(report provided by ILPH)
At the recent Scottish Equine Welfare Seminar of the International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH) at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh, Robert Eustace FRCVS of The Laminitis Trust rattled the cage of equine obesity in the show ring and in the home paddock.
"Obesity – a major cause of welfare problems" was the title of his presentation.
Robert was able to graphically show the difference in what horse owners nowadays think is acceptable weight compared to forty years ago and even twenty years ago, by using winner photos from old and recent horse shows. The attendees were captivated by this visual proof of the changing form of horses shown in-hand (what we call "halter" horses in the USA).
Robert expanded on the damage that is occurring to these obese animals and their progeny, if indeed they were able to reproduce.
He concluded with some very basic sound advice to all horse owners: Every time your horse is shod, use your weight tape and mark on the stable wall the weight it shows. This will prove that the horse owner is keeping an accurate record of the weight at a regular interval so any weight gain or loss is easily detected.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Friday, February 02, 2007
Farrier Elmer Campbell Has Died
Elmer Campbell, one of the first farriers elected to the Kentucky Derby Museum's "Hall of Fame" for farriers, has died in Florida.
Elmer is shown in the middle in this photo with his twin sons Charley on the left (I think) and Joe on the right. This photo was taken at the 1985 Breeders Cup at Aqueduct. Both sons were shoers with their father at the New York tracks; Joe is still there and works as paddock farrier at Saratoga in August. Charlie died in 2005 after a long battle with cancer.
I will post more information shortly to add to this story.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
New "TracMe" Therapeutic Horseshoe Hits Its Stride at Hoof Conference
The new "TracMe" aluminum wedge/roller horseshoe was unveiled today at the International Hoof Care Summit meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The new shoes are sized like raceplates and look like therapeutic shoes. The larger sizes have wider (some would say onion-esque) heels and optional clips.
Trac Me is the project of metals manufacturing pro Mary Lovejoy of Versailles, Kentucky. A few years ago, her mare Zena developed laminitis and was a patient at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital’s podiatry unit, under the care of Dr. Scott Morrison and farrier Manfred Ecker.
Mary became intrigued with the clinic's display of aluminum shoes made by Manfred, or offered by different manufacturers. And she thought she could do better. When Zena recovered, she became determined to bring her metal trades background to the farrier world, and TracMe shoes became a full-fledged business plan.
The preliminary shoes were designed by Manfred Ecker and tested by top farriers like Dr. Scott Morrison, Mike Wildenstein (Cornell University), Jay Thomlinson (Virginia) and James Gilchrist (Palm Beach Equine Clinic).
Aluminum milling has been a state of the art process for making shoes for almost ten years now. The demand for aluminum egg-bar shoes sent GE Forge and Tool’s KB shoe line to the top of the class when GE’s Bob Garner went high-tech and mastered the aluminum extrusion and computerized milling process. The result was a streamlined horseshoe that didn’t break because (in a nutshell) the aluminum “flowed” around the form of the shoe instead of across the form. Major improvement!
TracMe shoes retail for $36 a pair and up.
Learn more at http://www.tracmeshoes.com or call Mary Lovejoy at
847-247-1121 or 859-873-6402.
© Hoofcare Publishing 2007
To learn more about new research, products, and treatments for the horse's hooves and legs as reported to veterinarians and farriers in the award-winning "Hoofcare & Lameness Journal", go to http://www.hoofcare.com
Direct “subscribe now” link to Hoofcare & Lameness Journal: http://www.hoofcare.com/subscribe.html
Contact Hoofcare Publishing anytime: tel 978 281 3222 fax 978 283 8775 email bloginquiry@hoofcare.com
To learn more about new research, products, and treatments for the horse's hooves and legs as reported to veterinarians and farriers in the award-winning "Hoofcare & Lameness Journal", go to http://www.hoofcare.com
Direct “subscribe now” link to Hoofcare & Lameness Journal: http://www.hoofcare.com/subscribe.html
Contact Hoofcare Publishing anytime: tel 978 281 3222 fax 978 283 8775 email bloginquiry@hoofcare.com
Magnetic Toe Clip Device Helps Farriers Position Shoe for Nailing
Our trusty reporters on the trade show floor at the farrier meeting in Cincinnati report that one of the most unique items they have seen is the "Shoe-Tru" device. It is an oversized toe clip with a magnet that adheres to the shoe.
Assuming that the toe of the shoe is "out there" with the toe of the foot, not set-back, the clip holds the shoe in placing for safer, more steady nailing. Once the nails are in, the farrier just slips the clip off the shoe.
Many farriers lament the unpopularity of toe clips on USA horse shoes; most people use side clips. Users of both types of clips site the ease of nailing on a clipped shoe. The magnetic clip may help with nailing, but not have the burn-in requirements of a "real" clip.
There are some ingenious people out there!
Assuming that the toe of the shoe is "out there" with the toe of the foot, not set-back, the clip holds the shoe in placing for safer, more steady nailing. Once the nails are in, the farrier just slips the clip off the shoe.
Many farriers lament the unpopularity of toe clips on USA horse shoes; most people use side clips. Users of both types of clips site the ease of nailing on a clipped shoe. The magnetic clip may help with nailing, but not have the burn-in requirements of a "real" clip.
There are some ingenious people out there!
All HoofBlog text and images © Hoofcare Publishing 2007 unless otherwise noted.
To learn more about new research, products, and treatments for the horse's hooves and legs as reported to veterinarians and farriers in the award-winning "Hoofcare & Lameness Journal",
go to http://www.hoofcare.com
Direct “subscribe now” link to Hoofcare & Lameness Journal: http://www.hoofcare.com/subscribe.html
Contact Hoofcare Publishing anytime:
tel 978 281 3222 fax 978 283 8775 email bloginquiry@hoofcare.com
To learn more about new research, products, and treatments for the horse's hooves and legs as reported to veterinarians and farriers in the award-winning "Hoofcare & Lameness Journal",
go to http://www.hoofcare.com
Direct “subscribe now” link to Hoofcare & Lameness Journal: http://www.hoofcare.com/subscribe.html
Contact Hoofcare Publishing anytime:
tel 978 281 3222 fax 978 283 8775 email bloginquiry@hoofcare.com
Monday, January 29, 2007
Barbaro's Final Update
At around 10:30 this morning, after spending a restless night on his feet in his stall at New Bolton Center, 2006 Kentucky Derby Barbaro was euthanized by his surgeon Dr. Dean Richardson.
I was able to participate in a press briefing from Dr. Richardson this afternoon and can share this information:
1. The decision to euthanize Barbaro was not related to a re-fracture of his leg. To take weight off his foundered left hind, Barbaro bore increased weight on the right hind and severely bruised the lateral heel, which lead to an abscess in that heel area.
2. Barbaro did develop laminitis in both front feet.
3. On Sunday night, Barbaro did not lie down. Richardson said the horse is usually quiet at night and lies down to sleep. He did not do that last night and Richardson said it was the first night the horse had been in distress. The horse's distress was in spite of pain medication and the use of the sling. "We couldn't control his pain," Richardson said.
4. On Monday morning, Barbaro was relatively comfortable in his sling and alert. He ate his grass brought to him by his owners. He was given a heavy dose of tranquilizer and then an overdose of anesthesia through a catheter that was already in his neck.
5. "It could not have been more peaceful," Richardson stressed.
In retrospect, Richardson commented, "There were some Eureka! moments. But this is how science works, it's more like a gradual accumulation of expertise. I am sure I made mistakes, or, I should say, I am sure there were things I could have done better. You have to believe that you will get better at your job, otherwise why would you go to work in the morning?"
Referring to the cascade of events leading to the decision to euthanize the horse, Richardson said, "It's like a deck of cards. If one thing starts to go, others follow."
"My only gratification," he said near the end of the conference, "Is that he had eight or nine months of being a happy horse a majority of the time."
The press conference ended about 4:30 this afternoon.
I was able to participate in a press briefing from Dr. Richardson this afternoon and can share this information:
1. The decision to euthanize Barbaro was not related to a re-fracture of his leg. To take weight off his foundered left hind, Barbaro bore increased weight on the right hind and severely bruised the lateral heel, which lead to an abscess in that heel area.
2. Barbaro did develop laminitis in both front feet.
3. On Sunday night, Barbaro did not lie down. Richardson said the horse is usually quiet at night and lies down to sleep. He did not do that last night and Richardson said it was the first night the horse had been in distress. The horse's distress was in spite of pain medication and the use of the sling. "We couldn't control his pain," Richardson said.
4. On Monday morning, Barbaro was relatively comfortable in his sling and alert. He ate his grass brought to him by his owners. He was given a heavy dose of tranquilizer and then an overdose of anesthesia through a catheter that was already in his neck.
5. "It could not have been more peaceful," Richardson stressed.
In retrospect, Richardson commented, "There were some Eureka! moments. But this is how science works, it's more like a gradual accumulation of expertise. I am sure I made mistakes, or, I should say, I am sure there were things I could have done better. You have to believe that you will get better at your job, otherwise why would you go to work in the morning?"
Referring to the cascade of events leading to the decision to euthanize the horse, Richardson said, "It's like a deck of cards. If one thing starts to go, others follow."
"My only gratification," he said near the end of the conference, "Is that he had eight or nine months of being a happy horse a majority of the time."
The press conference ended about 4:30 this afternoon.
Barbaro's Last Update: Rest in Peace
Word just in that 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized this morning at New Bolton Center. More information to follow.
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