to catch up with New Zealand team farrier Andrew Nickalls, who in turn has been celebrating his victory in one of the world's most understated and underrated competitions for farriers, the "best shod horse" trophy at the 60th running of the four-star Badminton Horse Trials on May 7-10 in Gloucestershire, England. Andrew (photo at left) is the sort of fellow you'd want in your life boat when the ocean liner is sinking. 

He simply shot pictures of the horse's feet with his cellphone and emailed them. Mission accomplished. Of course, you can't see much, but he got the job done.

 

The shoe, first: Vortex is a 15-year-old New Zealand Thoroughbred that is at the four-star ("Olympic") level. He finished 20th at Badminton, and the only things on his feet are shoes, nails and studs. That's quite something in itself. The shoes are handmade 3/4 x 3/8" concave, with side clips. 

I asked about the double stud holes, sure that it was some Kiwi trick but Andrew said: "I put two studs in the outside branch due to the fact that it's such a major competition where they are being taken in and out so often and therefore the extra is a spare one in case the thread goes!"

Side view shows the fit and the positioning and relative size and height of the clips. 

While the shoe is set back under the toe a bit, it's fit with some fullness at the heel and quarter, perhaps more than you'd expect for a horse that is going to be scrambling through a cross-country course. Andrew obviously knows this horse and knew what he could and couldn't do there. Some horses are more careful jumpers than others.

 
This is part 2 of this article; for more about Badminton's Farrier Prize, Andrew Nickalls, please read part 1 of this article, showing the horse's front end conformation and the rider's action. Click here to go there. The competition was judged by James Blurton, who has himself won the award three times with three different horses for three different riders. Jim evaluated the horses both before the competition and on the final day, to see how the shoes and feet had held up...and which horses were still sound. 

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. No use without permission. You only need to ask. Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page).