Every farrier knows a few: those cresty-necked, peach-rumped pasture potatoes whose spines disappear into dimpled grooves along their backs, even though their owners swear they feed them nothing.
But nutrition can have a huge impact on those feet and your work on them, especially when it comes to laminitis, and often owners just don’t know when their horse-feeding practices are contributing to the problem. You can win a lot of loyalty, and reduce your chances of working on foundered feet, by helping educate your clients about nutrition as it relates to foot health.
Because of its association with laminitis, insulin resistance will be critical to the health of many horses as they are turned out on pasture this spring.
It may be time to add insulin resistance to the list of major causes of laminitis. Recent research indicates impaired glucose uptake and postoperative conditions may weaken the hoof lamellae, which make horses more susceptible to this costly problem.
It probably comes as no surprise to most farriers, but the American obesity epidemic has found its way into corrals and paddocks — and we’re not (necessarily) talking about riders.
Greg Martin, CJF, of Boerne, Texas, takes the unique approach of marketing his hoof-care practice with a Christmas parade float in Boerne and Comfort, Texas. The award-winning float boasts a variety of surprising features.
Centered around Advancing Hoof Health Through Innovation & Expertise, the International Hoof-Care Summit is returning for its 22nd Annual event in Kansas City, Mo., on Jan. 21-24, 2025.
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 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.
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.