The Budweiser Clydesdales 2013 Super Bowl Commercial: Advance Showing of the 2013 Commercial on the Hoof Blog

This year's Budweiser Clydesdale commercial is quite a story. "Brotherhood" shares the bond of a trainer and his favorite horse.

Spoiler alert!

Have you been chewing your nails (or hooves)? Are you worried you might be running to the refrigerator or bathroom on Sunday night when the annual Budweiser Clydesdale commercial comes on the Super Bowl?

Fear no more, here it is: (go ahead, watch it in full screen mode)

Video: AAEP Extends Pasture-Associated Equine Laminitis Research Project into 2013

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has announced that it is extending its pasture-associated equine laminitis research project into 2013, in hopes of collecting more cases from the field.

Horseshoeing Trailer Heist in Oklahoma Devastates Veteran Farrier's Ability to Work

Shoeing trailers make a lot of sense, both economically and efficiency-wise. Some are really clever designs and all of them allow farriers to use a truck or hauling vehicle for something other than a work-related rig.

But it looks like thieves love them, too. This is not the first shoeing trailer that I have heard of being stolen. This news report amazed me when I saw that Mr. Ward had stamped all this shoes.

Name the Budweiser Clydesdale Foal Star of 2013's Super Bowl Commercial

There is just no question that the marketing and advertising surrounding the Super Bowl is more interesting than the game itself usually turns out to be. If you needed proof of that, look no farther than into the eyes of the Clydesdale foal in this photo.

This year is the 80th Anniversary of the Budweiser Clydesdales hitch, so you know that there was something special in the pipeline. We just didn't know what, until today!

Wes Champagne's Blacksmith Buddy: A Life-like, Positionable Horse Leg Simulates Shoeing / Trimming for Training, Demonstration and Practice

   Sponsored Post from Wes Champagne   

Learn about Wes Champagne's Blacksmith Buddy in this introductory video.

When I heard that California horseshoer Wes Champagne had a new invention, I sat back and said, "Hmmmm...." My mind lit up with imagined new lightweight shoes, or space-age adhesives, or something that you could put on a racehorse so it could break the sound barrier, or maybe jump the moon.

After all, Wes has quite a "track record" already, as a pioneer of adhesive shoes for racehorses and quarter crack repair. He pioneered the "direct glue" method and shod the first winner of a Breeders Cup race with glue-ons, Lit de Justice in the 1996 Sprint. 

I was in for a surprise this time, though...

Paynter Recovery from Colitis and Laminitis Voted 2012 Moment of the Year; Owner Designates Veterinarian to Accept Award

Stakes winner Paynter was taken ill in August while training at Saratoga in New York. A month of life-and-death struggles with colitis and acute laminitis followed. Many horses don't survive this type of medical insult but Paynter clung to life and is now back in training at Santa Anita in California. His story was publicly broadcast via the Twitter social media network by his owners, Zayat Racing. Racing fans adopted the horse's struggle and cheered "Power Up, Paynter" at every turn.

A racehorse's recovery from colitis and laminitis was chronicled on the Hoof Blog in September 2012 and was voted today the "Moment of the Year" in American horseracing. Paynter's battle gripped everyone's attention--and amazed everyone who thought he'd never survive.

Paynter battled laminitis and colitis with the help of a corps of skilled and dedicated veterinarians and farriers; the horse was transferred to a small vet hospital near Saratoga, New York following his victory in the 2012 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park. His struggle has been voted the 2012 National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Moment of the Year.