Just about any equine veterinarian who specializes in hoof care or farriers who do a lot of therapeutic shoeing will tell you the thing they most rely on to do their work isn’t found in a toolbox, mounted on a shoeing rig or installed in a workshop or veterinary clinic.

For many farriers, the first exposure to a therapeutic shoeing situation comes unexpectedly. They arrive at a barn — perhaps after a frantic phone call from a client — and find a horse who has suffered an injury.