In the continuation of this lecture, Stuart Muir of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., covers shoeing options in relation to assessment, growth plate education and a new grading scale they’ve adopted at the clinic. The talk goes into all common and not so common issues, including flexural deformities and treatment of club-footed foals. He’ll also survey several treatment options utilized by the footcare team at his clinic.

Farriers understand that the foal’s bones are still developing in the early months of the horse’s life. But what specifically are the differences between the immature and mature foot. In this presentation, Paige Poss of Tucson, Ariz., will survey the anatomy of these structures, first by discussing how the immature bone responds and adapts as it grows to maturity.

The position of the distal phalanx is critical when it comes to both hoof health and capsule shape. The shape of the hoof capsule will be determined and prescribed by the shape of the sole arch. The sole arch can be very deep (cupped foot) or it can be flat and shallow (flat foot). In part two of his presentation on the distal phalanx, Hall of Fame farrier and researcher Mike Savoldi will share strategies to learn how to work with the foot instead of dictating to it.

The shape of the hoof is a moment in time. This means that it is constantly changing. Recognizing these changes is the first step in developing a healthy foot. In this presentation, Hall of Fame farrier and researcher Mike Savoldi will discuss the importance of protecting bone structure, bone position, and bone movement within the hoof capsule to produce a healthy foot. Savoldi suggests traditional farrier science is in many ways hindering the farrier’s ability because it does not apply to the internal portions of the foot.

In this presentation, University of Ghent researcher Maarten Oosterlinck will show how objective and quantitative tools to employ routinely in the assessment of equine locomotion and farriery techniques are gradually becoming available to the equine clinician and farrier. This presentation reviews the current biomechanical concepts that are important for evidence-based application of trimming and shoeing techniques in the treatment of lameness.

Newmarket, England, farrier Simon Curtis has presented remarkable work on the Thoroughbred over the years. In this Summit lecture, he will present how the equine hoof develops, beginning from fetus through though its maturity. As the foot matures, Curtis will share important insight on hoof loading and growth. He’ll use microscopic studies and pressure mat data to deliver essential points to this lecture. This presentation will help bridge the understanding of Curtis’s other talks at the Summit.

In this session, Dr. Steve O'Grady will discuss how sound farriery is based on principles. The horse’s foot is unique as it is a biological entity that follows the laws of physics. It is important to understand what a healthy foot before understanding unhealthy. In this session, O'Grady will discuss how farrier decisions affect equine anatomy and biomechanics.

In this session, Paige Poss will review the structures of the back half of the foot. Looking at the soft tissue structures, she will discuss how these relate to injury and how it should influence your trimming and shoeing decision. Poss will review samples from her own studies for this presentation.

In this dissection of the distal limb, Mitch Taylor will review of the structure and function of the limb. He will also discusses some acute and chronic lamenesses that could occur as he progresses through the dissection. The limb is loaded in a press to show biomechanics at play.

Watch now as Stuart Muir, CJF, NZCEF, DipWCF, APF-I, and resident farrier at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., discusses various cases and shoeing treatments of horses presenting acute laminitic outbreaks.