Standing In A Giant's Hoofprints: Bob McCarthy's Anvil Dedication Saturday

There's a saying that gets tossed around a lot in leadership-by-design books. It's often spouted from the stage by commencement speakers. The words, attributed to Sir Issac Newton, appear on the edge of every British two-pound coin. Newton is said to have said, "If I have seen a little further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants."

I'm sure you understand precisely what this saying means. We have progressed further than those who came before us, because of their tremendous height--height in humanity, height in perseverance, height in sacrifice or bravery or intelligence or ability. And, in some way, the giants gained their height too by the act of lifting up the next generation, sometimes by not even acknowledging that that is what they were doing, even as they did it.

British two-pound coin

For the most part, these giants exist in people's memories. Each of us knows who the giants are--or were--in our lives. But sometimes we see the ghosts of the giants, or I do.

I remember being at farrier Eddie Watson's funeral in Virginia, at an overflowing funeral home with three chapels--all three filled with the three F's of Mr. Watson's life: friends, family and farriers. At the Hunt Club reception afterwards, there was a tiny lamp; he had forged the beautiful base. It burned brightly, though it was the middle of the afternoon, and the paper shade was a warm color. As people jostled around, that little light kept burning. I think I know why it was there, and why it was turned on.

A tree was planted in Saratoga.

Another time was when the horseshoers at Saratoga lost several members of their fraternity in one year. To commemorate the loss, they set up an anvil and planted a tree as a little memorial garden outside the blacksmith shop behind the Oklahoma Training Track. A lot of people came to the dedication ceremony, all for different reasons, and in memory of different people. We stood and stared at a little sapling tree, and beyond.

I felt that way in 2008, when Cornell's vet school farrier shop was remodeled and then-resident farrier Michael Wildenstein sank into the concrete of the floor shoes made by the instructors who had come before him.  And he made sure that Buster Conklin, the only one still living (at the time), came in to have his photo taken in the new shop with his shoe in the floor.

A giant named Buster Conklin posed with Cornell farrier school students in 2008.

We all have ways of remembering people who've made a difference in our lives, and we carry them around in and with us in different ways. But sometimes people care enough, and are creative enough, to make an extra effort, to call out for a gathering or a photo session or a special place to set up a little lamp, because it's important.

Saturday afternoon will be one of those times. The senior statesman of Massachusetts horseshoers, Mr. Bob McCarthy, died last year. His wonderful blacksmith shop in his little town of Medfield has been torn down. A forge stood in that spot for almost 200 years but now there's a parking lot. But someone cared enough to do something to mark the spot where Bob spent his days--spent his life, in fact.

We all had to start somewhere, even Myron McLane, and he was lucky enough to start with Bob McCarthy. Myron bought Bob's 225-pound Eagle anvil years ago when the shop closed, and now has prepared it as a monument on a special granite base, surrounded with a mosaic of inlaid horseshoes made by farriers who were influenced by Bob, and who cared enough to make a shoe in his memory. There will be a few of Bob's shoes in there as well. The town has approved the monument and the dedication.

Allen Smith and Bob McCarthy, two giants of New England farriery.

Bob's anvil will be dedicated at 12:30 on September 17 on Janes Avenue in Medfield, Massachusetts. Everyone is welcome. Just ask anyone where Bob's blacksmith shop used to be. It's the kind of place that, even though it's gone, is still there in a lot of people's memories, and now an anvil will mark the spot.

It doesn't seem so long ago that a giant stood in that very spot, and behind that very anvil, the one that Bob's father bought in 1931. If Bob stood there on Saturday and looked down, he'd see the beautiful workmanship of the farriers who stand today on his shoulders, farriers who haven't forgotten who helped lift them to where--and who--they are today.

Rood + Riddle Official Vets (and Farriers) for Alltech National Horse Show

The Alltech National Horse Show’s press release was just full of news.

First of all, the parapetetic National Horse Show has moved again. After 100 or so years in the middle of Manhattan and the most glamorous setting imaginable, the show picked up stakes from Madison Square Garden and moved first across the Hudson River to the Meadowlands in New Jersey and then to Florida for a run, then back to New York, but to Syracuse this time, the show’s most recent venue.

Now it’s on to Kentucky, where the great show has found a home at the Kentucky Horse Park's indoor arena and a star-billing date on the fall hunter/jumper competition calendar.

And the show not only found a home in Kentucky--it found a title sponsor. It is one whose name we already know well: Alltech.

When the 128th Alltech National Horse Show opens at the Horse Park on November 2, it will have a new group of farriers backstage. The show has formed an official alliance with the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, just down the road from the Horse Park. The alliance extends to Rood and Riddle providing the show farriers, the show veterinarians, and even the show equine pharmacy.

"We're planning to make a big effort," said Rood + Riddle's Scott Morrison DVM, head of the hospital's unique podiatry center. "We want to make certain that the competitors at the show are satisfied with their foot care."

A sport horse that regularly comes to Rood + Riddle for shoeing showed off a front foot one day. Striped hoof horn is a challenge for farriers since distortion in the tubules is very obvious. Rodney King didn't object to having photos taken of this horse. (© Hoofcare + Lameness photo, Fran Jurga)

Morrison said that the show is "only" expecting to attract about 360 horses, which he thought his team could easily handle. He said he expects two of the clinic's farriers, Rodney King and Jeff Henderson, will provide the bulk of the show service, and that he would be on call as well.

"We're looking forward to it," Morrison continued. "We'll get it done!"

Hind foot of a dressage horse that was being shod last May at Rood + Riddle's podiatry center. (© Hoofcare + Lameness photo, Fran Jurga)

The first week in November will be a busy time in the state of Kentucky. The fledgling horse show will have to compete this year (and only this year) for the attention of people in the Bluegrass because the Breeders Cup will run on Friday and Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Morrison remarked that one of the podiatry center's biggest consulting clients, Irish horse trainer Aiden O'Brien, will be bringing several horses to Kentucky for the Breeders Cup, and Morrison expects to be on call for any horses that need his help at both the National Horse Show and the Churchill Downs events that weekend.

Another view of the dressage horse. The stalls in the background are holding stalls. Many trainers and owners bring multiple horses and, after hauling long distances, can offload the horses to the holding stalls until all the horses' feet are done and it's time to leave.   (© Hoofcare + Lameness photo, Fran Jurga)

Is this the first time that the official farrier service at a horse show is to be provided by a veterinary hospital? Most likely, it is. But like the location of the horse show, the role of the show professionals is obviously changing as well. It may also be the first time that a group practice has provided all the veterinary services for an event of this magnitude.

The original National Horse Show was first held in 1853 in Springfield, Massachusetts and attracted 500 horses.  (Engraving published in Gleason's Pictorial, 1853). After the current version of "The" National Horse Show began in New York in 1883, the show featured a 14-mile endurance race through Manhattan for military horses; it finished in the show arena.

At Rood + Riddle, both veterinarians and farriers are employed under the same roof in the pursuit of making lame horses sound and keeping sound horses that way, thanks to the podiatry center building. The unassuming building tucked behind the main hospital sometimes resembles a swarming ant hill of humans, trucks, trailers, vans and horses: each professional may have clients booked into the podiatry center for out-patient procedures or trimming and shoeing, and the staff come and go from the center throughout the day. Horse owners haul their horses from any number of states for consultation or for regular periodic treatments and shoeing.

A normal staff of four veterinarians and at least three farriers, plus interns, apprentices, technicians, administrators and helpers make up the staff on a typical day. The vets and farriers may work all or part of the day on the road in service to clients in the Lexington area, or be busy with cases at the podiatry center or with hoof-related concerns of patients in the hospital.

Rood + Riddle's podiatry center offers off-site referral services so several staff members acrue some of the highest numbers of frequent flyer points in the entire horse industry. Other cases are handled by reviewing radiographs, photos and videos via the Internet or Federal Express.

Rood + Riddle operates a satellite podiatry center at The Sanctuary, an equine rehabilitation facility in Ocala, Florida, and the staff regularly attends to clients' horses in the Wellington, Florida area during the winter months. In addition, the vets and farriers all seem to evolve into educators after they join the staff, and are involved as clinicians and lecturers at educational events all over the world.

At the World Equestrian Games, Rood + Riddle created and hosted a mini-museum of farriery tools and shoes.  Visitors could pull out the glass drawers to see shoes on display. (© Hoofcare + Lameness photo, Fran Jurga)

Most people connect Rood + Riddle with the Thoroughbred racing and breeding world of Lexington, but the clinic obviously has a burgeoning sport horse practice embedded behind its racehorse reputation and address.

"Rood + Riddle is extremely pleased to serve as the Official Veterinarians and Farriers for the upcoming Alltech National Horse Show,” Dr. Tom Riddle, co-founder of the hospital, said in the press release. “Rood & Riddle’s participation in both the World Equestrian Games and the National Horse Show underscores our practice's commitment to the sport horse."

Rood + Riddle was a sponsor of last year's Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, held at the Kentucky Horse Park, and the clinic served as the official veterinary hospital for that event, with staff vets serving at the Horse Park. At WEG, farrier services were provided by the American Farrier's Association.

At the World Equestrian Games last year, large monitors suspended on two walls showed video footage of podiatry work at Rood + Riddle. This monitor was displaying quarter crack repair. (© Hoofcare + Lameness photo, Fran Jurga)

About the show: While historically the National Horse Show included Nations Cup international show jumping, gaited horses, fine driving and even classes for fire and police horses, the Kentucky version of the show will be an indoor AA-rated hunter, jumper and equitation over fences extravaganza. The show, as always, will host the finals of the ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay Finals in equitation.

NOTE: Hoofcare + Lameness would like to compile a list of farriers who have served in the capacity of official farrier to The National Horse Show. If you can help with this list or have old programs with information, please email Fran Jurga. As it turns out, farriers have played a big role, historically, in the show, and this seems like a good time to research more history.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. 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.  

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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.

Urban Search and Rescue Dogs: Barefoot or Booted, They Did Their Job and Lived to See Their Story Told

Watch me first.

The search and rescue dogs of 911 have been well-studied; not surprisingly, their feet were a central focus point of statistics, and some discussion has emerged on whether rescue dogs in urban settings are better off shod in booties or barefoot. I hope you'll enjoy this detour into the world of dog paws.

While many human rescuers are showing respiratory health problems a decade later, their canine colleagues have had minimal setbacks, according to the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine 9/11 Medical Surveillance study.

With nearly $500,000 of financial support from the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation (CHF), the study monitored the long-term health impacts on 95 search-and-rescue dogs deployed to the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Staten Island landfills. Researchers also compared their health to a control group of non-deployed search-and-rescue dogs.

“The most striking thing is that many of the humans that responded have developed reactive airway diseases, such as asthma, sinusitis or other chronic infections in their nasal sinuses. The dogs on the other hand have fared extremely well,” explained Dr. Cynthia Otto, DVM, PhD, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine associate professor of critical care who was the principal investigator. “They’re not developing any problems with their lungs or sinuses. That is a real surprise.”

One of the surprising bits of news from Ground Zero was that the dogs had optional access to protective boots to prevent them from cutting their paws on sharp debris. Dog boot technology and sales exploded after the publicity about the dog boots used at Ground Zero. FEMA News Agency photo.

In her report, Otto mention Kaiser, now a 12-year-old German shepherd, who was one of only four dogs in the study that required stitches while working at Ground Zero.“On our second day there, Kaiser sliced a pad on the pile,” said Tony Zintsmaster, Kaiser’s trainer and a charter member of Indiana Task Force One. “Once he was stitched up and felt better, Kaiser went back to work. He was quite amazing. He was able to adapt to the situation and showed great agility. He seemed happiest when he was on the pile working.”

Zintsmaster, along with other handlers who participated in the study, submitted annual X-rays, blood samples and surveys on his dog's health and behavior to researchers.

Unlike horse hooves, dog paws are covered with vulnerable, soft pad tissue that adapts by forming callus...or not. Stefsanatomy photo.

The University of Pennsylvania/American Kennel Club study also found that the average lifespan of deployed dogs was 12.5 years, while non-deployed search-and-rescue dogs lived an average 11.8 years. Today, at least 13 deployed search-and-rescue dogs that were part of the 911 study are still alive.

Cut and sore paws are one of the most common types of first aid given to dogs. (Natalie Greco photo)

During the winter months in Boston, several dogs are routinely reported to have been electrocuted while walking on city streets. Winter snow, ice, and salt used to treat streets and sidewalks can contribute to wires shorting out. Humans might not feel shocks through grates, but horses and dogs will--to the point of being killed. Dog boots sound like a good idea for city dogs.

Dog boots come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. They even come with anti-odor silver-coated anti-bacterial sole inserts, toe caps, and heel re-inforcers. There are summer shoes and winter shoes. There are even boots for dogs that swim a lot, or dogs that paw the sides of swimming pools. Dog leg protector, shoulder braces and support boots are available as well for working and athletic dogs.

We always hear about the teams in the Iditarod race in Alaska wearing boots. According to the activist web site, www.helpsleddogs.org, Iditarod Trail Committee rules require a musher to have "eight booties for each dog in the sled or in use" at all times. However, there are no standards regarding the materials of which the booties are made, nor do the rules require mushers to actually put the booties on the dogs.

When do the mushers decide it is time for a dog dogs to wear them, and when do they go barefoot? And do they clip the dogs' nails or let them grow for better traction? How long is too long? Is there an ideal length?

While most of us may think of dog booties for search and rescue work over rubble, such as an earthquake scene, the main market for dog boots seems to be sport dogs, such as this Iditarod team charging across Alaska in 2018. (File photo, courtesy of Wikimedia)

According to Patricia Ashley, DVM, the rate of a dog's pad callus growth is a critical element in dog paw problems. "In some cases, the pads accumulate too much callus or the callus forms unevenly," she writes. "Heavily callused pads lose their flexibility and the ability to absorb shock." Obesity is a common cause of uneven callus formation on dog paw pads.

Splay-toed, webbed feet of a sled dog at Denali National Park in Alaska. Photo by Jessica Spengle

According to Melanie Donofro, DVM, an experienced sled dog race veterinarian who writes on the web site for the 1000-mile Yukon Quest sleddog race, paws are the first thing attended by race vets. "At every mandatory checkpoint, the veterinarians spend considerable time checking each toe and joint for any soreness; toenails for damage that may need to be addressed; pads on the soles of the feet for any blisters; areas where the booties may have rubbed under the dewclaw and caused soreness; and finally, the webbing between the feet for swelling, redness, or cracks that can occur on a wet trail."

Dr. Donofro observed that when the dogs arrive at a checkpoint, they start to chew on the velcro of their booties to get them off, possibly because the upper parts of the boots seem foreign to them, but the bottom-protection of the boots must be therapeutic to sore, tender feet.

There are urban search and rescue dogs and there are rural search and rescue dogs. And then there are the highly-specialized avalanche rescue dogs. I hope I never need any of them, but I'm glad they're out there. Stefs Anatomy photo.

When it comes to urban search-and-rescue dogs, the genetics are usually far removed from sled dogs. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reports that most of the certified canines are Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Border Collies and Golden Retrievers.

But, FEMA says, few of its search dogs actually wear boots when working on a rubble pile. Despite the hazards of sharp metal and broken glass, the dogs often need to perform what is called a "soft walk" where they splay their paws for maximum traction. Collars and booties can sometimes add to the risk of searching in tight or obstructed spaces.

While researching this article, a helpful resource was the paper Deployment morbidity among search-and-rescue dogs used after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by Slensky, Drobatz, Downend and Otto, published by the American Veterinary Medical Association in 2004.

Sixty-five percent of the dogs deployed suffered injury or some type of medical problem during deployment, according to a survey of the dogs' handlers after the search was suspended; 35 percent of the dogs had an abrasion injury requiring treatment, 70 percent of which were on the foot pads. Four of nine dogs that wore foot protection had cuts and abrasions.

The survey noted that no dogs deployed to the Pentagon wore foot protection.

From the paper: "Most of the cuts and abrasions were on the feet or footpads of the dogs, and there was a higher incidence (although not significant) of wounds in those dogs that did not have foot protection, indicating that foot protection may be beneficial in reducing the incidence of injuries. Concerns voiced by handlers and FEMA regarding this issue are similar to those reported at the Oklahoma City bombing disaster site. Perhaps a type of foot protection can be developed that will combine needed traction and workability with desirable safety."

Writing in The Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, Cynthia Otto DVM of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine  and co-authors noted that the concrete dust at the World Trade Center was very abrasive, and packed between the dogs' toes. Dust and mud was periodically cleaned from the paws and it was necessary to dry the dogs' paws before they could go back to work.

Otto noted that initially, the dogs did not wear any foot protection. She explained that the dogs train on piles of rubble and that they need traction. She felt that, overall, the incidence of injury to the dogs was low.

And that's not quite the end of the story. Look for the book Retrieved by Dutch dog photographer Charlotte Dumas, who crisscrossed the USA to find and photograph the surviving dogs who worked search and rescue during the days after 911. 

We started out to talk about paws and booties, but like everything about 911, it's about much more than that.

Urban non-working dogs probably wear more boots than any other type of dogs.  A practical reason in cold-climate cities is the possibility of electrocution on sidewalk grates during winter months. But probably most apartment-dwelling owners just want to keep their dogs' feet dry (and their rugs clean). (Norma Thomas photo)

And like everything that seems to be covered under the banner of Hoofcare and Lameness, this is another example to show us that there are parallels in other species, or in other sports and industries, to what is going on in horse hoofcare. Maybe there are lessons to be learned from the dog handlers' choice of whether or not to put boots on their dogs. To be sure, they wanted to do what was best for their dogs, and they took into consideration how the dogs had trained to do the job they were asked to do.

In those days after 911, no one knew where s/he or the dogs would be ten years later. They were uncertain times and it's not likely that anyone had much of an agenda in the decisions they made to keep their dogs as safe as possible.

Ten years later,  dog owners and trainers are still asking the same questions that many horse owners and trainers are asking. How do I decide what is the best footcare program for my horse? How do you balance out the animal's need traction, support, protection, and weight? What are the signs in an animal that it is best suited for a specific form of footcare?

Answers don't come easily, but for those days after 911, what mattered was how you framed the question, and what you had at stake. In the end, they put the boots on when and if the dogs needed them, and those dogs were glad to have them so they could stay on the job.

And what a job they did.

To Learn More:
Honoring the Dogs of 9/11: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association  interview with Dr. Otto from UPenn, Dr Gillette from Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, and Kaiser's owner.

PennVet Working Dog Center at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine

Canine Detection Research Institute at Auburn University

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Cornell Vet School Honors Steve Kraus With Permanent Appointment as Resident Farrier and Lecturer

Steve Kraus has officially been named to the permanent position of head farrier and lecturer in the faculty of Large Animal Surgery in the Department of Clinical Sciences at the College of Veterinary Medicine, at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

According to Cornell, as head farrier Kraus is responsible for teaching and recruiting farrier students. His position also supports patient needs within the equine and farm animal hospitals. His typical duties include basic horseshoeing, corrective hoof trimming/shoeing, therapeutic methods, splint fabrication and other relevant needs.

Cornell's farrier education program currently offers three 16-week courses in basic farrier education each year, which Steve instructs. One of the changes Steve has made in the farrier course is giving students access to a large number of polo, equitation and school horses at Cornell's Oxley Equestrian Center.

Steve Kraus (Cornell University photo)

Caring for the hooves of the university's equestrian center horses will greatly increase the "hands on" experience of the students during their time at Cornell and give them exposure to real world shoeing situations in a working stable.  Kraus has been the farrier at the 60-horse facility for many years.

"There has always been a lack of practice horses for the farrier students," Kraus said on Friday. "Now they will collectively do approximately 120 shoeings during their stay. I take the students over there three afternoons a week."

Steve graduated from Cornell in 1970, and has been shoeing horses for the university since 1968. He is deeply involved in the sport of polo, and not only does he play the sport, he trains ponies, referees and coaches, for both the outdoor and indoor programs at Cornell.

Steve's expertise in the farrier world goes far beyond his well-established business in the Ithaca area. He has been a technical consultant and product advisor to Mustad for more than 30 years and his influence can be seen in nails, shoes and tools used by farriers all over the world as well as hoofcare products used by horse owners and trainers.

Among his other duties, Steve is currently busy planning the Cornell Farrier Conference, which will be held November 12-13, 2011 at the vet college. The program will include a special tribute to the late Cornell vet school farrier Buster Conklin who died early this summer.

Steve succeeds Michael Wildenstein, who retired from the position last summer. Steve had a temporary appointment until July when he was officially hired to the permanent position at the vet school.

Call 978 281 3222 to order your copy!

 TO LEARN MORE

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. 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.  

Follow Hoofcare + Lameness on Twitter: @HoofcareJournal

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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.

Clinic at Oakencroft 6th Annual Farrier/Podiatry Symposium with Rood and Riddle's Scott Morrison DVM Announced for October 14-15, 2011 in New York

Who: Farriers and veterinarians

What: 6th Annual Farrier/Podiatry Symposium

When: October 14-15, 2011 (Friday and Saturday)

Where: South Bethlehem/Selkirk, New York (near Albany)

Presented by The Clinic at Oakencroft / Greene County Horseshoe Supply

A Hoofcare + Lameness Annually Recommended Event

 The Conference:                                                                                                                                    

The Clinic at Oakencroft’s Farrier/Podiatry Symposium is a casual and friendly event in a beautiful location in rural New York near the Massachusetts and Connecticut borders. The Clinic hosts regular meetings with local farriers and they feel right at home there—you will, too.

The format of the conference is presentations, discussions, and occasional interruptions for great food. There are hotels nearby. Good directions are a must if you don't know your way around the area. If you are coming from far away, plan to arrive early or stay late. The clinic is in a beautiful area, and the fall foliage should be in full color around the time of the conference.

Full conference, hotel and registration information can be downloaded at this link:

http://www.oakencroft.org/Articles/6th_Annual_Podiatry.Farrier_announcement.pdf
Here's a rough schedule of what goes on and when:

Note: You may register by regular mail, by email to equineclinic@oakencroft.org, on line at www.oakencroft.org or by calling The Equine Clinic at OakenCroft at 518 767 2906. The Clinic is requesting that everyone register by October 1 in order to make sufficient plans for the right number of people.

 The Speaker:                                                                                                                                        

Scott Morrison is a familiar name in the world of equine podiatry. His full biography can be read on the conference link. In a nutshell, Scott Morrison is a partner in the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, where he launched the hospital's podiatry center in 1999. The center has now morphed into an internationally-recognized referral facility for all breeds and types of horses with every imaginable foot disorder, and of every age, from foals to aged horses with Cushings disease.

Dr. Morrison works with a staff of hoof-specialist veterinarians, farriers, and technicians, and he travels all over the world to consult on cases and speak at conferences. He personally consults to the racing and training program of Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien. He recently has been experimenting with the use of umbilical stem cells in severe laminitis cases, and has developed several horseshoe designs that are used all over the world.

While Dr. Morrison might be working on a world-class racehorse or stallion in the morning, his afternoon case might be a foundered pony or a draft horse with canker, so he's an ideal speaker for a conference with an audience that comes from different backgrounds and works on different types of horses. He grew up in New York, as well.

In addition to lectures and PowerPoint presentations, Dr. Morrison will be available to discuss the cases that attendees arrange in advance to make part of the conference (see conference details for "panel and case discussion" submissions, which should be done in advance). The relaxed atmosphere at OakenCroft will be ideal to give Dr. Morrison a chance to talk about hoof problems with the attendees.

There aren't too many sure things in life, but I think you can be quite sure that you'll enjoy this event, this  clinic, and the people you'll meet. See you there, I hope!

Contact information:
The Equine Clinic at OakenCroft
880 Bridge Street
Ravena, NY 12143
(518) 767-2906 - office
(518) 767-3503 - fax
Web address: www.oakencroft.org
Email: equineclinic@oakencroft.org

Amazing microscopic view of the landscape of the hoof wall from coffin bone to periople from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine's Equine Hoof Laboratory, courtesy of Drs. Bowker and Lancaster. Order yours today!

 TO LEARN MORE

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. 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.  

Follow Hoofcare + Lameness on Twitter: @HoofcareJournal

Read Hoof Blog headlines in your news feed when you "like" the Hoofcare + Lameness Facebook Page

 

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.

World Horse Welfare Launches Inaugural Farriery Education Program in Saudi Arabia

The King Abdul Aziz Arabian Horse Centre, where the first World Horse Welfare farrier training program in Saudi Arabia will take place (photo courtesy of the charity)

The British-based charity World Horse Welfare has been called upon to share its expertise in farriery and hoof care for the first time in Saudi Arabia.

Two British farrier representatives, Tom Burch and Mark Watson, have been invited to share their knowledge and skills with existing farriers, veterinarians and horse trainers in the Middle Eastern country next month. The farriery trainers have been asked by the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture to carry out an intensive course called Introduction to Basic Farrier Practices to a group of 12 students.

During the course, the students will increase their knowledge in subjects such as basic horse anatomy, shoeing faults, conformation, horse handling and body language, as well as foot balance and trimming.

HRH Princess Anne is President of World Horse Welfare. In July, she visited one of the charity's farms where British horses are rehabilitated and offered for adoption.
(World Horse Welfare photo)

The aim of the course, which takes place in the city of Riyadh on October 17-18, 2011, is to teach the group the basic theory behind the importance of correct foot shape and shoeing to therefore help horse owners care for their animals.

Burch and Watson will act as key speakers and trainers, conducting lectures, performing demonstrations, and providing opportunities for the students to work closely with their horses.

It is hoped that the program will be extended into other areas in the future as the partnership between World Horse Welfare and horse owners in Saudi Arabia will continue until December 2017.

London farrier Tom Burch with the Metropolitan Police

Farrier Trainer Tom Burch said “We are really pleased to have been asked to assist with the program.  It is rewarding to know that we have been approached for our expert advice and skills and that we will be able to make a positive difference to the horses and their owners.

“There are also plans for the partnership to continue for many more years, providing us with an opportunity to get out into the communities and help the local people and their working horses in the future.”

Ian Kelly, Director of International Training at World Horse Welfare said, “This is the first time that an international horse charity has been invited to Saudi Arabia so we are extremely honored to be taking part in the program.”

Note: this article was received as a press release from World Horse Welfare, a charity that Hoofcare & Lameness has supported for many years. Tom Burch RSS has a long connection with London's Metropolitan Police horses as farrier and has been involved in charitable farrier training programs all over the world for many years. Tom was my tour guide of the military and police horses of London one day years ago--a day I will never forget! Farrier Sergeant Mark Watson AWCF trains British Army farriers at the Melton Mowbray Animal Defense Center. 

This type of program is proof that everyone, regardless of his or her profession, has some way to give back to society and to the world's horses. There are many programs around the world that would welcome the help of professionals experienced with horses.  


Best wishes to Tom and Mark for their involvement with World Horse Welfare.

 TO LEARN MORE

World Horse Welfare Farrier Program in Mexico

World Horse Welfare Farrier Training in Senegal

World Horse Welfare Farrier Training in Honduras

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