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.

Q: How long can it take lameness to show up from a blind quicking? Is it likely that a possible quicking could be the cause of lameness that shows up 27 days later?

I had a customer call me tonight asking about putting a hospital plate on a young horse that has an abscess. I have an idea that I need to fit a shoe and cut an aluminum plate to fit it, drill holes through the plate, drill holes in the shoe and tap them. I need to use bolts in holes — careful not to go through to hoof. Do I have all of this right?

If you haven’t yet read the report by the 2007 Lameness Research Meeting and Panel, we’d suggest visiting the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Web site and downloading a copy. The report includes some food for thought for everyone in the hoof-care industry — not only in its recommendations but in how they were arrived at.