Just about any equine veterinarian who specializes in hoof care or farriers who do a lot of therapeutic shoeing will tell you the thing they most rely on to do their work isn’t found in a toolbox, mounted on a shoeing rig or installed in a workshop or veterinary clinic.

When I was in horseshoeing school, the slipper shoe treatment for navicular disease seemed like just the ticket. The idea was that by beveling the hoof surface of the shoe from the quarters back to the heels, you would force the heels outward and relieve the compression stresses on the internal structures of the hoof.

Honoring dedication to the craft and life-long achievement of high quality work, the International Horseshoeing Hall Of Fame and the International Equine Veterinarians Hall Of Fame each inducted four dynamic professionals into their exclusive ranks during February.