Best of 2008: A Class Act at the McPhail Center's Equinology Gait Seminar

by Fran Jurga | 29 December 2008 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog

I had a wild plan and approached Dr. Hilary Clayton of Michigan State University's McPhail Center for Equine Performance with my proposal: a camp for professional at her research center, where we could learn about high-tech gait analysis and help her with a research project.

With her usual British chipper nonchalance, she replied. "Ok, come in October then. It's already in the works." The Equinology group had a course planned at the McPhail Center and it was to be open to equine professionals in search of a deeper exposure to the high-tech side of equine biomechanics.

As it turned out, I wasn't able to be there, but Sarah Miles provided a wonderful report, from which these comments are taken:

The McPhail Center, located at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University in East Lansing, is one of the few university labs designed expressly for studying equine biomechanics. It is a fantastic facility — our classroom looked into the covered riding arena where research staff and students collect data with the horses.

When Dr. Clayton dramatically lifted the curtains on the riding arena the first day, a collective gasp of awe went up from the group. She told us that the building's vaulted ceiling design actually is borrowed from church architecture, so we really were having a religious experience, of sorts! But perhaps that explains the sense of “entering the inner sanctum” that one gets from learning from this world-renowned equine biomechanics expert and her staff and students in the lab designed just for their research.

Of course, what is really interesting about the arena is primarily along one side, where eight infrared video cameras collect data from horses lit like Christmas trees (Dr. Clayton’s words), as their anatomical markers move through the cameras’ shimmering red field of vision. It is one thing to hear Dr. Clayton describe the process of research and data collection, and another to experience it for yourself.

Horses' joints are marked with photosensitive styrofoam balls that will light up under infrared camera exposure. (McPhail Center photo courtesy of Dr Hilary Clayton)

The end result of the gait analysis is a stick-horse animation showing the horse in motion on the computer screen. A further sophistication of this system creates a 3D rendering. (McPhail Center photo courtesy of Dr Hilary Clayton)

Dr. Narelle Stubbs, the equine physiotherapist who co-wrote Activate Your Horse’s Core with Dr. Clayton and lab manager LeeAnn Kaiser helped us to tape all the markers on the horse in the right spots. LeeAnn showed us how they calibrate the cameras, create a template, collect the data, connect the dots, and generate three-dimensional computer animation of the horse in motion. The data is also logged into spreadsheets and analyzed for the results of any given project. Dr. Clayton explained that this technology is very similar to how they created “Golem” in Lord of the Rings.

A lecture by Dr. Clayton on the function of the stifle offered her untested hypothesis (stemming from the fact that the torque on the stifle joint is in the back of the joint) that the horse’s hamstring muscles are more important in the action of the stifle than the quads. Her thinking on this was that dressage horses are asked to work as though they are “sitting.” A student with experience in ballet volunteered the ballerina's plie support system of standing on the toes while engaging the hamstrings and adductors so that the quads are more relaxed and not the sole source of support. He even demonstrated the plie for the class!

In this research project, a rider's rein tension in measured. Rein tension can be compared between riders or to understand how different bits or the components of a bridle and reins are working. (McPhail Center photo courtesy of Dr Hilary Clayton)

Other highlights of the course included how the force plates work, and a riding demonstration of an electronic pad placed beneath the saddle to measure the pressure it puts on the horse’s back as he performs different activities, and an afternoon spent practicing core mobilization and strengthening exercises for horses with Dr. Stubbs.

The winter edition of this Equinology course is held at Writtle College in England in January and is sold out. Equinology’s next USA course, Biomechanics and Gait Analysis (EQ300MSU), with Dr. Clayton at The McPhail Center will be held October 12-15, 2009. An understanding of basic anatomic and veterinary vocabulary is a prerequisite for this class. Visit www.equinology.com for more information.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. No use without permission. You only need to ask. Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.

Choose Your Racing Shoes: Last Days to Wear Toe Grabs Before 2009 Rule Changes!

by Fran Jurga | 28 December 2008 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog

Observations and filming of horses on different surfaces and wearing different shoes has been convincing evidence of the variations of horses' running styles and their adaptability. High-speed videography by Mitch Taylor in Kentucky has been slowed down to detail the different phases of a horse's stride. He has filmed the same horses over different surfaces, wearing different shoes. (Mitch Taylor photo, still image captured from OnTrack video system, presented at the Fourth International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot.)

A major fashion change is due on most Thoroughbred racetracks on January 1, when the majority of racing states will change over to the outlawing of most toe grabs on the front shoes of raceplates.

The January 1st deadline is in compliance with a ruling by the American Graded States Committee that states would not qualify for graded stakes status unless the rule was adopted. It is feasible that some states may delay implementing the rule if the state does not have many graded stakes, or if the graded races are run later in the year.

In California, a rule began in February 2006 banning toe grabs higher than 4mm on the front shoes of Thoroughbred racehorses only; racing Quarter horses and mules do not run under that particular rule in California. At this point, it looks like California will hold with their original 4 mm rule, which may move it from one of the first to restrict toe grabs to being one of the most lenient.

At CDI tracks, owned by Churchill Downs, a new rule enacted this fall reads: “Front horse shoes which have toe grabs greater than two millimeters shall be prohibited from racing or training on all racing surfaces at all Churchill Downs Incorporated racetracks. This includes but is not limited to the following: toe grabs, bends, jar calks, stickers and any other traction device worn on the front shoes of Thoroughbred horses.

"Any hind shoe with a turndown of more than one-quarter inch will not be allowed on the dirt courses. Hind shoes with calks, stickers, blocks, raised toes or turndowns will not be allowed on the turf courses. This includes quarter horse shoes or any shoe with a toe grab of more than one-quarter inch.”

CDI tracks include Churchill Downs in Kentucky, Arlington Park in Illinois, Calder Race Course in Florida, and Fair Grounds Race Course in Louisiana.

The CDI rule is an example of what is known as a "house rule", meaning that individual racetracks can create specific rules for horseshoes that are more strict than the rules of the state where the track is located.

Down the road from Churchill Downs, but also in Kentucky, Keeneland and Turfway Park announced a toe grab ban last fall on their artificial Polytrack and turf courses. The house rule there reads, "“No toe grabs, caulks, stickers, inserts, blocks, turndowns, trailers or heel extensions will be allowed on front or hind shoes. Only flat, Queen’s Plate, Queen’s Plate XT or equivalent may be used on the Polytrack or Turf.”

Horses training at Keeneland to race at Churchill had better check their shoes at the gate when they get back to Lexington, or else make an appointment with the horseshoer for race day in Louisville.

At the Penn National group of tracks, a house rule went into effect in October, stating "All Thoroughbreds competing or training at Penn National Gaming owned racetracks will not be permitted to use toe grabs in excess of two (2) millimeters in height. The use of bends, jar caulks, stickers or any other traction device on front shoes for racing or training will also be prohibited." Penn National in Pennsylvania and Charles Town in West Virginia are impacted by this rule.

Racehorse trainers will need to be conscious of both state and "house" rules at different tracks, and horseshoers will need to be prepared, although publicity about the rule changes has been widespread. Horses that ship between tracks may need to be reshod in some cases.

Shippers should be happy about the traction ban, since toe grabs and other protuberances rip up mats on loading ramps and in van stalls.

Some questions about special designs of shoes may be decided by stewards or horseshoe inspectors, depending on how each track or state designates the decision-making process surrounding shoes.

As you can see, some tracks will enforce the ban on the hind shoes as well as the fronts; some won't. Some allow two millimeters, some don't. The strictest rules of all, at Keeneland and Turfway, allow no traction at all on any feet.

While the arguments over toe grabs seem to have died down, the winter months are when trainers would naturally turn to traction devices, depending on the type of conditions at a training track or on the main track where the horse will be racing. While they may assert that they are using shoes to help the horse "get hold of the track", many feel that the safety of the rider is more assured if the horse is less likely to slip, especially around turns. Others feel that toe grabs are more dangerous to jockeys and exercise riders, in the event of a fall.

Thoro'bred's new three-dimensional Turbo shoe is an interesting innovation, since it provides traction on the sidewall of the shoe, not directly on the ground surface and does not increase the angle of the hoof. The horseshoe is no longer a two-dimensional object.

If you are working with racehorses and are uncertain of rules, think of toe grabs as the equivalent of medication, and don't take someone else's word for what the rules are at a given track. Check with the racing secretary's office.

The Grayson Jockey Club Research Foundation's Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit has a shoeing and hoofcare committee that would like to have feedback about the rule changes and shoe designs. Call the Grayson-Jockey Club: (859) 224-2850

"The Snow Plow Effect" is a new commonly-used term to describe the displacement of the racing or arena surface as the foot lands. Since the foot basically disappears into a loose surface, the relative snow-plow effect is of interest to observors. (Mitch Taylor photo, still image captured from OnTrack video system, presented at the Fourth International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot.)

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. No use without permission. You only need to ask.

Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page).

To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found.

Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.

Remember Eddie Watson: Memorial Service Details

In memory of farrier Edgar "Eddie" Watson, a service has been planned for Saturday, January 3rd, at 11:00 a.m. at Preddys Funeral Home in Gordonsville, Virginia. This is now official.

Gordonsville is outside Charlottesville, which in turn is between Richmond and Washington, DC.

Funeral home information:
301 N Main Street (Route 33) Gordonsville, VA 22942; tel (540) 832-2111

To write to Shirley Watson: PO Box 235, Keswick, VA 22947

(David Watson is Box 266 in Keswick.)

A web-based "guest book" has been created for anyone who wishes to leave a message for Mr. Watson's family. Click here to go to the guest book.

As one entry says, "We will miss Eddie making everything look easy."

12/28 Update: An official, more detailed obituary has now been published in the Charlottesville newspaper, the Daily Progress. Click here to read it, with details of donations.

12/29 Update: Some of the horse owners whose horses benefited from Mr. Watson's expert care have created a forum topic about him at the Chronicle of the Horse  web site.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. No use without permission. You only need to ask.

Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page).

To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found.

Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.

Was Popeye the Sailor Man a Farrier, too ? Vintage Popeye Horseshoeing Cartoons

(Sorry, you may have to watch an ad before the Popeye cartoon.) If the video does not play, click here: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x44xxuu
So you think woman farriers are something new? How about Olive Oyl for a role model?

First Canadian Farrier Earns WCF Advanced Credential: Congratulations to Gerard Laverty

Gerard Laverty AWCF, right, observes one of his farrier students at Kwantlen Polytechnic University outside Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada. In November Laverty became the first Canadian to receive an advanced qualification from the Worshipful Company of Farriers. Ten out of eleven of his current students are women. (Photo credit: Canada.com)

In November, Kwantlen Polytechnic University farrier faculty member Gerard Laverty became the only farrier in Canada, and joined a handful of farriers in North America, to officially receive an elite designation as an Associate of the Worshipful Company of Farriers (WCF) of London, England.

A native of Northern Ireland, Gerard has represented Canada in international farrier competition. He previously earned the journeyman and therapeutic endorsement certification levels through the American Farrier's Association.

"I didn't know what I was getting into," Gerard said recently. "The AW (examination) requires a horse to be shod with therapeutic shoes and you produce a specimen shoe. It's more modern than the AFA's TE test. You have an hour to repair a hoof crack, or open an abscess, or do a resection. They tell you which to do. And for the specimen, they give you three pages of shoes that you might be asked to make."

He had to take the practical test twice, making four long trips from Vancouver to London. Before taking the test, he spent time working in Scotland with Allan Ferrie FWCF for coaching, and with Gary Darlow in England.

His individual test called for him to shoe the front end of a horse with a pair of straight bar shoes. The frog could not touch the bar when the foot was loaded and the solar border had to be relieved.

For the modern materials portion, he had to create a toe extension and work on a quarter crack. Glue-on shoes such as the Imprint thermoplastic shoes are allowed, as is Vettec's Equithane. Part of that test involved determining if the horse was sound. "You have to take the horse out and judge if its sound or lame. You have to declare it. That after you declare it, the judges trot it to see what they think of your evaluation."

The Associate level is designed to test a farrier's ability to do referral and/or therapeutic work. In the paper "So You Want to Be An Associate", Simon Curtis FWCF writes: "They are looking for you to convince them that you have a depth of knowledge of anatomy, conditions and diseases of the foot, and how conformation affects the gait and the foot, and vice versa. You need to show traditional forging skills and be able to apply them to an individual horse. You need to show a range of shoemaking skills in different materials including fabricating.

"They are assessing your ability to think on your feet when confronted with a task that you might not have experienced. You need to be able to use and have an opinion on the modern materials listed. You need to be comfortable looking at x-rays and assessing a horse with a veterinary surgeon.

"The above list of skills is quite wide ranging. However, it is only what one would expect a farrier engaged in remedial or consultancy shoeing to possess. The veterinary examiner is looking to see if you could partner him in treating farriery related conditions. The farrier examiners are looking to see whether they could refer a case to you."

Laverty takes great pride in teaching students farrier skills at Kwantlen's nine-month course. He joined Kwantlen in 2003, bringing with him 30 years of industry experience and added his name to the impressive list of faculty at Kwantlen that has included Hank McEwen and the late Cindy Dawn Elstrom.

Gerard’s career began with a three-year apprenticeship in Dublin, Ireland, with the Irish Horse Board. He graduated with a gold medal in both theory and practical skills. Gerard moved to the U.S. in 1981, then immigrated to Canada and began a business in Prince George, British Columbia.

The Worshipful Company of Farriers offers one examination above the Associate, called the Fellowship (FWCF), which is the highest qualification from the company and perhaps the most difficult farrier examination in the world. Farriers with this qualification have the highest level of farrier knowledge and skills, and must be able to present their knowledge to an audience in a lecture or paper form similar to a masters thesis.

For more information about the Kwantlen farrier program, please visit: kwantlen.ca/trades . You can also email Gerard Laverty or call him at 604.599.6177.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. No use without permission. You only need to ask. Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.

The Silent Anvil: Mr. Watson

Update: Final plans will be announced in the next day or so about a memorial service to be held in Gordonsville, Virgnia, most likely on Saturday, January 3, 2009. Arrangements are being handled by the Preddy Funeral Home, 301 N Main St, Gordonsville, VA 22942. The closest airports are Charlottesville and Richmond. Thanks to David Watson for the information.

If you are in the farrier profession in the eastern United States, you probably know who I am talking about when I just say "Mr. Watson died".

Edgar Watson, known respectfully as "Mr." and affectionately as "Eddie", lived in Keswick, Virginia and was one of the great "living legends" of not just the farrier world, but the horse world as well.

He will long be remembered for the champions he shod, the beautiful artistry he created at the anvil, and the stories he told, but mostly will be remembered for his gentle manner and his willingness to help and encourage all of us, in whatever we tried to do to better our work or our horses' care.

For the past ten years or so, Mr. Watson was chronically ill with a list of ailments that would have been the end of any normal human. He kept coming back and even ordered himself a brand new shoeing rig recently...when he was 80 years old. He began shoeing horses professionally in 1948.

Follow this link to an album of photos of the appreciation day held for Mr. Watson in 2007, when he was diagnosed with cancer of the colon. Thanks to the Virginia Horseshoers Association for posting these photos. And here's a second link to a few photos of his fantastic shop.

I will add to this post when I know more; thanks to Steve Mayer for letting me know.

If you have a kind word to say about your friendship with or memories of Mr. Watson, please click on the colored link word "comments" at the end of this article. A new window will open up and you can leave your message. It will default to "anonymous" unless you sign it, and that's fine, but just include your name in the comment if you want to be identified. You can also email a comment to "blog@hoofcare.com" and I will post it for you.

Update: The latest word is that a memorial service is planned for Saturday, January 3, 2009.

Mr. Watson, right, talking to Danny Ward, left, sometime in the last 20 years or so.


© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. No use without permission. You only need to ask.

Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page).

To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found.

Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.