Wanting to succeed with the horses you work with, as well as the pressure placed on farriers by clients can lead to stress. This stress can then lead to negative effects in your home and work life. In this presentation farrier Jeff Newnham of East Sussex, England will discuss pressure and stress management. He’ll review the typical causes of anxiety and stress for farriers and then offer solutions on how to deal with them in a realistic fashion.

Casting has been a hoof-care solution for many years. Dr. Steve O’Grady says that his approach can benefit horses in various uses. In this session, the Keswick, Va., farrier-veterinarian will discuss the proper preparation for casting, how to apply the products currently on the market, and review various ideas for helping horses.

Building on her previous presentation, Dr. Molly Nicodemus of Mississippi State University looks closer at the natural gait mechanics of lesser known breeds of horses She will pull from her own research to deliver examples and explain how appliances can influence movement of these horses.

Farriers and veterinarians have highly demanding jobs with the pressure to help horses and maintain profitable businesses. In this session, Suzi Shelhamer of Basin, Wyo., will discuss meditation as a way to combat work-related stress. As the wife of a farrier, the meditation instructor is keenly aware of the stresses that equine professionals face. She will review techniques for short-term relief and long-term practices of meditation so you can reduce stress and improve your state of mind.

Quarter cracks are a common issue that farriers across disciplines must deal with. Although many advocate for addressing the underlying issue and giving the horse rest, this isn’t an option for many farriers who shoe racehorses. In this session, Hall of Fame farrier Tom Curl, will discuss why quarter crack management has no margin of error in the race world. Curl will profile cases he’s worked on to show how he helps these horses keep running.

Understating anatomy is one of the building blocks of good farriery. In this session, Mitch Taylor will dissect a hind limb to review the functional anatomy. The member of the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame give you an up-close view of these internal structures and relays why these injuries occur to the bones and soft tis- sue structures. This lecture will be a great lead-in for the two other breakout sessions on the hind foot and limb.

Newmarket, England, farrier Simon Curtis says magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is becoming more frequently used in diagnosis and farriers should be aware of the conditions that can be seen by operators. In this talk, he will look at a number of conditions that are frequently diagnosed using MRI. Many conditions diagnosed by MRI require farriers to use their creative skills to successfully treat these cases in tandem with veterinary colleagues.

Farriery is a taxing occupation that creates massive stress and strain on the body and mind. In this session, Mitch and Suzi Shelhamer will discuss how implementing yoga helped Mitch’s career. The couple from Basin, Wyo., will then demonstrate basic yoga stretches and techniques that you can use daily.

As a farrier and veterinarian, Craig Lesser handles many laminitis cases. Before he employs his solutions as a farrier, he must first uncover the gravity of the situation. In this session, he’ll review the veterinary perspective on the diagnosis at varied stages of laminitis. He’ll also address common pitfalls the veterinarian needs to address so that the horse has the best possible outcome with the farrier’s work.

Wellington, Fla., farrier Curtis Burns often is recognized for his work by helping top performers in the show ring and racetrack. In recent years, the farrier has found joy in working with minis. His work focuses on helping on cases in which the horses are affected by angular limb deformities. In this session, Burns will review the work he has compiled with the help of his associate Rachel Braverman, as well as discuss solutions he’s used to help the minis under his care.