Worshipful Company of Farriers awards Honorary Fellowship to Professor Renate Weller

Professor Renate Weller received an Honorary Fellowship from Steven Wilson, Master of the Worshipful Company of Farriers, in London last week. A native of Germany, the veterinarian wore her traditional Bavarian coat for this special occasion. Photo Credit: Sam Lane Photography. 

Professor Renate Weller, Drvetmed, PhD, MScVetEd, ACVSMR, FHEA, NTF, ECVSMR, MRCVS,  has received Great Britain's Worshipful Company of Farriers' (WCF) Honorary Fellowship in recognition of her “outstanding contribution to the craft of farriery and the welfare of the horse”.

Event announcement: Laminitis researcher Chris Pollitt headlines ESP Laminitis and Podiatry Conference October 11-12 in Pennsylvania

You're invited! Laminitis researcher and author Professor Chris Pollitt of Australia will lead a roster of seven well-known farrier and veterinarian speakers to address practical and research developments to treat and prevent laminitis and advance the success of podiatry in the treatment of hoof disease. The two-day conference, organized by Equine Soundness Professionals (ESP), will be held October 11-12, 2019 in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.

This conference is limited to 60 attendees and is designed for ESP members and other professional farriers and veterinarians. For further information about this event, remaining sponsorship opportunities or media inquiries, contact Dave Gilliam at (214) 907-3380 or email dave@equisporthoofcare.com. The conference website is www.laminitispodiatryconference.com.

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.

New Equine Soundness Professionals Organization Adds Key British and Australian Biomechanics and Veterinary Advisors, Plans Membership Programs

In its first 100 days, the new Equine Soundness Professionals vet-farrier group has built a solid base for future growth and membership benefits. Founder and farrier David Gilliam of Texas reports interest from around the world in the new organization, and enthusiasm from farriers and veterinarians who plan to participate in both the proposed testing program and the in-depth seminars planned for members and colleagues.

New advisors are being added, as well.

Thank you and good-bye: US laminitis research charity Animal Health Foundation ceases operation

Did you feel a little shudder pass through the barn today?  Laminitis research lost one of its main lifelines with the closing of the Animal Health Foundation, a charity in Missouri, USA today. A big page of hoofcare history turned as one of the most trusted equine health charities in the world closed its doors. It's time for us all to sit up straight and realize that nothing lasts forever, no matter how well-meaning, successful, and respected it is. The decision to close was a personal one and the Board of Directors opted not to continue. The closure comes with funds still in the bank. Who'll pick up the slack? Don and Diana Walsh deserve a resounding "Well done!" salute but the job they started 35 years ago is still a work in progress. But progress it has been!

• • • • •

If your horse survived laminitis, or if you have struggled successfully to prevent laminitis in your horse, you may owe some degree of gratitude to a veterinarian and a generous group of horse owners from St. Louis, Missouri.

3D Printing in the Forge and Clinic: Hoof Anatomy Models, Veterinary Applications, and Horseshoes

3D printing in the horseshoe world probably was done first in some high-tech factory in Asia, but let's give some credit to Curtis Burns in the United States, who has been using 3D printing in the design of Polyflex glue-on shoes. Watch for Mucho Macho Man to run in the Breeders Cup Classic wearing shoes derived from this 3D printing technology on Saturday. (photo courtesy of Curtis Burns/Polyflex Horseshoes)

Research Report: Dr James Belknap Summarizes Developments in Understanding Laminitis Funded by the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation

The following report by Dr Belknap summarizes the sequence of his latest research on laminitis through funding supplied by the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and is reprinted with the Foundation's permission.

Dr. James Belknap of The
Ohio State University

The funding by the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation (GJCRF) and the NTRA (Barbaro Fund) of our last two projects on the efficacy of cryotherapy in laminitis has allowed us to bring to fruition a great deal of effort by many investigators over several decades. This has furthered our understanding of laminitis and to truly bring to the forefront the first laminitis therapy which has passed thorough scientific rigor as an effective therapy for laminitis.

Laminitis is a disease in which the hoof wall separates from the soft tissue attached to the distal phalanx (coffin bone), resulting in the distal phalanx undergoing a crippling displacement towards the ground surface of the hoof.

Wild Horse Research Through the Lens of Dr. Chris Pollitt: Brumbies in the Channel Country

Australian Wild Horse Research: Brumbies Switched Between Terrain Types to Observe Hoof Transition in Hampson Study

Brumby Christine as she appeared when taken off her soft coastal habitat (top two photos) and after three months in hard substrate desert terrain (bottom two photos), as part of an experimental switch between herds in Australia. Her hoof wear was 3x that of another mare and she lost considerable condition (weight) during the period. Researchers decided to remove her from the experiment even though her feet, as shown, seemed markedly more healthy and robust by natural hoofcare parameters but welfare was of equal concern.

The Australian Brumby Research Unit has completed an experimental transfer of horses between different terrains, over 1000 miles apart. The results were recently announced after massive amounts of data, including hoof growth vs. wear measurements, were compiled. The purpose of the switch was for scientists to observe and document the transition that horses go through when environmental conditions change.

Why Don't Penguins' (and Horses') Feet Freeze?

A popular gift book for Christmas is always “Why Don’t Penguins’ Feet Freeze?” It’s been at the top of the nonfiction bestseller list in Great Britain and you can find it over here, too. The book is a collection of "Last Word" back-page essays from the science magazine, New Scientist.

The catchy title is an easy question to answer for most Hoofcare and Lameness readers, who have read the research of Dr. Chris Pollitt or been to his lectures.

I never thought the day would come when arteriovenous anastomosis shunts would roll off my tongue, but it has finally happened. Now I just have to get the spelling right! 

"AVA" shunts change the direction of blood flow to aid in cooling or warming the extremities. They can act alternately as short cuts or detours to reroute blood as needed. Dr Pollitt’s video, “Horse Foot Studies” shows the fine blood supply of a rabbit’s ear and how it contains tiny shunts that prevent bunny ears from freezing in extreme cold.

If you want to learn more about penguins and how they survive in Antartica, the web site "Cool Antarctica" has a very wonderful web page about their thermoregulation.

They make a point about penguins that is also true for horses: the muscles that control the feet are closer to the heart and mostly within the warmer body of the horse. Only the tendons and ligaments run down the limb; technically, the motors that control the rubber-band-like tendons that flex the foot are warm and wired.

Back to the gift book: you can pat yourself on the back for knowing the answer to the title question but there’s another one that bothers me: Why doesn’t super glue stick to the inside of the tube?

Maybe I’ll have to buy the book after all!

Seriously for a moment, though: Napoleon's cavalry reported excessive frostbite to their horses' feet during their miserable winter assault on Russia. And if the hypothesis is true that shoes restrict blood flow to the foot, wouldn't shod horses be more susceptible to frostbite in colder climates? (Ok, all you Vermonters and Alaskans, chime in!)

4th International Equine Laminitis Conference in Palm Beach, Florida Planned for November 2007

Mark your calendars for the first weekend in November of 2007, and plan to attend the 4th International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot, a.k.a. "Palm Beach Laminitis".

The 2005 event was probably the single largest gathering of Hoofcare & Lameness subscribers ever. I loved every minute of it and look forward to seeing you all again next year!

I'll set up a separate blog for the event and post photos from last year. Watch this space for more information!

In the meantime, here are a few favorites:


Drs. Sue Dyson of England and Jean-Marie Denoix of France, who both spoke at the conference, danced beneath the stars on the top deck of the yacht chartered for all the attendess, speakers, and exhibitors, thanks to our gracious hosts, Mr. and Mrs. John Castle.











A mock trial presided over by judge Susan Hankin (center, a law school professor in real life) pitted two expert witnesses against each other: Drer: Dr. David Hood (left) of The Hoof Project and Dr. Chris Pollitt of the Australian Equine Laminitis Research Un









Speaker Katy Watts of Safergrass.org in Colorado discussed grass laminitis with Ivy and Pete Ramey of Georgia after her wet lab.


All photos copyright 2005 Hoofcare & Lameness Journal.





Wet lab demonstrator Aaron Gygax of Switzerland is currently living in the USA and working as a farrier at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital's Podiatry Clinic in Kentucky; he is chatting with James Gilchrist, farrier at Palm Beach Equine Clinic in Florida.









Dr. Ric Redden, recipient of the conference's Lifetime Achievement Award, checks something on the laptop of Japanese researcher Dr. Kuwano, who is an expert on white line disease.

2005 International Laminitis Conference Returns to Palm Beach

Block your calendar now! On the first weekend in November 2005 (next year), the 3rd International Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot will be held at the Palm Beach Convention Center in Palm Beach, Florida.

Organized by Dr Jim Orsini of the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center and a committee that includes laminitis researchers David Hood and Chris Pollitt--along with experts like Rob Boswell of Palm Beach Equine Clinic and farrier Rob Sigafoos of New Bolton Center--the conference is well into the planning stages, with two days of lectures and scientific programs and a full day of collaborative practical sessions. A special program for horseowners will be included as well.

Information will be available in Hoofcare & Lameness Journal.