As summer gives way to fall, the diets of your clients’ horses change with the seasons. Hoof quality often transitions with it. Once winter arrives in cold climates, protecting the foot becomes increasingly challenging. Horses are often turned out in snow and mud where their hooves absorb moisture. Those with poor hoof quality become a playground for opportunistic bacteria. Improving the nutrition of a horse with compromised horn can play a part in preventing problems heading into the winter months.

The second confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was in Chicago — about 60 miles southeast of Marengo, Ill., home and headquarters of MVP’s Farrier Service, Inc. Like in many other states, it was around mid-March that the governor issued a disaster proclamation. First schools and dine-in restaurants were closed and restrictions were imposed on large-group gatherings. Eventually, this gave way to a shelter-in-place order.

Study Links Bone Loss to Proximal Sesamoid Bone Fractures in California Racehorses A recent study by Sarah Shaffer, International Equine Veterinarian Hall of Fame member Dr. Susan Stover and colleagues at the J.D. Wheat Veterinary Orthopedic Research Laboratory at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine sought to characterize bone abnormalities that precede proximal sesamoid bone (PSB) fractures and determine if pre-existing abnormalities are associated with these fractures.