Check Scientific Shoeing Info From AAEP

By Frank Lessiter posted on January 1, 1999 | Posted in Anatomy, Diseases
PLENTY OF NEW IDEAS relating to lameness treatment, new tools for examining feet and legs, unique shoeing ideas, changing relationships between heel and toe angles,
surgical options for foot concerns and much more of interest to farriers were presented at December’s American Association of Equine Practitioners meeting.
More than 4,100 people were on hand for this annual gathering of equine veterinarians in Baltimore, Md.
Hoof Balance Vs. Injuries
Albert Kane, an equine veterinarian at Colorado State University, found in a recent study that decreasing the difference between toe and heel angles should be helpful in
preventing catastrophic injuries to Thoroughbred racehorses.
In the research laboratory, he analyzed front hooves from 95 Thoroughbred racehorses examined through the California Racing Board Postmortem Program. These included 70
horses that suffered forelimb catastrophic musculoskeletal injury (CMI), 43 horses with sustained fatal suspensory apparatus failure (SAF) and 10 horses with cannon bone
lateral condylar fractures (CDY). As controls, he used 25 horses that died for reasons unrelated to the musculoskeletal system.
“The CMI, SAF and CDY horses were characterized by more acute toe and heel angles compared with the controls,” says Kane. “However, these differences were only
significant for the SAF and CDY groups.”
Kane’s evidence suggests an increased toe-to-heel angle difference is a risk factor for SAF horses and may be even more important than toe or heel angle alone.
“It’s often recommended that the hoof should be trimmed to axial symmetry for the optimal mediolateral balance,” he says. “But in the study presented…
To view the content, please subscribe or login.
 Premium content is for our Digital-only and Premium subscribers. A Print-only subscription doesn't qualify. Please purchase/upgrade a subscription with the Digital product to get access to all American Farriers Journal content and archives online.

KEYWORDS CDY CMI coffin bone rotation DDF tenotomy heel angle inflamed laminae nuclear scintigrahpy SAF tendon transection thermography Thoroughbred racehorses toe angles toe-to-heel angle difference
Frank lessiter

Frank Lessiter

Frank Lessiter founded Lessiter Media in 1981 and has spent more than 50 years in the agricultural and equine publishing business. He still oversees all of the company's publications as Chairman and Editorial Director, with an Emphasis on American Farriers Journal and No-Till Farmer magazines.

Contact: lessitef@lesspub.com

Related Articles

Trimming, Shoeing Backyard Horses Critical To Farrier Success

Evaluating and Shoeing Foal Limb Deformities

Loading Critical to Reducing Forces And Navicular Compression

Top Articles

Current Issue

View More

Current Issue

View More

Must Read Free Eguides

Download these helpful knowledge building tools

View More

Videos

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary

American Farriers Journal is excited and honored to celebrate its 50th anniversary of publishing the hands-on magazine for hoof-care professionals. Learn more about our special edition, which comes out in December 2024.

View More

Events

More Events
Top Directory Listings
Life Data Labs

Life Data Labs Inc

Life Data Labs Inc. is a dedicated product manufacturer committed to producing premium quality animal nutrition and health products through continuous product improvement and new product development. First-class ingredients, fresh products, consistent high quality and scientifically proven effectiveness are the principal features of Life Data Labs animal health products. And that's why they've produced the #1 recommended hoof supplement by farriers for 12 consecutive years.
KAWELL 2023.jpg

Kawell USA

Kawell develops and produces copper alloy horseshoes and inserts, giving horses the care that they need to fight issues associated with white line disease, seedy toe and thrush.
Smart Pak

SmartPak

From the feed room to the tack room, SmartPak offers innovative solutions to help riders take great care of their horses. SmartPak was founded in 1999 with the introduction of the patented SmartPak™ supplement feeding system. The revolutionary, daily dose SmartPaks are custom-made for your horse, individually labeled and sealed for freshness.
View More