Farrier Takeaways

• A cadaver foot study finds that using radiographs to determine sole depth is not reliable for trimming the solar surface of the equine foot.
• In feet with a negative hoof-pastern axis, the pedal bone often rotates backward, pushing corium toward the distal end of the foot. When sole depth is trimmed to correct the angle, there is a greater chance that the corium will be cut.
• When assessing the sole of a live foot, it’s important to remember that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Tissue that has a curvature is longer and compressed. However, our eyes will see the exact opposite.