Reprinted with permission of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Original published in Equine Veterinary Education, Vol. 19, June 2007.

 AFJ Editor’s Note: Includes the “Queen’s English” spellings of the original. 

The importance of podiatry as a part of equine veterinary practice is well recognised. Cooperation and the symbiotic relationship between the veterinary and farrier professions continue to grow and improve. Historically, there has not been a standardization of podiatry terms that can be used for communication, both verbal and written, between veterinarians, farriers and horse owners.

Furthermore, a uniform list of podiatry terms should benefit veterinarians and farriers in their record keeping and help augment their written reports. Authors writing in veterinary and farrier journals should be encouraged to adhere to recognised terms and to qualify their descriptions wherever possible. The authors of this article have attempted to create a glossary of podiatry terms that will form the basis for a common language related to the equine foot. This glossary provides an accurate basis of podiatry terms that, with revisions and additions, will continue to evolve in the future.

The specialised terminology found in equine podiatry should be used to keep records for both veterinarians and farriers. It can be used to verbally communicate on a day-to-day basis, to express ideas informally in personal written communication, and to express ideas formally in the literature. As such, it is obvious that it is most important that the meaning of language used in the practice of podiatry be clear and…