SMARTPAK and LIFE DATA LABS Partner To Make FARRIER'S FORMULA Available in SMARTPAKS

Special Version of Farrier's Formula Available Exclusively in SmartPaks

(provided by press release simultaneously from our friends at Smart Pak and Life Data Labs)

CHEROKEE, AL and PLYMOUTH, MA (November 29, 2006)-- Life Data Labs and SmartPak Equine announced today that they have entered into a partnership to make Farrier's Formula available in SmartPaks. Farrier's Formula is the original hoof supplement, and has been shown effective in university studies as well as Life Data's own extensive research.

"Farrier's Formula has been our most widely requested hoof product, and we are delighted to be able to offer it to our customers," said Paal Gisholt, SmartPak's President and CEO. "In getting to know the Life Data team, I have had the opportunity to see their commitment to making a quality product first hand, and their care and attention to product quality is exceptional."

"We are happy to be making Farrier's Formula available to the many barns and individuals that have adopted the SmartPak feeding system," said Brian Jones, an executive with Life Data Labs.

"We took advantage of the extra protection offered by the SmartPak delivery system to create a special concentrated version of Farrier's Formula that contains the same level of nutrients and benefits of the non-concentrated version," he continued.

"Furthermore, our utilization of vacuum-packaging under nitrogen for delivery to SmartPak allows us to guarantee high levels of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, along with Vitamin C, making this concentrate an excellent choice for skin and coat as well as hoof health," Jones concluded.

Under the partnership, the companies agreed to a limited exclusivity. SmartPak has agreed not to offer hoof supplements that exactly copy Farrier's Formula and Life Data Labs has agreed that SmartPak will be the exclusive provider of Farrier's Formula in daily doses custom-packed for an individual horse. Other terms of the partnership were not disclosed.

Note: SmartPak and Life Data Labs are two of the companies that generously support Hoofcare & Lameness Journal with advertising; Life Data also sponsored one of our "Hoofcare@Saratoga" evening lectures last year at Saratoga. SmartPak recently opened their first retail store here in the Boston area, and I have had the pleasure of shopping there. We are very pleased to see these two companies working together. Congratulations to both! We look forward to seeing them at the AAEP Convention next week.

Dr. Scott Morrison May Examine Barbaro's Foundered Foot, Report Says

According to a report published today in The News Journal and its web site, Delaware Online, a quote attributed to Barbaro's veterinarian at Fair Hill, Kathy Anderson DVM, conjects that foot specialist Scott Morrison DVM of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, KY will visit New Bolton Center within two weeks to consult on the condition of Barbaro's foundered foot and the possibility of shoeing it. Barbaro is still hospitalized at the George D. Widener Hospital at New Bolton Center of the University of Pennsylvania in Kennett Square, not far from Fair Hill.

Here's the link to the story, which has not been verified by Dr. Morrison:

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20061129&Category=SPORTS09&ArtNo=61129051&SectionCat=&Template=printart


Stay tuned for more developments. Dr. Morrison will be a guest at the Hoofcare & Lameness booth at the American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention in San Antonio, Texas on Sunday, December 3rd and Monday, December 4th at 5:oo pm each day. We hope to see Dr. Anderson there too.

Ferrie Brothers DVD Reveals Family Secrets of Shoemaking and Clydesdale Hoof Care

Two of the world's most accomplished farriers are Allan and Jim Ferrie of Ayrshire, Scotland. Both are Fellows of the Worshipful Company of Farriers, top international competitors, and first-class educators. But first and foremost, they are Scotsmen, and as such they are impeccable ambassadors for the craft of farriery in their country. Plus they look great in those kilts.

So impressed with these two men am I that within minutes of receiving a new DVD produced by them, I was searching for a DVD player. I usually am not anxious to watch tapes of shoemaking demonstrations or competitions, but I knew this would be different and I was correct.

The DVD is a superb revelation on how and why the traditional Scottish heavy horse is shod the way it has been for so many years. The Ferries dissect the construction of the shoes into minute details (of both front and hind shoes) and relate the details of the shoe to the foot of the horse; you watch Allan forge each inch of the shoe, while Jim explains what Allan is doing, which is shown in slow motion. Sparks stop in mid-air.

Admittedly, it looks all too easy, as if the steel in the shoe wanted to follow the focused nudge of the hammer's head. Every hammer blow has a distinct purpose; Allan's technique is a model of efficiency and artistry.

The second half of the DVD is about the application of the shoe and the foot of the Clydesdale.

The good news is that you too can stay up too late looking at feathery Clydesdale feet. The Ferrie Brothers' DVD will be sold by Hoofcare & Lameness, beginning December 1, 2006. Cost is at an introductory price of $49 plus $5 post to US addresses ($10 to the rest of the world). The price will be subject to change without notice because of the change in value of the dollar against the pound.

To order, email dvd@hoofcare.com or call 978 281 3222. Mail checks to Hoofcare DVD, PO Box 6600, Gloucester MA 01930. Please note that the office will be closed from December 1 to December 6 while we are at the AAEP convention.

Monday Updates: AAEP Convention Speaker Changes

Program chair for farriery Dr Steve O'Grady announced Monday that Bob Pethick has had to cancel his role in the AAEP's first farrier conference, to be held Tuesday, December 5 in San Antonio, for personal reasons. Michael Wildenstein FWCF (Hons), resident farrier and instructor at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine (and a contributing editor with Hoofcare & Lameness Journal, as is Bob Pethick) will take Bob's place and speak on the topic of hoof balance vs hoof mechanics.

Sadly, we heard from another of our editors, Dr. Jean-Marie Denoix of France, that he will not be able to attend the convention. He will celebrate the Feast of St Eloi (patron saint of farriers and a national holiday in France) at home in Normandy on December 7.

Dr. O'Grady also mentioned that the American Farrier's Association has appointed three farriers to the AAEP's liaison committee for terms beginning in 2007. They are John Suttle of California, Michael Wildenstein (see above), and Dan White, resident farrier at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Easyboot Epic Named as Product of the Year!

The Horse-Journal has named the Easyboot Epic one of the their Top 10 Products of the Year. "At the end of each year, we look back on the products that we've used in our test barns," say the editors of The Horse Journal. "

To further quote the editors:

We consider what various manufacturers have brought to the market and how those products make taking care of our horses easier. We select items that have improved our ability to optimize health care especially in ways that we can undertake ourselves. We look for products that keep safety in mind, work economically and/or simply solve problems. Above all, we look for products that make the biggest difference in our barns."

"EasyCare took their well-known Easyboot and made it even better, adding a gaiter to the top. This addition makes the boot stay in place better than ever. Horses easily became accustomed to wearing the boot, and it stayed secure. Lightweight and flexible."

Roadblocks Can't Stop Kazakhstan's Horse Van: Borat Behind the Wheel?

Poor Kazakhstan. Life is imitating art again. (If you can call this film "art"?)

The Asian Equestrian Games are starting December 1 in Doha, Qatar...so where are the Kazak team's horses? This sounds like a Saturday Night Live skit takeoff on the film "Borat", as reported on the Internet.

The cost to fly the horses was not in the budget, and there were issues about visas and quarantines, so they opted to drive...and it took 13 days (six days longer than expected) from their training camp in Germany.

First they drove through Austria to Italy and then by ferry to Greece. Then overland to Turkey (where they had border problems) then on across that huge country to Syria (and more border problems), Jordan, and then across Saudi Arabia to Qatar, a distance of 6700 km.

I would have loved to ride along and written a blog of their day-by-day adventures. But one must wonder: What was the condition of those horses when they stumbled off that truck into the blazing Qatar sun? Let's hope the van was air-conditioned.

The Asian Games are fascinating, and I wish there was more media coverage here in the USA; we might all learn something about how the rest of the world lives (and rides). For instance, equestrian sports are one of the very few events in which women from strict Islamic nations are allowed to compete. Why? Because their bodies are covered, head to toe. Think about it. Iran's women's karate team is boycotting the Games because the rules won't allow them to wear their headscarves in competition.

I'll be cheering for Kazakhstan. There's a good summary of this story on the English-language Chinese site. The Chinese are pumped up for the Asian Games in preparation for the 2008 Olympics, although the equestrian events will be held in hot, steamy Hong Kong instead of Beijing...and they may also be monitoring the equestrian transport issue as more and more countries in Asia are competing at the FEI level and must figure out how to get their horses to Hong Kong (and have them be healthy enough to compete).

Hopefully the Kazaks won't have to drive there...just think if they received some small portion of the profits from that movie!