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!

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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.

Friends at Work: Michael Bell Helps Hooves in Need

Farrier Michael Bell spends some time each week with the least glamourous horses in the equestrian world. He's the farrier at Horse World, the Friends of Bristol Horses rehabilitation farm in Bristol, England.

You'll find him rubbing up against the horses with sweet itch, mange and he probably sometimes feel a bony hip poking him...a bony hip that should be padded with flesh.

Take a moment to read the shelter's nice article about how much they appreciate Michael, and consider the neglected hooves of the rescue foundered pony, below. The owner received a two-year ban from owning horses and was forced to pay over $3000 in fines and court costs.

Note: “Friends At Work” is a regular feature of Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog. When newspapers and web sites alert us to features on our hard-working readers and friends, I sometimes can figure out how to link to the story and share the photo with blog readers. Preference is given to people who aren’t normally in the news…and the more exotic the locale, the better! Scroll down the blog to read more "Friends at Work" posts from all over the world, or use the "search" box at the upper left of this page to find more "friends". You could be next!