Equine Hoof Lameness, Laminitis Survey Results from British Study; Statistics Announced at National Equine Forum

Great Britain's Princess Royal addressed the National Equine Forum, where new statistics on horse health were presented.

The 19^th National Equine Forum (NEF), held in Great Britain on March 8, 2011, was the launch pad for the results of the United Kingdom’s first public National Equine Health Survey. The event was attended by over 200 of the country’s most influential members of the equestrian industry, including NEF President HRH The Princess Royal, leading equine vets, international riders and trainers, equestrian society figureheads, business leaders and numerous members of the equestrian trade industry.  

Josh Slater, Professor of Equine Clinical Studies at the Royal Veterinary College and immediate past president of the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA), announced the results of the survey, which was pioneered by The Blue Cross animal charity and is supported by BEVA. The survey was conducted in November 2010.

The survey, which was pioneered by The Blue Cross animal charity and is supported by The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA), was carried out last November following two years of pilot schemes. The intention was to find out more about endemic non-notifiable equine diseases that have never before been recorded, such as coughs, skin diseases and lameness.

The results were announced at the Forum by Professor Josh Slater, Professor of Equine Clinical Studies at The Royal Veterinary College, who has been working with The Blue Cross on the survey.

Analyzed data from the study will be used to pinpoint current, non-notifiable healthcare issues affecting horses, ponies, donkeys and mules in the UK and is expected to break new ground for all of Europe as well.

Professor Slater explained that the survey should provide a future benchmarking facility for equine disease, welfare, standards of care and codes of practice and it has also confirmed the workability of an important template to monitor the serious threat of infectious and exotic disease in the future.

Laminitis cases still abound in Great Britain; this dramatic photo of a medial sinker from the case files of farrier Jim Ferrie FWCF is evidence of that. Jim provides consulting services at the University of Glasgow's Wieper Equine Hospital. (Jim Ferrie photo)

A total of 306 sets of records were submitted from 3120 horses in mainly private ownership, with a balance of representation from competition yards, riding schools, welfare charities and studs. A broad range of syndromes and diseases were assessed including colic, sarcoids, laminitis, wounds, dental issues, eye disease, lameness and weight issues.

Equine lameness statistics also figure prominently in the survey and show some variation from oft-quoted statistics about soundness problems in horses.

The results showed that lameness was the most common problem affecting horses (11% of horses surveyed) but that, unexpectedly, the foot was not the most common cause of lameness and that laminitis (3%) was less common than the 7-8% total that previous surveys had suggested.

Weight management was the next most common issue for horse owners, with 9% of horses recorded as overweight and 8% as underweight.

The new statistics are not far from those compiled in the study Equine laminitis in the new millennium: frequency, risk factors and assessing a potential new therapy by Claire E. Wylie et al, presented at the 2009 meeting of the Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine. Wylie found that  laminitis cases contributes to between 0.11‐28.57% of all equine visits analyzed by veterinarians who participated in her study, with a mean of 5.03% and a median of 3%.

The most often quoted statistics from Britain are from Hinckley and Henderson's 1996 paper presented at the 35th Congress of the British Equine Veterinary Association. (See Hinckley, K.A. and Henderson, I.W. 1996. The epidemiology of equine laminitis in the UK in the 35th BEVA Annual Congress Proceedings) That paper stated: From a study involving 113,000 horses in the UK it was estimated that the total prevalence of acute laminitis in the UK was over 8,000 cases annually, giving a prevalence of 7.1%.

Anyone who reads this blog knows enough to see little red flags popping up right away: there is a big difference in a study like Hinckley's that tracks cases of acute laminitis with a study of all cases of laminitis, like the National Equine Health Survey's, as reported by horse owners.

Many horses who suffer from mild chronic laminitis never get treated and may never even have an official diagnosis. (VetMoves photo)

Another study that is often quoted found a much higher prevalence of laminitis in Great Britain around the same time. Katz surveyed the health of horses at a large charity farm with a population of 1140 horses and ponies, and found an average of 148 episodes of laminitis (prevalence of 13%) occurring each year (between 1997 and 1999), involving 113 animals. (See Katz L, DeBrauwere N, Elliott J, Marr C, Pfeiffer D. The prevalence of laminitis in one region of the UK in Proceedings of the 40th British Equine Veterinary Association Congress.)

None of these statistics really add up. I have often heard Katz's 13% quoted as the nationwide prevalence of laminitis in the UK, when he was actually studying a population of horses that might rightfully be expected to have some sort of laminitis, related to age or neglect circumstances that required their removal to a charity farm. Were those horses a suitable population to use as a sample of the entire national population of horses?

Hinckley's statistics have always been shocking, considering that she was documenting strictly acute cases. Wylie's study, presented as a poster at the conference, does not specify how laminitis was defined. Having her statistic closely matched by the much larger population sampled by the National Equine Health Survey's is encouraging, if their parameters were similar.

That said, a lot depends on when a survey is conducted. Some years have much higher numbers of cases because of weather conditions that encourage grass-related laminitis. The problem with this study's result is that it is tempting to say that education, medication and horse-owner awareness are kicking in and more horses are avoiding laminitis than in the past. But then we immediately see that 9% of the horse population is overweight, and can only wonder if that figure is up or down from previous periods. If that number is down as well, then all the hard work of vets, farriers, feed companies and charities is having an effect and horses in Great Britain are in a lot less pain now than they were 15 years ago. Maybe.

Here's a brief slide show summarizing the National Equine Health Survey in Great Britain (click on right to advance slides):

An interesting extrapolation from the study is that 18 percent of the horses had a problem with weight management (either under- or overweight) vs 11 percent who had suffered from lameness. It's possible that the actual weight problem is much higher, since the statistic allowed the owner to judge his or her own horses' weight suitability.

To clarify the location of lameness: it may sound like news that lameness in the foot was lower than expected, but it should be made clear that lameness location was divided into three groups: foot (3.7%), non-foot (4.5%), and laminitis (3%). If you consider laminitis a lameness of the foot, the combined total would be quite a bit higher than non-foot sources of lameness. However, for the purposes of the study, the statisticians were probably trying to keep their categories separate.

Meanwhile, the British Horse Society reports that its 2011 Laminitis Conference, planned for the end of this month in conjunction with Dodson and Horrells, has been sold out and no more registrations can be accepted.

It's so difficult to compare statistics from different studies or to say that one is the definitive measurement of the most pressing equine health issues. It sounds like the new National Equine Health Survey could be on its way to being the one-stop source for horse health statistics in Great Britain. While it's easy to wonder about the validity of horse owners' judgments about things like their horses' conditions, it's more productive to congratulate the Blue Cross and BEVA for undertaking such a massive effort, and for getting it done. And, most of all, for making the results available to the public. Thank you!

About the Forum: The National Equine Forum is chaired by Professor Sir Colin Spedding and is convened by Miles Williamson-Noble. It is usually attended by HRH The Princess Royal, its President, and is supported by the Association of British Riding Schools, Bedmax, The Blue Cross, British Equestrian Federation, British Equestrian Trade Association, British Equestrian Veterinary Association, British Horse Society, British Horseracing Authority, Bulley Davey, Darby’s Solicitors, Dodson and Horrell, Donkey Sanctuary, Equine Products UK,  Horse Trust, Jeffress Scholarship Trust, NFU Mutual Insurance, South Essex Insurance Brokers, Weatherbys and World Horse Welfare.

Photos of The Princess Royal and Professor Slater courtesy of the National Equine Forum/Craig Payne Photography.

Click here to easy-order your copy of Hoofcare & Lameness Journal's award-winning poster.

 © 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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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Aluminum Shoes May Have Saved Two Horses' Lives as Two Steel-Shod Horses Die in Possible Electrocution at British Racecourse

Video by ITN.

The worlds of both sport and horses were rocked today when news came from England that four horses had become agitated for no obvious reason in the paddock before the first race at Newbury Racecourse in Berkshire. The horses began rearing and falling as the jockeys were mounting. Within minutes two horses had died while two others rose back to their feet. 

The rest of the horses continued to the start and the race was run, but track officials canceled the remainder of the program for the day. Rumors began immediately that the horses had been electrocuted, and that a groom had felt a shock come through the horse's body, and a lead line showed burn marks.

According to the Racing Post, unconfirmed reports suggested that some of the runners who actually took part in the race appeared to have burn marks around their mouths when their tack was removed.

In an interview late on Saturday, Joint Managing Director of Newbury Racecourse Stephen Higgins commented on the shoes worn by the four horses affected in the incident. He said that the two horses that died were shod with steel shoes. The two horses that went down and got back up were shod with aluminum shoes. The two metals would conduct electricity differently if a shock was transmitted through the grass.

He also mentioned that because horses have four legs instead of two, they are much more sensitive to electricity in the ground, and that that would explain why humans might not have noticed the electricity. There were also rubber mats on the ground which the horses were stepping off onto the grass when the incident occurred.

Commenting on the incident, Professor Tim Morris, Director of Equine Science and Welfare for the British Horseracing Authority, confirmed that a full investigation is under way: “Following the tragic events at Newbury today, our sympathies go out to connections of the two horses that died, Fenix Two and Marching Song.

"We have launched a full investigation into the events before the first race. Whilst there are suspicions that an electrical fault was the cause and this is being looked into by the racecourse and relevant authorities, it is important that we investigate other possible causes.

"Both horses have been sent for post mortem examinations and samples from both horses, and from the other two horses involved in the incident, have been taken and will be analysed. We will also be testing a sample of the water supply and have secured and will review all of the CCTV footage from the racecourse stables and footage from the parade ring itself at the time.

"We have gathered evidence and statements at the racecourse from the connections involved with the incident, including trainers, jockeys, stable staff and owners, the racecourse and BHA veterinary officers, and the racecourse executive including the health and safety officer."

On its Facebook page, the racecourse posted this message to the public:

"The whole team here is totally devastated and our condolences are with everyone connected to the horses and those that saw this happen. The Electricity Board are carrying out investigations now and a further statement will be issued tomorrow."

The British Horseracing Authority quotes Jonjo O'Neill, trainer of Fenix Two, as saying: "Kid Cassidy was in front (leaving the paddock) and he took a turn. We thought he was bucking and kicking and he went down on his knees then he seemed to be OK. Mine reared up and we couldn't get him back, it was like he was stuck to the ground. It was the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life."

Marching Song's part-owner Graham Thorner said: "I was very fond of him and he had great potential. To a layman with no evidence, you would say it was electrical. The lad who was with him was saying 'I'm getting an electric shock off this horse'. It can't be coincidence four horses have done the same thing and two have died, all in the same area."

Press assistance from the British Horseracing Board was instrumental in preparing this report.

 © 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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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Equine Physiotherapist Pioneer Mary Bromiley Receives British Queen's Recognition for Service to Equine Sports

This story is © 2011 Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This is not a press release. No use without permission.

Congratulations to human and equine physiotherapist Mary Bromiley, who was recently listed by the British Monarchy as a recipient of the Queen's Honors for 2011. Mary will be awarded the prestigious title of MBE: Member of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth for her services to equine sports.

Mary Bromiley is a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (a licensed human physical therapist in Great Britain), who applied her skills to horses. She and American athletic-trainer-turned-horse-therapist Jack Meagher were early pioneers who began using their knowledge of human sports training principles and muscle rehabilitation therapy on sport and race horses--in particular, on international event horses in the Olympics, with excellent results.

Mary worked for the New Zealand Olympic Teams at several Olympic Games and has been a frequent guest lecturer at equine sports medicine conferences. She is credited with the formation of The Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy (ACPAT), a sub-group of CSP.

Now 79 years young, Mary Bromiley may be found in rural Somerset, England, where she and her two daughters run Downs House, a rehabilitation center for horses and education center for equine therapy, at Combeleigh Farm, Exmoor. She also offers courses there.

Mary was quoted on her local equestrian web site Riders for the Bristol area: "It’s really an award that covers the work of an enormous amount of people. I could not have done it without my daughters, the veterinary profession and trainers such as Martin Pipe and Nicky Henderson who have allowed me to make suggestions and do things with their horses. It’s been a big effort all round."

If you know Mary Bromiley or have heard her lecture, you know she is never short of a good story. In one interview with the British website Southwest Business after receiving notification of her royal honors, Mary recalled this case about a filly that had slipped on the road and come down on her knees.

"I was told by a doctor friend about the benefits of the fabled bloodsucking leech and how its anti-coagulant saliva is routinely used to reinstate blood flow in wound areas. I drew (my) breath and rang a leech farm in South Wales. They duly arrived with 'handle with care' on the box but none of us wanted to put our hands in!"

Mary added: "The end result was that it made an amazing difference to the wound!"

British National Hunt trainer David Pipe dedicated a page on his web site to congratulating the woman who has helped so many of his horses, as well as his father's, the legendary Martin Pipe:

"I would like to start off by offering my heartfelt congratulations to Mary Bromiley for being awarded an MBE in the New Year's Honors List for services to equine sport. Mary pioneered the transference of human physiotherapy methods to horses many years ago and set up the country's only specialist horse and human rehabilitation center at Down's House, as well as founding the 'Flying Physios' who tend to injured jockeys at the race.

"Mary has tended to the horses at Pond House for many years and I have been privileged to see the amazing work that she has done first hand. Not only does she care for the equine inmates, but such is her kind and caring nature, she has also helped numerous employees. I am sure that everyone in racing will join me in congratulating Mary on this award, it is a thoroughly deserved recognition of her talents.

David included a quote from his father, Martin Pipe, who recalled years of working with Mary: "It was Mary who helped me to rebuild Carvill's Hill after all the bone scans and vets said that he would never be able to race again. He would certainly be one of her earlier success stories--we defied them by winning the Rehearsal Chase, Welsh National and Irish Hennessy. None of it would have been possible without Mary's regular contribution and expertise.

"It wasn't just the horses that she was so good with either, she helped to fix numerous members of staff and I was also a patient of hers as she helped considerably with the rebuilding of my new knee. She certainly put me through my paces, both before and after my operation! I couldn't be more pleased for Mary, it is great that she has been recognized for all that she has contributed to both equine and human health."

Mary is author of Massage Techniques for Horse and Rider, Natural Methods for Equine Health, Equine Injury and Therapy and co-author of Blackwell's Dictionary of Nursing. She has also made several videotapes to share her knowledge. Mary is sited as the inspiration behind the Equine Sports Massage Association in Great Britain and has been commercially associated with Respond Systems, as an advocate of their Bio-Pulse Magnetic Field Therapy Systems and laser systems for wound healing. She is also credited with the inspiration or collaboration in development of numerous other products and procedures for helping horses.

I thought you might find this video interesting; Mary uses a Respond laser to help treat a horse with the goal of increasing circulation to the foot in order to stimulate healing for tendon damage. Disclaimer: This is not an ad, it is a good video that shows Mary at work.

If you have a chance to learn from Mary, I highly recommend the experience, even if you have to travel to England to do it. She's been a great inspiration and resource for me and countless others and I think that her honor by the Queen is very much deserved.

Mary Bromiley's books are usually available from Hoofcare and Lameness. Some are out of print but can usually be sourced. They are excellent for reference. I hope she writes her memoirs some day!

Others from the horse world honored by the Queen were former racehorse trainer Tony Balding and accomplished horse photographer Bob Langrish.

Photo mirrored from Respond Systems web site. David and Martin Pipe quotes used with permission.

© 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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British Farrier Brendan Murray Receives Medal for Service

British farrier Brendan Murray received the ultimate compliment of his country at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky when he was asked to carry his nation's flag into the arena at the head of their delegation. I just happened to be there to take this picture as they were lining up at the gate.

On December 16, 2010, in front of a packed crowd at the International Horse Show, Olympia, the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) presented a medal of honor to farrier Brendan Murray of Cambridgeshire, England. Brendan was one of five individuals who was recognized by the BEF for outstanding achievement and contribution to the international equestrian world.

Brendan has been British senior eventing team farrier since 1992, and served his country at five Olympic and World Equestrian Games and nine European Championships. He was also show farrier for Olympia.

British World Class Performance Director Will Connell commented on Brendan's award: "Brendan is the mainstay of the stable area, carrying out any job that needs doing and ensures all aspects of the groom's welfare is attended to. He is completely committed to the success of Team GBR."  

I'm looking forward to Brendan's memoirs and hope he'll think of me when he's looking for an editor. In addition to all he must know about the British equestrians and their exploits around the world, he has had an interesting side life working as a stunt rider in films.

His biggest role in front of the camera, though, was when he was seen by an estimated two and a half billion people around the world when he served with the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery in 1997 as an escort for the casket of Princess Diana to Westminster Abbey in London during her funeral procession. Hoofcare & Lameness's Hoofcare Online newsletter reported on Brendan's role in that sad event back in 1997.

Most recently, Brendan starred at the World Equestrian Games as the anti-gravity test driver for a media video about the Land Rover extreme driving test range. I've yet to witness him shoeing a horse but he certainly has a fascinating life, as expounded in this video interview with him before the World Equestrian Games began.

I went looking for a photo of him shoeing a horse on the web and found only one. It was taken in 2000 in Sydney, Australia at the Olympics and published on a sports web site in Iran. Somehow that didn't surprise me.

British equestrians dressage rider Laura Bechtolsheimer, vaulter Joanne Eccles, eventer Nicola Wilson and para-equestrian dressage rider Sophie Wells were also awarded medals for outstanding achievements in their respective disciplines last week at the Olympia show. Each of those equestrians returned to Britain from the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky in October with medals.

Special thanks to event rider and broadcaster @SamanthaLClark for the heads-up for this post and for producing the videos featuring Brendan Murray.

© 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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Racehorse Performance "Not Significantly Affected by Tendon Injury", According to Horse Trust Research

This horse has "bowed" it superficial digital flexor tendon; the tendon protrudes, or bows out, at the back of the leg. This is the most common debilitating tendon injury suffered by racehorses and requires a long layoff for recovery, although new treatments are shortening the time lost from training. (Photo: Dr. Barak Amram/VetMoves)

Data compiled and analyzed in a research project in Great Britain funded by The Horse Trust found that racehorses who recovered from tendon injuries did not have inferior racing performance records compared to horses that had not had tendon injuries.

The research was led by Bryan O'Meara, who is in the final year of a three year clinical training scholarship funded by The Horse Trust. O'Meara carried out the research at Donnington Grove Veterinary Surgery in Newbury, under the supervision of epidemiologist Dr Tim Parkin from University of Glasgow.

Tendonitis is one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries in racehorses, with a prevalence of 11-30%, according to earlier research.

O'Meara examined the clinical records and racing histories of 400 racehorses who had been treated for superficial digital flexor (SDF) tendonitis injuries over a five year period from 2003 to 2008.

The race records of horses affected by tendon injury were compared with 400 matched control horses that had never suffered SDF tendon injuries. The controls were horses training in the same establishment at the time of injury and of the same age and sex as the case horse.

The Horse Trust-funded research looked at the performance of the racehorses in races before and after treatment for the injury, and at the performance of the control horses before and after the treatment date. The Racing Post Rating (RPR), which is published by the Racing Post (a British racing newspaper with charts) after every race, was used as a measure of performance.

O'Meara found that there was no significant difference in RPR before and after the treatment date in case and control horses.

This result is unexpected as in vitro studies have found that healed tendon tissue has reduced elasticity properties due to the presence of scar tissue. This suggests that a horse with a healed SDF tendon would need to work its muscles harder to compensate and would therefore be expected to have lower performance.

O'Meara said more research is needed to back-up his finding that performance isn't significantly affected by tendon injury.

"It could be that using Racing Post Rating to measure performance isn't sensitive enough to pick up a change in the horse's performance," said O'Meara. "However, it's encouraging that there's no marked change in performance after a horse has recovered from a tendon injury. These findings show that there's no need to give up on a horse that has a tendon injury--they can still come back and perform well, or can be used for other, less demanding riding activities."

The Horse Trust-funded research also found that there was no significant difference between case and control horses when returning to racing and completing three races. Only after completing five races, or three years post treatment, was a significant difference found between case and control horses. This finding is a step towards developing a more accurate assessment of tendon-treatment outcome after five races or three years post-treatment is a better indicator of the outcome of treatment.

"At the moment, some tendon treatments state their success as the percentage of horses that return to racing after treatment. However, we've shown that there's no significant difference between case and control horses at this time," said O'Meara. "At the moment, there are a myriad of treatments available to treat tendonitis. Hopefully this finding will be used in further research to learn which treatments are most effective."

O'Meara's research also found a link between SDF tendon injury and the racehorse competing at its maximum performance level: the case horses were significantly nearer to their pre-injury maximum performance level in the race immediately before injury (compared to matched controls), suggesting that they were competing nearer their individual maximum performance level when the SDF tendon injury occurred. (Note: this statement is not explained but would seem to suggest that either the level/class of the race or the distance perhaps was the best the horse had done in its career when the injury occurred.)

Editor's note: Information in this article was provided by The Horse Trust, a British charity that funds equine research and promotes education about horse health and welfare. Hoofcare Publishing likes to support The Horse Trust whenever possible. The research described in this article was published in the May 2010 edition of the Equine Veterinary Journal and is available online as a downloadable PDF file: "An investigation of the relationship between race performance and superficial digital flexor tendonitis in the Thoroughbred racehorse".

Readers should keep in mind that the study included only British racehorses and that the majority of British racing is done on grass. Race distances, conditioning schedules and training methods also vary in Great Britain from methods used in North America and some other countries. But the results are interesting, no matter where you live!

© 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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Hoofcare@WEG Begins: British Team Farriers Interview

The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games haven't quite begun yet, but around the British stables, the farriers were hard at work this weekend. Except they weren't shoeing horses; there were no horses no shoe, as the European horses were still in quarantine at the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport 80 miles away.


No, Haydn Price (team farrier for dressage and show jumping and lead farrier for the British "Equestrian World Class" Program) and Brendan Murray (team farrier for eventing) were pitching in just like everyone else in the British organization. They were laying stall mats,  fluffing bedding, assembling wheelbarrows, and sweating in the Kentucky sun.


Thanks to our colleague Samantha Clark of the 2010 Radio Show on Horse Radio Network, the Hoof Blog is able to share this video interview with Brendan and Haydn with you. It's probably a good thing--in a few days they'll be way too busy to stop and chat.


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© 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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Women Farriers in Britain Eligible for Advanced Training Grants

7 April 2010 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog at Hoofcare.com

Female farriers in England can now benefit from a £450 (approximately $685 in US dollars) training grant from the national training organization, Lantra Sector Skills Council.

The grant will enable all women working within the farriery industry including registered and apprentice farriers to develop their skills, careers and businesses until February 2011.

Women and Work Programme Manager, Lyndsay Bird, said: “The grants can be used to fund a range of training activities to develop technical, leadership, management and supervisory skills. This year, we are now able to offer this opportunity to women in farriery and look forward to seeing how it benefits women in the industry.”

Since the program began in March 2007, Lantra has helped 2,400 women working in male-dominated environmental and land-based industries to progress.

According to The National Farrier Training Agency, Great Britain has 53 registered female farriers and 33 female farriery apprentices who could benefit from the program.

For more information or to register your interest email connect@lantra.co.uk or visit www.lantra.co.uk/WomenandWork.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. Please, 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).

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.

Laminitis: Obese Horses and Ponies in Greater Danger

by Fran Jurga | 7 May 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog

A British study has examined the factors that affect the likelihood of recovery from grass-related laminitis, and concluded that obese horses are more likely to die.

In the study, members of the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) documented cases over four years and found that when overweight horses develop grass-related laminitis, they tend to have more severe signs than those of optimal weight.

Reporting on the study conclusions, principal investigator and veterinary surgeon Celia Marr said “When (grass-related) laminitis does occur, overweight animals are more likely to die of the disease than their thinner counterparts. The animals with the best outcome tended to be those that had received acepromazine, a drug that improves the blood supply to the feet and relaxes the animal."

Marr's advice to horse owners: "Horse owners and vets are encouraged to ensure that horses and ponies are not allowed to become excessively fat as this can have a significant effect on their health, as we have seen in this study.”

Summary points of the study:

1. 107 cases of acute pasture-associated laminitis were recruited from first-opinion veterinary practices to study factors associated with clinical severity, survival and return to ridden exercise.

2. Of the horses in the study, 83 percent were overweight and there was a trend towards severe laminitis cases having a higher Body Mass Index (BMI).

3. Eight weeks after disease onset, 95% were alive.

4. Lower body weight, optimal body condition, mild rather than severe laminitis and acute/chronic founder were significantly associated with survival.

5. The clinical outcome was judged by a panel of three veterinarians as good in 72% of cases.

6. The clinical outcome was significantly associated with horse type; outcome was bad in none of the small horses compared with 34.1 percent of large ponies/cobs, 32.4 percent of small ponies and 30.0 percent of large horses.

The study was sponsored by the British Veterinary Association Animal Welfare Foundation (BVA AWF) and Merial Animal Health.

Hoof Blog note: Please remember that this study relates only to horses with pasture-type laminitis. There are several types of laminitis and perhaps one thing this study does is accentuate the differences in expectations that horse owners may have in their horses' recovery chances.

© 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). 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.

British Government: "Barefoot Trimmer" Doesn't Describe the Job

by Fran Jurga | 18 November 2008 | www.hoofcare.blogspot.com

The results are in and analyzed from a government-run, nationwide survey of the job practices and educational training of Great Britain's barefoot hoof practitioners. Please note that the results of this survey apply only to hoof trimmers residing in Great Britain.

Among the conclusions drawn by the government agency "Lantra" is that "barefoot trimmer" isn't a good title and is not accurate in describing the services provided.

Lisa Jarvis, Lantra's Industry Parnership Manager for Professions Allied to Veterinary Science (PAVS), said in a press release that the public may be confused about the scope of services provided by a barefoot trimmer, as would a veterinarian seeking to work with a trimmer on the case, according to Jarvis.

Jarvis plans to work with trimmers to come up with a better job title. "Equine podiatrist" was a descriptive term mostoften used by the trimmers to describe themselves.

The statistics gained from the study are fascinating. For instance
· 65% of respondents were female
· Over half were aged 35-44, 21% aged 45-54
· 100% white ethnic background
• 71% were working as trimmers after leaving another career
• More than half had less than three years of experience; only 7% had been working as trimmers for more than six years.
• 89% stated that they believed they held a relevant qualification to do their jobs.

As with all surveys, the results compile responses from those who responded, and little is known about those who did not respond.

Things get interesting when the trimmers were asked what they did on the job. Trimming feet and assessing environment, soundness, gait analysis, structure and function of hooves, hoof health, and diet/nutrition were listed as job activities by 95% of those surveyed.

A similar survey of equine dental technicians found that that field, too, is populated by second-career choosers.

The conclusion of the study is that the government should develop standards for both trimmers and equine dental technicians "to allow clear identification of the practical skills and underpinning knowledge required to undertake these roles professionally...other professional and regulatory bodies for veterinary science and farriery should be consulted and involved with the development process".

Great Britain is home to an estimated 500 people who are believed to be earning a living by trimming horses' hooves.

It's interesting to note that a functional "map" of the farrier profession in Great Britain compiled in 2006 points out the pressures of changing technology in farriery and the need for more training in that area but does not mention the popularity of barefoot trimming and any possible services in that area that farriers might provide, creating an "either/or" situation for horse owners.

Consider this: becoming a farrier in Britain requires a four-year apprenticeship, college study, examinations, a considerable investment in tools and inventory, and ongoing compliance with occupational regulations and government doctrines. Entering barefoot trimming requires no training, college or exams, very low initial investment and overhead, and almost no government oversight unless a welfare violation charge is made. That said, many British barefoot trimmers seem interested in continuing education and advancement, perhaps moreso than average farriers, and trimmers must pay tuition for their education out of their own pockets.

Read more about how and why the survey was conducted in the Hoof Blog's article from January 2008.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. No use without permission. Permissions for use elsewhere are usually easily arranged.

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).

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.

A Treat for the Eyes: Unusual Painting of Forge at Night Exhibited at Yale

If you are anywhere near New Haven, Connecticut between now and Sunday, get yourself to the Center for British Art at Yale University. Inside that modern cubist block of a structure you will find this very romantic painting, "A Blacksmith Shop" by the British artist Joseph Wright of Derby, painted in 1771.

I am sorry that I didn't know sooner that the painting was going to be in the United States. It was only there briefly, and is now headed back to its home at the Walker Art Gallery of the Liverpool Museum in Liverpool, England.

If you double-click on the image I have embedded, you can see some of the fantastic detail enlarged.

Wright specialized in portrait painting but had a "thing" for painting scenes lit by candlelight or, in this case, forge light. I have admired this painting for years and would have loved to see it in person. He was a pioneer, as painters rarely sought out places like mines and blacksmith shops to paint. I imagine him painting lovely portraits of totally boring aristocrats by day, and sneaking out to paint his candlelit scenes at night.

The story of the painting is that the farriers were called out at night to shoe a traveling family's horse that needed to keep going. The painting catches the welding moment; the boy by the anvil is hiding his face from the sparks. The well-dressed fellow in the foreground is leaning on a hammer. What do you think those lads in the back with the candle are up to? The forge appears to be in the ruins of a church or something; note that the night sky can be seen through a giant rip in the wall above the hanging horseshoes. Obviously, there is a lot of mystery in this painting.

Wright put layers of gold leaf between the layers of paint to try to simulate the glimmering light cast by the hot shoe on the anvil.

Thanks to our old friend Tim Helck, formerly of Summit Tech farrier supplies in New Jersey and now with the New York Times, for bringing the exhibit to my attention. The painting appeared on the paper's web site last week to promote the exhibit.

If you're in Connecticut this week, the Yale Center for British Art is at 1080 Chapel Street, New Haven; (203) 432-2800, ycba.yale.edu.

And if you are in Liverpool, your beautiful painting will be home soon!

Thanks for not stealing this scan as it was very generously loaned by the National Museums, which was very kind of them.

All HoofBlog text and images © Hoofcare Publishing 2008 unless otherwise noted.

To learn more about new research, products, and treatments for the horse's hooves and legs as reported to veterinarians and farriers in the award-winning "Hoofcare & Lameness Journal",
go to http://www.hoofcare.com

Direct “subscribe now” link to Hoofcare & Lameness Journal: http://www.hoofcare.com/subscribe.html

Contact Hoofcare Publishing anytime:
tel 978 281 3222 fax 978 283 8775 email bloginquiry@hoofcare.com

Grant Moon and Welsh Team Score Double Dominance in International Farrier Contest at Stoneleigh

His hair may be gray now, but British farrier Grant Moon has returned to world-class farrier competition and stepped up the victor's pedestal with amazing ease after a long absence. Moon won the individual competition this weekend at what is considered the world's toughest contest, the "Stoneleigh International" in England, a.k.a. the 29th International Team Horseshoeing Championship, hosted by the National Association of Farriers, Blacksmiths and Agricultural Engineers of Great Britain at the Royal Agricultural Showgrounds in Warwickshire.

Grant also won the international individual title back in 1985, soon after leaving farrier school. It's interesting to note that Grant has competed at Stoneleigh under two flags in his lifetime. While he began his career representing Wales, he moved to the USA and later competed at Stoneleigh for American honors in 1989. David Duckett, now of the USA, and Bob Marshall, now of Canada, are two other farriers who have represented various countries. Duckett won the individual at Stoneleigh for the USA in 1987.

Not only did Grant Moon win the individual title; his home country team of Wales won the team competition on the following day. Meanwhile, half a world away, two Welsh farriers were hard at work at the Olympics in Hong Kong: Ian Hughes is official farrier for the entire Olympics and Paralympics and Haydn Price was team farrier for Great Britain.

Runners up were Scotland and England. No word yet on where the US team placed. Results were provided by the Forge Magazine, official publication of the NAFBAE, and they only reported the top three placings.

In a complete break with tradition, the 2009 "Stoneleigh" competition, which will be the 30th annual, will be held August 27-30 at the Aintree International Equestrian Centre in Liverpool, which is presumably somewhere near the Aintree Racecourse where the thrilling Grand National Steeplechase is held each spring.

This year, the Stoneleigh International's Gold Sponsor was Life Data Labs of the USA; Silver Sponsor was Mustad of Switzerland.

Read results and see lots of photos at Forge Magazine's web site.

All HoofBlog text and images © Hoofcare Publishing 2008 unless otherwise noted.

To learn more about new research, products, and treatments for the horse's hooves and legs as reported to veterinarians and farriers in the award-winning "Hoofcare & Lameness Journal",
go to http://www.hoofcare.com

Direct “subscribe now” link to Hoofcare & Lameness Journal: http://www.hoofcare.com/subscribe.html

Contact Hoofcare Publishing anytime:
tel 978 281 3222 fax 978 283 8775 email bloginquiry@hoofcare.com

The Serbs Are Coming! Will British Farriery Standards Be Threatened by "Guest" Farriers from Continent?

"The Serbs are coming! The Serbs are coming!"

Today is Patriot's Day here in my state of Massachusetts. I think that the Boston Marathon has a lot to do with why everyone gets the day off (it would be physically impossible to drive from point a to point b because of road closures and chaotic traffic, not to mention runners) but the true meaning of the holiday harkens back to 1775.

On that first Patriot's Day, Paul Revere galloped out of the city (not following the marathon route) to the villages, shouting as he went, "The British are coming! the British are coming!" True to form, the British were marching out of the Boston barracks to destroy a munitions garrison in the little farming village of Concord.

The American colonists stopped the Brits at a tiny bridge over the Concord River and thus was fired "The Shot Heard Round the World" and the American Revolution began. The Redcoats had to high-tail it back to Boston, and the rag-tag colonists chased them.

How appropriate that the headline story in today's Horse and Hound newsmagazine from London should be the gloom and doom of the world's last great traditional system of farrier education and licensing, a.k.a. "British Farriery".

First we saw holes poked in the British farrier system, as documented on this blog, as the British animal welfare authorities recognized barefoot hoof trimmers as a legitimate caregiver, as long as they did not attempt to nail on shoes. According to the new directive it will be ok to give them rasps, give them nippers, give them hoof knives...just don't give them a hammer and tongs. Don't let them play in the fire, whatever you do.

And now today's news. For weeks we have been reading on farrier forums about the specter of Britain opening its doors in compliance with European Union regulations, which state (fairly or unfairly) that "guest" farriers from EU member nations must be allowed to shoe horses on British soil.

For years, the Farrier Registration Council (FRC) has used its regulatory powers to keep the local gypsies from shoeing other than their own horses. Even American farriers and veterinarians had to get a waiver from the FRC to shoe a horse in a competition, for instance. And now it will be open doors.

Will this be the end of Britain's revered system? Most definitely not, is my guess. If the system is all it is cracked up to be, "guest" farriers may come in with their polo ponies or their show jumpers, but they won't be sticking around unless they are prepared to shoe to a standard that owners and trainers expect and demand.

The feared invasion of eastern European farriers may be all an imaginary one.

Headlines like today's make me miss icons like the late Edgar Stern, head of the venerable Kent dynasty of farriers, who died a few years ago. In my vision, Edgar would have stood, feet firmly planted, atop the white cliffs of Dover. "Come on, then!" Edgar would have said. He'd soon be giving English lessons around the teapot in his forge...and signing up some Romanian first-year apprentices.

The challenge for the Brits is not to keep the Euros out, but to export their own knowledge and know-how, if not their regimental system, to the have-nots and the hungry of the farrier world. When that day comes, it will be a better place for horses and all.

Let the reverse migration begin...and someone can shout, "The British are coming!" in a Slavic dialect.

British Government Seeks to Count, Quantify Hoof Trimming in Lead Up to Regulation of New Paraprofessional Group

A nation with one of the most standardized farrier programs in the world--and an Act of Parliament to back it up--is looking at natural hoof trimmers in preparation for a possible national training and registration program. Equine dental technicians are also on the list of “new paraprofessionals” under scrutiny by LANTRA.

Lantra Equine and Professions Allied to Veterinary Science Industry Partnership Manager, Lisa Jarvis said: “We estimate that around 500 dental technicians and barefoot trimmers work in the UK, but it is an emerging area and very little is known about it.”

Lisa adds: “In order for Lantra to work with the para-professionals and (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Defra to develop frameworks for training and qualifications we urgently need equine dental technicians and barefoot trimmers to take part in this research.”

The agency has invited people currently making a living as natural hoof trimmers to fill out a survey form about their background, training, horse skills, and levels of expertise at trimming.

The survey questions are grouped into eight main themes:
· Current numbers employed in the industry
· Entry route into current job role (i.e. school, college, university)
· Training route used (length of training, type of training, accreditation)
· Predicted numbers entering the industry
· Job roles – tasks, competencies
· Business – number of clients and horses treated
· Membership in organizations
· Interaction with other professionals (e.g. veterinary surgeons, farriers)

Farriers in the UK are regulated under the Farriers Registration Act, a national law enacted by Parliament in the 1970s. The Act specifically outlaws the shoeing of horses by anyone who is not a qualified farrier listed by the Farriers Registration Council.

Barefoot trimmers have been able to work on horses for pay in Britain up to this point because they are not performing farriery, i.e., applying shoes. According to the Farriers Registration Council (FRC), farriery is defined in the Farriers (Registration) Act 1975 as ‘any work in connection with the preparation or treatment of the foot of a horse for the immediate reception of a shoe thereon, the fitting by nailing or otherwise of a shoe to the foot or the finishing off of such work to the foot’. In the future, in other countries and in other legal documents, farriery may be re-defined as “trimming and/or shoeing”, or it may continue to migrate into two distinct professional groups.

Click here to view the survey (but don't fill it out unless you live in Britain and are a hoof trimmer).

Freinds at Work: Farrier to Racing Legend Desert Orchid Becomes a Trainer

The last time we checked in with British farrier Paul Henderson, he was micro-managing corns (inflamed heels) on the precious hooves of the great National Hunt ("steeplechase" in American lingo) champion Desert Orchid. Fast forward ten years or so and Paul is now dabbling quite seriously as a trainer and had a winner on Boxing Day; the horse won again last week. Such success for a new trainer meant that he would be featured in a British newspaper today.

And, no, he hasn't given up his day job!

British Owner Sues Veterinarians Over Laminitis and Wins $600K Damages

July 26, 2005—According to a report just received via the BBC, a British horse owner has been awarded more than $600,000 in damages because of a veterinarian’s failure to warn her that steroid injections could cause laminitis.

The case involves the high-profile dressage mare Annastasia, who was the national dressage champion of France in 2000 but was British-owned. The owner insisted that her own British vet be involved in care decisions, while the horse was under the care of the French team veterinarian.

Ultimately, both British and French veterinarians were named in the suit.

In 1999 and again in August 2001, the horse received corticosteroid injections and, on the second instance, developed laminitis and was destroyed due to the severity of the laminitis. The assumption is that the steroids directly led to the sudden and severe laminitis attack.

The judge agreed that the owner might have refused the treatment if she had been told of the risks. He placed 85 percent of the liability on the French veterinarian, with 15% on the British veterinarian.

(Please note that the value of the judgement was 350,000 GBP, which has an equivalent value of about $600,000USD.)