2017 SPONSORED BY International HOOF CARE Hoof-Care Summit Coverage SARAH EVERS CONRAD undreds of farriers and equine veterinarians from around the world gathered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Jan. 24-27 to talk hoof-care practices and innovations. The Horse was on the scene to cover some of the most practical of the more than 100 sessions, roundtables, and how- Htos. Read on to find out what’s cutting-edge in the world of equine hoof care. 10 take-homes from the 14th annual edition of this equine foot-focused event M O CK.C O T S I Trimming and Shoeing Techniques Can A horse’s stride has two phases: Affect How Horses Move 1. The nonweight-bearing swing phase; and Farriers must understand biomechanics and 2. The stance phase, when the hoof is in con- the forces at work in a horse’s hooves to make tact with the ground. appropriate trimming and shoeing decisions. Stance is further divided into three phases: Jenny Hagen, PhD, professor and researcher 1. Landing, which starts with the initial ground at Leipzig University’s Institute of Veterinary contact; Anatomy, in Germany, explained how farriers 2. Midstance, when the horse’s body is directly can help horses move better using trimming over the supporting limb and experiences and shoeing techniques. the greatest ground reaction force (GRF, TheHorse.com THE HORSE 1 2017 International Hoof-Care Summit Coverage SPONSORED BY HOOF CARE which is exerted by the ground on the video revealed pressure distribution and ■ Breakover This varied horse to horse, horse); and hoof-ground contact in the stance phase, but more cases showed pressure on 3. Breakover, which is the process of the which could allow veterinarians and far- the lateral aspect of the toe than other heels lifting off the ground, rolling over riers to identify where hoof problems are parts of the hoof. the toe, and the toe leaving the ground. located. Effects of Trimming and Shoeing While Hagen has been studying the horse’s Hagen and her team discovered the trimming, a farrier tries to optimize the stance phase because trimming and shoe- following: initial contact and hoof load during mid- ing can affect the forces on the hoof and ■ Initial contact How the hoof first im- stance and facilitate breakover, although limb during this phase, and she wants to pacted the ground varied greatly. The it’s often difficult to improve all these know exactly how. most common landing patterns were aspects, said Hagen. Farriers can only impact the swing plane landing (all parts of the hoof “If you would like to change the initial phase indirectly, she said. contacting the ground simultaneously, contact, gait pattern, or the stance phase “All biomechanics and all strains af- which occurred in 35-42% of cases) and of the horse, you need to aim specifically fecting tendons, ligaments, and joints lateral landing (when the outer side of for it,” said Hagen. “You can’t just trim have differences depending on the stage the hoof landed first, which happened statically or geometrically (to the shape of of the stance phase,” said Hagen, adding in 35-40% of cases). Toe-first landings the horse’s foot). You really have to check that the center of force (also referred to made up 15% of the cases. Medial (the with the functional things like the walk as center of pressure, where all forces inner side of the hoof landed first) and and how the horse is moving.” become equal) also changes based on the heel landings were 2% and 2-3% of the Changing how a hoof initially contacts phase. cases, respectively. She noted a weak the ground also often influences load In their recent study Hagen and col- correlation between initial contact distribution during the midstance phase, leagues collected data from 75 sound and mediolateral (side-to-side) load Hagen said. For each individual case, Warmbloods using an inexpensive mobile distribution. farriers must judge whether correcting sensor system called Tekscan, which mea- ■ Midstance The lateral hoof side was the hoof’s initial contact toward a plane sures pressure across the various parts most affected by force during this landing outweighs the disadvantage of of the hoof. The resulting images and phase. an unequal loading during the midstance How Form Affects Function Cause Lack of regular scheduled trimming and misconception of what the bars do. Effect Without properly placed bars, the back half of the foot is not supported resulting in corns, abscess and pinched heels. Solution Trim the bars to their point of origin. Result A healthier foot that functions normally. Vettec • Orange, California • 1.800.483.8832 • www.vettec.com EU Customer Care • +420 800 260 001 • www.vettec.net VA.0816.THORBARS TheHorse.com THE HORSE 2 2017 International Hoof-Care Summit Coverage SPONSORED BY HOOF CARE phase, when the strongest forces affect the limb, she added. While farriers can trim to change the center of force more easily in the dorso- palmar (toward the heel) then mediolater- al (middle) position, it’s difficult for them to change the location of the individual breakover in this manner. Shoes’ Impact on Stride Farriers can also impact the horse’s stride by changing shoe weight, height, and surface. Each SON horse’s hoof-ground contact is different, MP AN HA and the effect of trimming and shoeing I depends on posture and limb conforma- R. BR D Y tion, horse management, the stage of the ES T stance phase, and manufacturing of the COUR shoes. Dr. Brian Hampson documented hoof morphology changes, including heel bulb length, toe length, “With the application of modified sole depth, and more, resulting from various trim methods. horseshoes, such as bar shoes, open toe shoes, or other surface modifica- models on hoof morphology (form and horses with healthy, disease-free hooves tions, specific regions of the hoof can be structure). they thought they could change. Each far- directly relieved to support the recovery Study Overview Hampson evaluated rier started with hooves that had not been of diseased parts of the hoof,” said Hagen. 22 horses from the United States and trimmed in the previous six weeks. While farriers can apply modified Germany on which one of four trim types The Trimming Methods Hampson horseshoes to adjust initial contact and was performed over a 12-month period. described the four schools’ trimming facilitate breakover, they shouldn’t use His goal was to document morphologic methods to the audience: them if the result is instability when changes associated with various barefoot ■ “Barefoot Hoof Orthopaedics (BHO)” the horse is in motion, especially with hoof care models and to determine if from Dr. Konstanze Rasch of Germany: wedges, studs, or rocker shoes, Hagen hoof capsule changes occurred in relation This technique doesn’t allow significant said. She added that wedges put pressure to them. He also aimed to find out if the adjustments to the hoof wall from trim- on the heels, which can have negative palmar soft-tissue volume within the foot ming underneath, because the belief long-term effects on hoof growth and changed over 12 months. He didn’t seek is they stress the joints above, he said. shape, especially if a horse tends to have to determine if one trim method was bet- Instead, the farrier thins the wall from underrun heels. If a farrier needs to use ter than another. the outside and lets the natural move- wedges, Hagen recommended using long ment of the horse trim the hoof down. wedges made of soft material. ■ “Natural Hoof Care” from Dr. Tina Hagen stressed that farriers shouldn’t (Trimming) should be Gottwald of Germany: He said this rely on orthopedic shoes long-term. Just method involves using a trim similar to as people take antibiotics for a specified based on a combination those used for wild horses (the “mus- amount of time to treat a specific illness, of measurement ‘guides’ tang roll”) by rolling the hoof wall’s a farrier only needs to use an orthopedic ground surface all the way around and shoe temporarily to correct a specific and a good knowledge taking it back to the white material/ problem. These shoes can affect pressure of the biological and wet line. distribution on the hoof capsule, leading ■ “Pacific Hoof Care Practitioners to shoeing intolerance or other problems, biomechanical conse- (PHCP)” from Sossity Gargiulo of the she cautioned. quences of hoof length United States: This method involves keeping the outer hoof wall tubules Trimming’s Effects on Horse Hoof and angle changes.” from interacting with the ground by Morphology DR. BRIAN HAMPSON using a trim similar to wild horse trims Farriers use a wide range of trimming by rolling the hoof wall almost all the techniques to improve the health and Hampson’s research team analyzed way back to the heel, he said. structure of each equine foot and hoof data provided by four trimming schools ■ “HoofPrint Method” from Cheryl capsule on which they work. that agreed to have farrier students trim Henderson of the United States: This Brian Hampson, PhD, co-founder of horses every four to six weeks according trim creates a rocker toe and a thinner the Australian Brumby Research Unit at to their taught trim method and share hoof wall. the University of Queensland, in Australia, their results. Photos and radiographs Key Study Findings The study results presented the results of a study in which were taken before and after each trim. confirmed that trimming can change he looked at the effects of four trimming The farriers/trimmers selected study hoof capsule morphology. Some changes TheHorse.com THE HORSE 3 2017 International Hoof-Care Summit Coverage SPONSORED BY HOOF CARE were positive, such as increased palmar meat to absorb that shock.” symmetrical feet, and hoof morphology ground support length and reduced toe Hampson said he’s not a fan of the ex- varied between horses; length.