I lost a friend on Friday. Chances are, so did you. This article is a roundabout way of introducing my readers to Clint Carlson, in case they are young enough or new enough to the horse world not to remember a shy smiling horseshoe salesman in a Hawaiian shirt. It’s also a roundabout way for me to say good-bye.
For 20 years, Clint gave his heart and soul to making and selling some of the very best horseshoes ever manufactured at that time. He did it very quietly. He was an unlikely legend -- and one of the very best friends the horse world ever had.
Monday, June 23, 2025
Remembering Clint Carlson: How a mild-mannered man in a Hawaiian shirt became the "patron saint of American horseshoes"
Friday, January 17, 2025
Summary timeline: What's behind US Equestrian, American Horse Council calls for delay of USDA's new Walking horse soring regulations?
UPDATE: On January 24, the US Equestrian Federation announced that the US Department of Agriculture had indeed pushed back new rules to prevent soring in Tennessee walking horses and similar breeds until April 1, 2025. The article below describes the background to this decision.
Since then, however, sweeping changes in Washington, DC have affected many cabinet agencies, and are expected to impact the USDA. Whether these changes will impact the APHIS horse inspection program remains to be determined.
Readers in the USA may be aware that long-anticipated changes to the federal Horse Protection Act are scheduled to go into effect on February 1. These new rules change the way that Tennessee Walking horses will be inspected at horse shows, and by whom, in an effort to prevent deliberate "soring" practices to enhance gait.
If only it was that easy.
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Donor's gift makes equine laminitis research center a reality at US vet school
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
SURVEY: Professional Farriers' and Equine Veterinarians' Attitudes, Knowledge, and Opinions Sought by University of Edinburgh Researchers
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital opens doors for International Equine Podiatry Conference April 18-20, 2024
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Horseshoer Joe Alfano celebrates 50 years of service with Pennsylvania National Horse Show Hall of Fame honor.
Tuesday, May 09, 2023
Hoof bruises 101: Forte's Kentucky Derby scratch had a common but loosely-defined cause
On Saturday, the 2023 Kentucky Derby favorite was scratched from the big race, just hours before the horses headed to the starting gate. Two-year-old champion Forte stayed in the barn that afternoon, after a Kentucky Horse Racing Commission veterinarian scratched the colt following a post-gallop inspection in the stable area.
As tragic as those losses were, it was Forte's scratch that attracted the most attention and discussion on Derby Day. Should he have run or not? Was the colt a victim of discrimination by regulators who feared that such a high-profile and valuable horse might be further injured if he raced? We'll never know that answer, but Forte is safe tonight, and will almost certainly run again.
Wednesday, August 17, 2022
Prevent laminitis: Wellness Ready stallside insulin tests accelerate Equine Metabolic Syndrome diagnostics
Farriers at the Herning 2022 FEI World Championships: Who was minding the forge?
Thursday, July 29, 2021
The Olympic Hoof: Therapeutic plastic horseshoes helped two US dressage silver medal horses in Tokyo
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Horseshoes, like Olympic medals, can be made from different metals. But this week in Tokyo, the world saw that they can also be made of plastic...and help bring home a medal. |
Thursday, July 22, 2021
The Olympic (Laminitic) Hoof: Dressage horse diagnosed with laminitis before competition begins
Tuesday, May 04, 2021
Renate Weller appointed vet school dean at University of Calgary
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Renate Weller, an educator and leader in the equine veterinary field in Europe, will become the new Dean of the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Canada this September. |
Saturday, April 17, 2021
Remembering Britain's Prince Philip and the Quick-Thinking Farrier
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Prince Philip's brush with danger at the 2013 Royal Windsor Horse Show has almost been forgotten but it could have ended quite differently. A quick-thinking farrier was the hero that day. |
Sunday, January 10, 2021
All Creatures Great and Small: James Herriot Begins Career with a Hoof to the Head
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
HoofSearch Publishes Online Donkey Hoof Research Guides Published with Free Access for All
Wednesday, April 01, 2020
How can horse owners restrict weight gain, prevent laminitis during time of inactivity and extended turnout?
New research from Great Britain shows that a pasture management system known as strip grazing can help prevent weight gain in horses this spring. Horse owners are advised to heed warnings about weight gain and laminitis risk if quarantine conditions are reducing exercise and increasing turnout time for inactive horses.
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Vet/author/editor/researcher Tim Mair brings a wide range of expertise to new post as BEVA President
The British Equine Veterinary Association welcomed a new president during the recent BEVA 2019 Congress in Birmingham, England.
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Burghley Horse Trials' Best Shod Horse for 2019: What was he wearing...and why?
Each year, England's five-star Burghley Horse Trials gives a prize to the best shod horse, and the selection of that horse is always a story in itself. On Wednesday last week, 67 horses stood patiently and had their feet picked up, shoes and hooves examined, and notes taken.
Monday, September 02, 2019
Labor Day parades: When American horseshoers marched down city streets
Sunday, September 01, 2019
Research: Anti-inflammatory treatment did not decrease movement asymmetry identified in riding horses in training
Sometimes, it seems like research raises more questions than it answers, and a new study from Sweden this summer asked some very interesting questions. Research into asymmetry in horses, as identified by sensor-based gait analysis, brings into the discussion the rider's perception that a horse is sound...even if its movement suggests otherwise.