Researchers in Canada used cadaver limbs to study the effects of hoof angles and loading patterns on joint surface contact areas in the fetlock. Eight limbs from Standardbred horses that died for reasons unrelated to this study were fitted into a mechanical pendulum device to simulate hoof strike at a trot. Strips of pressure-sensitive film were placed across the joint surfaces inside the fetlock to measure contact areas, and the limb was loaded while simulating flat, toe-first and heel-first landings.

In February 2011, an 8-year-old Quarter Horse named Andy was trailered from upstate New York to his new home in Georgia

Diagnosing lameness in horses is as much an art as a science. There is no substitute for the well-trained, experienced and perceptive eye.

Before making the decision to raise the heels of a horse, farriers should ask themselves two questions: