Equine Soundness Professionals Kickoff Seminar in Wellington, Florida Launches New Vet/Farrier Organization

Special report by Ellen Staples, CJF

Equine Soundness Professionals’ first annual podiatry seminar held in Wellington, Florida left attendees eagerly anticipating the next event held by the budding organization. Lecturers Dr. Raul Bras of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Kentucky and Florida, farrier Pat Reilly of Penn Vet New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania, and farrier Shane Westman of the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine presented the topics of laminitis, navicular disease, and white line disease to both farriers and veterinarians gathered in the elegant ballroom of The Wanderer’s Country Club.

Laminitis Prevention Survey Result: Along with weight gain, shoeing cycle and trimming schedule are factors in risk

Although excess weight has long been considered a primary risk factor for laminitis, new research continues to sort through the many risk factors and look for patterns of horsecare or links between the factors themselves, as well as that weight gain is most likely to be associated with laminitis.

A relatively large study, by equine science standards, was conducted in the United Kingdom and gave researchers access to data on more than 1000 horses in "real time" by receiving monthly reports for more than two years from owners about the same horses. The sole purpose of the study was to gather data on laminitis and the horsecare factors that may contribute to it.

Out of 1,070 horses followed in the study, 97 experienced 123 episodes of laminitis over the 29 months the data was collected.

The bottom line conclusion was that weight gain more than doubled the risk of developing laminitis, but other horsecare practices, including hoofcare, should not be ignored.

Bisphosphonates Ban: Keeneland, Fasig-Tipton and Ocala Breeders’ Sales Ban Off-Label Use of Popular Navicular Disease Medication in Young Thoroughbreds

Bisphosphonates are a type of medication used to treat osteoporosis in humans. They have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration since 2014 for treatment of navicular disease in horses older than four. Research in Europe, conducted by Professor Jean-Marie Denoix and others, has also investigated the possible expanded use of one bisphosphonate, tiludronate (Tildren) for other lameness problems, such as bone spavin and osteoarthritic lesions of the thoracolumbar vertebral column. Professor Denoix also led the initial research on Tildren for navicular disease in older horses.

Dual Surveys Compare Veterinarian and Horse Owner Priorities for Equine Research

Colic (gastrointestinal diseases) is considered by both equine veterinarians and horse owners as the most important equine health care problem in need of more answers, according to the results of parallel research surveys conducted by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation and the American Horse Council (AHC) Foundation.

Women's History Month: Saluting nameless women farriers from the past

The oldest image in the Hoofcare and Lameness archives is this engraving from France. The title at the bottom translates roughly to: "To shoe the mule the people are usually intelligent." (Corrections are welcome.) Script at the top states that women understand that the mule responds to caresses more than to force. Image from the University of Texas library archives.

It's International Women's Day. The Internet is buzzing with salutes and tributes and memories of famous women and their contributions to history. While the Hoof Blog honors women today, as everyday, the archive has been opened so we can salute some anonymous women instead of famous ones.

Where in the world are the top-ranked veterinary colleges?

We're used to hearing about Harvard vs Yale, Michigan vs Ohio State, Army vs Navy, and Alabama vs Auburn, but vet school vs vet school?