Gait Analysis: Check out this frame...no this one...did you see that?

There is no question that British-based software from Equinalysis has opened people's eyes to looking at horse's loading patterns for clues to lameness or performance problems.

"Landing vs. loading" is the new "static vs dynamic" debate among farriers. And the new software is being used by both camps to pile up the evidence.

Now high speed video is entering the arena...literally, in some cases. Hunter stride kinetics, Thoroughbred stride length, and out of the gate collection can now be looked at under a (very expensive) microscope.

Watch Hoofcare & Lameness and hoofcare.com for new developments in this area, along with important new research from Europe on the inconsistency of stride characteristics in high level performance horses.

Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is born!

From Fran Jurga, editor/publisher of Hoofcare & Lameness Journal 

15 September 2004

This day won't be remembered for the launch of this blog. Instead, it will be remembered for Hurricane Ivan (the Terrible?) and his imminent attack on the shores of Mississippi and Alabama. I've heard from a few Hoofcare & Lameness readers tonight who live in the storm's path, and I'll thinking of them in the next few days.

I will use this blog to help readers of Hoofcare & Lameness Journal get the inside track on news and information as it whizzes through our offices. I know that subscribers are keen to know many details of things going on in the horse health and horseshoeing world that may not make it to the "news" section of our journal, or even to a news item posted on our web site, hoofcare.com.

What will appear may be just fragments of news, ideas for stories in progress, or pleas for help.

Of course, I've never done this before, but I think the best thing to do is just jump in and see how it works, how readers like it, and what good use we can make of this fun medium.

Please don't take it TOO seriously. As with all things here at Hoofcare & Lameness, we ask that you consider the possibility of errors and not mistake the information posted here as professional or medical advice. The information posted here is not meant for re-publication and may not be copied or posted elsewhere without the express written permission of Hoofcare Publishing.



Art at top: Swiss artist Arnold Bocklin's "Centaur in the Village Blacksmith's Shop" was painted in 1888. © Museum Of Fine Arts, Budapest, Hungary, used with permission.