As an industry, I would hope that we could change the way we view the equine foot and its loading capabilities before we decide to alter the external hoof capsule by either trimming or shoeing to what we believe to be correct standards without first understanding the natural loading forces and changing pathology of the individual equine limb, distal joints and therefore the entire equine’s body.
As farriers and veterinarians, we aim to optimise the health of the equine hooves we work on or with. To base our trimming or shoeing strategies on external landmarks that we believe contain a healthy foot could impact the interphalangeal joint's associated ligaments, tendons and neural transmission. The integrity of the correct orthopaedic balance of the animal relies on thoroughly examining the pathologies involved, both in the distal limb and associated passive stay apparatus supporting the animal's spine and entire equine, before we intervene and manipulate these forces, by changing their feet through our trimming and shoeing strategies.
Just some food for thought to start 2025. Happy new year to all in the equine industry and to the health and destiny of our equine friends.
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