Is there more to heat, pain and lameness than meets the eye? Is there a reason why a horse is not responding to therapies? Potentially, yes. A farrier often is the first line of defense in identifying inflammation of the distal limb, and understanding its influence is critical for proper management.

To truly help a horse with contracted heels, a farrier must understand that such heels are most often a symptom of an underlying problem, and correcting the heels does not necessarily lead to a sounder horse.

There’s something satisfying about watching a cutting horse doing its job well. The speed, agility and balance of the horse to mirror a cut cow as it desperately tries to return to the safety of its herd is mesmerizing and thrilling all at once.

Performance horses, by the very nature of the work they are asked to do, are more prone to injuries than horses that are being used primarily for recreational riding. There are a number of studies that offer evidence that certain injuries are more likely to occur with certain disciplines, but an informal survey of several experienced farriers indicates that across disciplines, more common injuries such as sore feet and abscesses are the culprits that farriers most often have to deal with.