Lieutenant Boniface's Lost Notes on Shoes (or No Shoes) in U.S. Cavalry History, Part 1

Lieutenant Jonathan Boniface, US Cavalry, used this shoeboard as an illustration in his book, The Cavalry Horse and Its Pack, in 1903. The shoes shown represent the typical shoe used by several different nations' cavalry farriers, as well as some corrective shoe designs. Reading the fine print in Boniface's book gives a new perspective on how, when, and if shoes were used on military horses of different nations, and echoes many of the discussions going on today for work and pleasure horses.

In this series, Hoofcare + Lameness goes back 100 years to the golden age of cavalry. Through the transcribed words of US Cavalry Lieutenant Jonathan Boniface, we’ll see not only how cavalry horses were shod in different nations, but if they were shod.

Enthusiastic Attendees or Presentation Pirates? Attendee iPad/iPhone Media Capture is the Elephant in the Lecture Hall

Should you take photos of a speaker's slides at a conference? And if you do, should you share them on Facebook? Conference organizers and speakers are drawing lines on what's allowed and what's not. But they don't always agree. (Bareform photo)

There's an elephant in the lecture hall and it's time we talked about it: If you pay to attend a conference, does your registration fee entitle you to record it? If so, should you share it with others? Is it okay to use your iPhone to take photos of a speaker's slides? How much leeway should be allowed for personal or educational use of conference content?

Video: Almost Killed with Kindness, an Overweight Pony's Rehabilitation Begins with His Overgrown Hooves

When World Horse Welfare farrier Donald Nicol first saw a Shetland pony named Haggis, he went right to work on his overgrown hooves. The pony's owners were prosecuted under British law for cruelty in allowing the pony to become so obese. In the video, Donald goes all around the pony and comments on his hooves before he starts trimming. (© World Horse Welfare photo)

We hear so much these days about emaciated, abandoned, undernourished and/or "unwanted" horses left to fend for themselves. But today we have a video of a pony from the opposite end of the (weight) scale and the welfare scale.

Shoeless Thoroughbred Wins at Keeneland; Track Lists Barefoot Entries as Trainers Experiment with Polytrack Surface Effects on Hoof Slide

The racing surface known as "Polytrack" is one of several artificial surfaces that have been installed at racetracks in North America to improve safety and help cope with bad weather. But it also changes the way the hoof interacts with the surface. The characteristic slide that horses experience on dirt can be "sticky" for some horses. Experimenting with and without shoes during training and racing has led some trainers to try some unorthodox combinations of shoes--or no shoes at all.

Update: A second "no shoes" designated horse won a race at Keeneland on Sunday, bringing the total of winners to two in three days. Updated information has been added at the end of this article.

A Career on the Hoof: Does Geography Matter?

If you're considering a career in hoofcare (or know someone who is), this video might be helpful to you. The requirements of the job, according to South African racetrack farrier Andy Rivas, are pretty much the same all over.

How We Learn: Bracy Clark's Intricate "Model Hoof"

How can we know where we're going if we don't know where we have been?

The Laminitis Revolution Begins Wednesday; Register for Webinar

A much-anticipated webinar on endocrine laminitis is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10, at 8 pm London time, which is probably about 3 pm New York time.

Were Ancient Horses' Fetlocks Less Susceptible to Breakdown Injury?

  

As Saturday's 2013 Grand National approaches, the possibility of some news from the University of Liverpool's vet school has been high. Each year, injured racehorses find expert care at the nearby vet hospital, and the vet school is proud of its long association with the race and its role in helping prevent and treat injuries in racehorses.

Equine Obesity Research: Breeds Respond Differently to Changes in Diet and Exercise

Does it take a university research study to prove that horses need exercise and diets?

If spring weight gain isn't on horse owners' minds right now, it will be soon. Many horses now come through the winter in robust condition, thanks to modern feeds, warm barns, snuggly blankets and owners who don't ride often in winter...if ever.

One Day Left!

On the Case: Thorn-y Hoof Problems at Towcester Equine Clinic

Andrew Hayes BVetMed MRCVS of Towcester Vets Equine Centre in England made this video and writes some details:

The horse featured was a three year old that had been suffering form a fluctuating forelimb lameness for several days. The blood supply to the affected foot was increased (increased heat and bounding digital pulse). 

Happy Easter from The Hoof Blog

Click for more information on how to submit speaker abstracts and posters
for the 2013 conference, to be held November 1-3 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Watch It: Ram Trucks Promotional Video Features Texas Farrier Shawn Nanny, Who Still Likes His Old Truck

If you were in the business of selling trucks, wouldn't a farrier be your ideal customer?

The answer would be an unequivocal "yes"--assuming your truck can fill the farrier's needs...and the farrier wants a new truck.

Save November 1-3, 2013 for the International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot

What: International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot

When: November 1 to 3, 2013

Where: Marriott Convention Center  

 1001 Okeechobee Boulevard • West Palm Beach, Florida 33401 USA

For more information about the Laminitis Conference go to: 

http://laminitisconference.com

On the Case: California Wrap, British Style, for White Line Disease

One of the best things about the Hoof Blog is hearing from people  inspired to share how they would use different materials or methods to achieve the same thing.

Laminitis Research: Grayson-Jockey Club Foundation Announces 2013 Support for New and Continuing Laminitis, Lameness Detection Projects

Farriery: More Than Meets the Eye to Duckett's Blindfolded Shoemaking

“Gotcha!” Farrier David Duckett FWCF used the worst horseshoe he ever made to prove his point: there's much more to forgework than meets the eye. Or was it: "the eyes have it"? His exploits launched a great tale that will be passed through the farrier world and probably cause many a farrier to burn a forearm. In this photo, he's balancing a coffin bone on the end of a pen at "Duckett's Dot". Photo used with permission of FORGE Magazine and Gill Harris (thanks!).

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

Equine Lameness Education: Sue Dyson Will Be Milne State-of-the-Art Lecturer for 2013 AAEP Convention

Via AAEP News Room

World-renowned equine orthopaedics expert Dr. Sue Dyson will deliver the Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture during the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ 2013 Annual Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, December 7 – 11.

Her lecture, “Equine Lameness: Clinical Judgment Meets Advanced Diagnostic Imaging”, will focus on three key areas: the recognition of lameness; new knowledge about the limitations of diagnostic analgesia; and the value of MRI in diagnosing foot-related lameness.

Sue Dyson at work at England's Animal Health Trust Centre for Equine Studies

British Farrier Diplomates in Inaugural Pledge to Uphold Profession and Equine Welfare Standards

Graduate farriers in Great Britain recited the inaugural pledge to their profession.

On February 28, the Worshipful Company of Farriers and the Farriers Registration Council, held a ceremony in the Long Room of the Honourable Artillery Company, London. That day,  44 new farriers – including two women – were admitted to the Farriers Register of qualified farriers allowed to shoe horses in Great Britain.

French Sterile Maggot Debridement Study Finds 93% Efficacy for Equine Wounds

The French study is illustrated with this photo of maggots at work on a wound.

A press release from the Equine Veterinary Journal arrived at The Hoof Blog this week. It heralds a French study that documented the successful use of sterile maggot debridement therapy in treating wounds in horses. 

On the Case with Rood and Riddle's Dr. Scott Morrison: Glue-on Spring Shoe for a Contracted, Club-Footed Cutting Horse

Give the video time to buffer, and hit the "play" icon to begin. Thanks to Saginaw Valley Equine Clinic and Dr. Morrison for this video.

Here's an interesting case that complements an article in the Hoof Blog archives. Watch Dr. Morrison literally put a spring in a clinic horse's step.

AAPF/CAPF Announce Farriers Assistance Program for Injured or Ill Members

You see this message in an elevator. Now you might see this on the side of a farrier vehicle, too. (Seth Neilson photo)

What happens when farriers are injured or ill and can't work? Their friends in the profession help them, that's what happens. And the American Association of Professional Farriers and Canadian Association of Professional Farriers have joined forces to establish a way to get it officially done for the members of the two associations.

Video: Inside the Online Veterinary Anatomy Museum with Mark Evans

The Online Veterinary Anatomy Museum ("OVAM") continues to mature, expand, blossom and amaze, and now British television host (and veterinarian) Mark Evans adds his two cents to the value of this web-based resource of sharable resources with this video feature.

The Laminitis Conference Announces Call for Abstracts/Presentation/Poster Summaries for 2013

Plastination specimen by Dr. Christoph Von Horst, HC Biovision/plastinate.com

The International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot has published its call for abstracts for the 2013 conference, to be held November 1-3, 2013 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The document, visible in this article, can be downloaded for your reference or shared to social media.

Off Topic Video: Slo-mo beach gallop--with a twist

It's no secret that the Hoof Blog is known almost as widely for launching unusual horse-related videos and commercials as for hoof-related stories. You saw the Budweiser Clydesdale ad here first and now you're seeing the new--and slightly weird--Citroen commercial.

The what?

Hoofcare History: Japanese Hoof Sandals Gave Horses Removable Traction

This amazing photo from Japan shows the traditional straw sandals worn by horses there. The sandals attached with straw ties around the pastern. Notice that this horse's hind feet are left alone. (T. Enemi image courtesy of Rob Oechsle)

As much as I love reading the history of hoofcare and lameness from British and American historical perspectives, it's the other countries and other parts of the world that keep my reading lamp on at night. There is so much we don't know about how hooves were cared for in other cultures.

From my reading, it almost seems like horseshoes were one of the things that European merchants and explorers brought with them to new lands--and left behind, along with Christianity. They converted the people to Eurocentric religions and their horses to iron shoes.

But what were they using before the Europeans showed up, and is there something that we can learn from them?

Oklahoma Farrier, Victim of Trailer Theft, Boosted by Fellow Viet Nam Veterans

Please wait for the remote video clip to load.

Sometimes when bad things happen to good people, it brings out the best in other people.

Super Bowl Scoop: Hoof Boot Solves Budweiser Clydesdale Safety Concern

When you saw the new Budweiser Clydesdale commercial, was your first thought, "Why on earth would anyone ask a Clydesdale to canter on pavement?" Mine was. This actor was brave to stand in front of the horse as he approached. Notice the horse is barefoot. (photo courtesy of KC LaPierre)

You read it here first. But you're not going to read much. But here's something to talk about during half-time in the Super Bowl: the hoof connection to the Big Game. (You knew there'd be one!)

Equine Hoof Research: Digital Cushion Response to Pressure Tested in Horses vs Elephants at Royal Veterinary College

Most of the digital cushion of the horse is housed inside a rigid outer hoof capsule and between the lateral cartilages of the coffin bone. Its function has been proposed by different researchers as having both passive and active roles in weightbearing and shock absorption in the equine foot. (© Christoph von Horst plastinated hoof tissue specimen, color enhanced)

Hoof science turns up in some unexpected places, and it is always a joy to report on it when it does. That was the case earlier this month at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) annual meeting in San Francisco.

Video: Farrier and Saddlery Skills in Cambodia Shared by FEI and World Horse Welfare Partnership Professionals

Get a new appreciation of the urban and rural horse culture of Cambodia in this short video profiling the recent programs of World Horse Welfare and the FEI Solidarity programs. Farrier Tom Burch and saddler Mark Fisher made the journey to Southeast Asia to help both the poor working ponies and the elite sport horses of the country's expanding equestrian sports scene.

The Budweiser Clydesdales 2013 Super Bowl Commercial: Advance Showing of the 2013 Commercial on the Hoof Blog

This year's Budweiser Clydesdale commercial is quite a story. "Brotherhood" shares the bond of a trainer and his favorite horse.

Spoiler alert!

Have you been chewing your nails (or hooves)? Are you worried you might be running to the refrigerator or bathroom on Sunday night when the annual Budweiser Clydesdale commercial comes on the Super Bowl?

Fear no more, here it is: (go ahead, watch it in full screen mode)

Video: AAEP Extends Pasture-Associated Equine Laminitis Research Project into 2013

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has announced that it is extending its pasture-associated equine laminitis research project into 2013, in hopes of collecting more cases from the field.

Horseshoeing Trailer Heist in Oklahoma Devastates Veteran Farrier's Ability to Work

Shoeing trailers make a lot of sense, both economically and efficiency-wise. Some are really clever designs and all of them allow farriers to use a truck or hauling vehicle for something other than a work-related rig.

But it looks like thieves love them, too. This is not the first shoeing trailer that I have heard of being stolen. This news report amazed me when I saw that Mr. Ward had stamped all this shoes.

Name the Budweiser Clydesdale Foal Star of 2013's Super Bowl Commercial

There is just no question that the marketing and advertising surrounding the Super Bowl is more interesting than the game itself usually turns out to be. If you needed proof of that, look no farther than into the eyes of the Clydesdale foal in this photo.

This year is the 80th Anniversary of the Budweiser Clydesdales hitch, so you know that there was something special in the pipeline. We just didn't know what, until today!

Wes Champagne's Blacksmith Buddy: A Life-like, Positionable Horse Leg Simulates Shoeing / Trimming for Training, Demonstration and Practice

   Sponsored Post from Wes Champagne   

Learn about Wes Champagne's Blacksmith Buddy in this introductory video.

When I heard that California horseshoer Wes Champagne had a new invention, I sat back and said, "Hmmmm...." My mind lit up with imagined new lightweight shoes, or space-age adhesives, or something that you could put on a racehorse so it could break the sound barrier, or maybe jump the moon.

After all, Wes has quite a "track record" already, as a pioneer of adhesive shoes for racehorses and quarter crack repair. He pioneered the "direct glue" method and shod the first winner of a Breeders Cup race with glue-ons, Lit de Justice in the 1996 Sprint. 

I was in for a surprise this time, though...

Paynter Recovery from Colitis and Laminitis Voted 2012 Moment of the Year; Owner Designates Veterinarian to Accept Award

Stakes winner Paynter was taken ill in August while training at Saratoga in New York. A month of life-and-death struggles with colitis and acute laminitis followed. Many horses don't survive this type of medical insult but Paynter clung to life and is now back in training at Santa Anita in California. His story was publicly broadcast via the Twitter social media network by his owners, Zayat Racing. Racing fans adopted the horse's struggle and cheered "Power Up, Paynter" at every turn.

A racehorse's recovery from colitis and laminitis was chronicled on the Hoof Blog in September 2012 and was voted today the "Moment of the Year" in American horseracing. Paynter's battle gripped everyone's attention--and amazed everyone who thought he'd never survive.

Paynter battled laminitis and colitis with the help of a corps of skilled and dedicated veterinarians and farriers; the horse was transferred to a small vet hospital near Saratoga, New York following his victory in the 2012 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park. His struggle has been voted the 2012 National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Moment of the Year.

Sue Dyson: How Poor Performance and Pain Are Linked in Equestrian Sports

Dr. Sue Dyson brings to her job not just her exemplary career as an imaging and diagnostics expert, but also her expertise as an advanced-level rider and trainer. (AHT photo)

At the 2012 International Society for Equitation Science Conference in Scotland in July, Sue Dyson MA, VetMB, PhD, DEO, FRCVS, presented some data collected in her work as director of orthopedics at the famous Animal Health Trust (AHT) referral clinic in Newmarket, England. The large number of cases seen at the clinic and the thoroughness of Dr. Dyson's exams and imaging provide a broad database for analyzing trends in lameness diagnosis in sport horses.

“Conformation plays a significant role in determining the likelihood of an individual horse suffering an injury during its competition career” advised Dr Dyson. Conformation issues of concern to her include straight hocks, a high croup relative to the withers and overly-extended hind fetlocks.

Would You Take a Moment to Vote for the Hoof Blog?

Surprise, surprise--and what a nice one!

The Hoof Blog has been honored by being named a finalist in the "Best Blog" category of the Equestrian Social Media Awards. How wonderful is that?

If you are agree, you can vote for The Hoof Blog (listed under "Fran Jurga") in Group 17 on the ballot web site: http://www.equestriansocialmediaawards.com/finalists.

Science Meets Art: Details of Horses on a Treadmill Fill Screens of Chaja Hertog's "Four Riders" Video Installation

Nothing much happens but there's plenty to look at. Hoof Blog readers may be mesmerized or bored or inspired or exasperated by this two-minute excerpt from a video artist's interpretations of disembodied but parallel equine details. Best experienced in full screen mode; click the embiggen icon between "HD" and "vimeo".

The Hoof Blog talks a lot about science. The anatomy and physiology of the horse's hoof are combining with locomotion and biomechanics; slowly, but surely, a field of science is emerging.

But is it art? Creative video artist Chaja Hertog thinks so...

CIA Director Nominee John O. Brennan Has Ties to Farrier World

One of the remaining forges in Kilkenny, Ireland. This one is in Kilfane. It has
three bays; the center one has a horseshoe-arch doorway. It was built from local limestone
around 1875 and, according to records, it is empty and in disrepair.

The pubs are buzzing in Ireland tonight. And the forge fires are flaring just a little higher, knowing that half a world away, a son of one of their own may soon take on one of the most important jobs in the world.

Horseshoes for the US Army: A 300-mile march on pavement tested calks for artillery horses

Here's the 112th Field Artillery, a New Jersey unit, in marching formation. Notice how close to the side of the road they are, particularly the wheels. In 1935, similar artillery horses from Fort Myer in Virginia were marched 300 miles on hard-surfaced roads to test out horseshoe designs.

How--and why--did the US Army make its decision about horseshoe policies in days gone by? The advent of paved roads in the 1920s necessitated a reaction from the Army. They realized that, in the event of war or a domestic crisis, artillery guns would be transported over pavement, and the horses' feet would have to accommodate hard-surfaced roads of different types.

The November-December 1935 edition of The Field Artillery Journal tells us about it; an account is transcribed here in red:

The First Battalion, 16th Field Artillery stationed at Fort Myer, Virginia, recently completed a march from its home station to the concentration area of the First Army Reserve at Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, and return to Fort Myer, Virginia.

• Total distance covered, 301.3 miles.
• Average march per day, 18.7 miles.
• Speed varied between 4 and 5 miles per hour.

The entire march was made on hard surface roads with no apparent ill effects to any of the animals. The gait was the walk and trot. The first fifteen minutes of each day's march at the walk; from then on alternate walk and trot. Trotting took place only on level stretches of the road.

Horses were changed daily within the teams and sometimes by spare animals. Also the changing of complete teams from gun to caisson helped to equalize the loads. The use of Hippo Straps was resorted to upon suspicion of a sore neck and before the actual sore was apparent.

The shoeing problem presented many difficulties. Horses that walked with a drag walk--that is that would slide their feet over the road--soon wore out their shoes. Some animals would wear out a set of shoes in one day's march, others in two days, and practically all animals had to be shod within a week's time.

It was discovered that by building up a toe calk and heel calks to the same level on each shoe that they would last much longer. Caution had to be taken that heel calks did not wear down faster than the toe calks, thereby throwing the foot out of level. In one battery, 33 horses were shod in a 24-hour period.

As evidence of the splendid work done by the horseshoers, there was no case in which an animal cast a shoe during the entire march.

Another difficulty encountered was slippery roads. These were a serious menace to both animals and men and such roads should be avoided where possible. Roads of this nature are extremely difficult to recognize by motor reconnaissance. Even after stopping your car and making a very careful examination of the road surface it's a two-to-one bet that you are wrong and your nonslippery road will turn out to be something like an ice skating rink.

By experience in selection of routes this much can be said: Slippery roads usually have a high crown, that is the sides of the road slope off rather steeply, they are always made of a mixture of stone and asphalt or stone and some tar product. The appearance of the surface is most deceptive. It may appear rough or smooth and still be slippery. The presence of asphalt or tar on this surface is a sure sign of danger.

Concrete highways were found to be excellent and no slipping occurred on this type of road except where an unusual amount of repair work with tar or asphalt had been carried out.

Certain new types of asphalt pavement--such as that now being laid in Maryland on some of its state roads and the city of Washington, D.C.--make excellent footing for horses. In fact it proved to be the best type of hard surface on which to march.

The results accomplished are attributed mainly to the following reasons:

• A thorough reconnaissance and careful selection of routes;
• The time of day selected for the march;
• The close supervision of the care of animals;
• The care taken to insure a sufficiency of water for animals;
• The superior work of the horseshoers;
• Gaits maintained throughout the march.

(end of transcription from article)

To calk or not to calk? That was the Army's question.

Looking at these findings in hindsight, there is no discussion about any benefit or down side of raising the horse's foot off the ground with the calks, or what effect the calks may have had on the horses' foot landing patterns.

It seems the goal was to decrease the amount of time between shoeings by increasing the wear that the shoe could provide.

The author also does not comment on whether the horses had better or worse traction on different types of pavement encountered based on whether they were flat shod or shod with calks.

This video shows an artillery team in action during the National Cavalry Competition in 2011 at Fort Reno in Oklahoma; this is a unit from Fort Sill, also in Oklahoma. (Photo via U.S. Army Veterinary Corps Historical Preservation Group)

Horses today who work on pavement are often shod with various types of plastic shoes or steel that is protected with hard-surfacing "grip" material. Plastic shoes were available in the 1930s and were widely used at the time on city work horses that had to endure pavement all day, every day. Other variations, such as rope inserts on the fullered ground surface, were also in use at that time.

No followup to this article was published so it's difficult to know if the calked shoes were adopted for permanent use on the horses, or how they fared.

It was often Army policy to adopt a method of hoof trimming or one specific shoe, such as the Army's decree that the Goodenough shoe be tested on 50 percent of Army horses in the years following the Civil War. No criteria were given about which horses were best suited to that type of shoe; the goals were efficiency in stocking and procurement, economy in purchasing large quantities, and finding a shoe that offered maximum wear qualities.

Influential men all the way up to US Presidents were courted to adopt various shoe designs or trim methods for use by the US Army. The Civil War was barely ended before General Ulysses S. Grant was recommending a complete overhaul of how the US Army shod its horses. He recommended the adoption of the Dunbar system to Quartermaster Montgomery Meigs. It literally took an Act of Congress to change horseshoes for the Army, but Dunbar and Grant accomplished it.

While it seems insensitive to the horses to make judgments based solely on the longevity of a steel shoe, the Army had very practical decision-making systems that would be based on what would happen during a war situation, where the loss of a horse from work because of needing re-shoeing, or the loss of shoes, or the quick wear of shoes might affect the ability of the battalion to move the guns to new positions.

Another question this brings to mind is that calk-heeled shoes certainly weren't new. Removable calks were available commercially, as well. It is interesting that the military had been using flat shoes previously, although the reason behind that preference isn't stated--and might have been a good one to ask. 

Were calked shoes the answer to the Army's problem? Could a modification that extends shoe wear also be guaranteed to prevent slipping? There's more than one way to calk a horse, and the Army chose the most labor-intensive method: having the horseshoers (the US military did not the use of the word "farrier") forge them in the fire as part of the shoe, and from the same material. When a calk was worn, the entire shoe would need to be replaced. How efficient was that?

--story © Fran Jurga

If you like what you read on The Hoof Blog, please sign up for the email service at the top right of the page; this insures that you will be sent an email on days when the blog has new articles. 

Thanks to the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps Historical Preservation Group for their mention of the horseshoe wear study of the Fort Myers unit.

To learn more:
Historic Hoofcare: Ice Harvesting (special shoes for winter traction) 

Click here to receive free hoofcare news alerts from The Hoof Blog.

Hints on Horse-Shoeing: Being an Exposition of the Dunbar System Taught to the Farriers of the United States Army, Under the Authority of the Joint Resolution of Congress of July 28, 1866

by John Kiernan, Chief Farrier of the Cavalry Depot, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. 

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. 

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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.

When the Master's Away, His Apprentices Will Play (Music, That Is)

People sometimes refer to the musical sound of horse hooves. Others remark on the music that the hammer makes on the anvil.

Hit the right thing the right away, and you'll hear a tone that you can adjust by hitting it with something else, or by hitting the same thing in a different place.

Is percussion by itself still music?

Farriers Finish 1-2-3 In the Saddle--Not in the Forge--at FEI Bayer New Zealand Showjumping World Cup

Something caught my eye today in a news release from the always-helpful Equestrian New Zealand High Performance Media Liaison Officer, Diana Dobson.

Silent Anvil: World Champion Farrier Richard Ellis Has Died

Laminitis-Surviving Rodeo Star "Vegas" Is Back: Turtle Powell's AQHA Roping Horse of the Year Returns to National Finals Rodeo

Back at it: 2010 AQHA Team Roping Header Horse of the Year RA Sonoita Silver (a.k.a. "Vegas"), was back in his namesake town last week for the comeback of a lifetime. The horse survived severe laminitis and was helped back to the arena by Lubbock, Texas farrier Blane Chapman. (Photo © Molly Morrow Photography, used with permission.)

World Champion Team Roper Turtle Powell was back in the saddle of his favorite horse last week. And no one at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) even noticed.

In the world of rodeo, bad news travels fast. When the ropers on the circuit heard that Turtle's outstanding horse "Vegas" had spent three months in vet hospitals in Montana and Washington because of fever and, eventually, severe laminitis, they shook their heads and said, "Too bad." They knew they'd never see the horse again.

On the Case: Wrapping Up a White Line Disease Rebuild

 A Series of Case Reports from The Hoof Blog

Lameness-specialist veterinarian Mark Silverman, left, and creative-thinking farrier Ernest Woodward, right, have opened the Southern California Equine Podiatry Center outside San Diego, California. The Hoof Blog asked them to share this case, which is somewhat more practical and more economical than many hoof repair treatments. 

To accomplish it, you need to know and understand the products used and their properties in order to select the right fabric, adhesive and/or impression material to insure the success of the job.

Friends at Work: Would You Put Yourself in His Shoes?

Photographer Arjan Haverkamp saw nothing unusual about this scene at the Dierenpark Amersfoort (zoo) in The Netherlands. I think he was curious about the donkey's hooves. When I saw the photo, all I could see was the farrier's shoes!