Book Announcement: LAMINITIS & FOUNDER by Butler and Gravlee Goes on Sale Today!

March 25 is the first day we will be taking orders for the new book "Laminitis and Founder" by Doug Butler and Frank Gravlee. The book is an overall guide to the causes and mechanism of acute laminitis, chronic laminitis and especially what we call "metabolic" laminitis.

The hoofcare chapters of the book are limited to steel heart-bar mechanics and contains excellent information on how to properly fit these technical shoes. Dr. George Platt is referenced in this section, along with farrier Burney Chapman.

I recently interviewed one of Burney's sons about the book, and Blaine Chapman, who had just returned from doing a clinic for farriers in Michigan, had this to say:

"The book is, of course, easy to read and very informative. It is not filled with a bunch of propaganda. There is technical information on every page. What you have here is two credible authors who also have class. Besides the fact that they are both masters at what they do, they present the book with dignity and honor. Whether you agree with them or not, you'll have a hard time discounting their information.

"What I like is that Dr. Butler, before he does anything else, gets the foot in balance, even if it is atrophied or deformed. He gets the foot right and then applies the apparatus."

The books are $30 each plus $5 for postage and handling in the USA; $10 postage to the rest of the world.

Call 978 281 3222, fax 978 283 8775 or email books@hoofcare.com to order your copy.

Dubai Horse Fair: No Nails

For the next few weeks, the eyes of the racing world will be focused on Dubai, where the World Cup races will be held on March 31. They'll feature a showdown between champions Discreet Cat and Invasor, with a purse of $6 million in that race alone. Did you know, by the way, that there's no parimutuel betting at the races in Dubai?

Once the racehorses head back to their jumbo jets, the Dubai International Horse Fair begins. It sounds like a pretty wonderful event for any continent, but what struck me is that yes, there is a vet conference (including an intriguing topic of the outbreak of glanders in UAE--wasn't that disease eradicated eons ago?) but the horse care lectures and demonstrations include one on glue-on horseshoes and one on barefoot trimming.

Not too long ago, it took trends in the horse world years to make their way around the world. Now things are the same the world over. The desert in Dubai would be a great testing ground for any shoe or trim.

A Grey Horse Makes Winter More Beautiful...

Mike Wildenstein sent this photo of what it looks like on his farm in upstate New York this week. That's Mike skidding a log with one of his Percherons. Thanks for a beautiful photo!

EQUITANA 2007: German Horse Fair Is Still the Ultimate--For Farriers, Too

ESSEN, GERMANY--The world's fair of horse sports has just wrapped up for another year. "Equitana," held in a campus of convention halls in the city of Essen in northern Germany, is the ultimate horse destination. In addition to demonstrations, exhibits and live clinics featuring virtually every horse sport and breed, add horse shopping, parties, and an evening extravaganza arena show.

Where else in the world would you find clinics by Klaus Balkenhol, Christine Stuckelberger, Otto Becker, Isabel Werth, Rudolph Zellinger, Bettina Hoy, Ingrid Klimke, Franke Sloothaak, and Linda Tellington-Jones all under the same roof?

On the serious side, there are a series of professional congresses held in the big theater on site, as well. This year there were conferences on equine veterinary medicine (featuring Hoofcare & Lameness consulting editor Sue Dyson of England and Alan Nixon from Cornell), equine osteopathy, riding as therapy, and farriery.



The farrier meeting was the annual congress of EDHV, or Der Erste Deutsche Hufbeschlagschmiede-Verband e.V., which is the national organization of farriers in Germany. Speakers included our friends Dr Hans Castilijns of Italy, farrier Uwe Lukas of Warendorf, Germany and Dr. Michael Weishaupt of the University of Zurich. Two speakers unknown to me were Dr Alexander Merz and Dr. Michael Nowak but I am sure they were excellent as well.

In the photo is Hoofcare & Lameness subscriber Claus Linde of Germany doing a demonstration; the photo was provided by Equitana. I don't know what the plaque is, but it looks impressive.

I can tell you more about this meeting when I am able to get the information more accurately translated. Kudos to the German farriers for placing themselves front and center at what may be the world's largest-attendance horse event. I think there are 16 exhibit halls, not to seven arenas, stables for 1000 horses, and the convention theater. One exhibit hall is for only horse health and veterinary products, and includes Equitana's "Hoof Village." In 2005 (Equitana is only held in odd-numbered years), 220,000 people from 25 countries attended Equitana in spite of snow storms and icy roads.

Farrier Leaves Van to Walk Dog...and the Van Leaves

Police in Sussex in the south of England are looking for a farrier van that was stolen from a parking lot near a pond. The farrier had left the van locked while he took his dog for a walk in the park; when he returned, the van--containing all his tools and shoes, not to mention his ride back to town--was gone.

We all know that normally the dog would have been in the van to (hopefully) scare away anyone who cast a covetous eye on a van full of tools. The van and tools are valued at approximately $40,000.

The way I see it: it could have been worse. They could have stolen the van AND the dog.

Let's hope his apprentice wasn't inside.

Worldwide Wacky Weather: Laminitis Cases Down, Mud Fever Cases Increase in UK

It's the old good news/bad news scenario; here's a clip from a roundup of winter horse health observations for the past few months published in this week's Horse and Hound, the British weekly horse newspaper.

Peter Slater MRCVS, from Liphook Equine Hospital in the south of England comments: "The warmer weather this winter has meant less laminitis cases, but much more mud fever. I've seen some quite nasty cases."

Mud fever is directly related to the weather; the wetter it is, the worse the condition, acccording to Horse and Hound veterinary editor Karen Coumbe MRCVS, who adds that is not a single disease, but a collection of clinical signs ranging from a few scabs to cracked heels and sores, which in turn can produce infected legs.

Mud fever has a variety of causes, but can usually be blamed on bacteria infecting chaffed, waterlogged or otherwise damaged skin. Horses with white legs and pink tender skin underneath seem to be the most susceptible.

Hoofcare & Lameness published an in-depth special section on "mud fever" a few years ago, including mite infestation and pemphigus as problems that affect the lower leg; the section is available on cd-rom, or you can order the complete issue, which includes Michael Wildenstein's thesis on white line disease and articles on canker, spider bites, etc. We are doing this to make available articles that can then be printed out and distributed to clients. Email backissues@hoofcare.com to place an order. Other back issues, which have been out of print, are now available on cd-rom as well.