hoof

I've often wondered about the significance and the origins of what I might label the arbitrary four-week shoeing cycle, and its strict adherence by some owners, trainers and stable managers. I recognize scheduling is simplified when the shoeing occurs the same day every month. However, having now done this job for some time, I have identified many circumstances where horses would benefit with more time in between shoeing and on more than one occasion that has been my recommendation (accepted or not). Unfortunately, there are some non-farrier professionals who fail...

"It's all about soul...Yes, it is." The title and line from Billy Joel's 1993 hit refers to unmeasured essence of our being, and the same may be said also about another kind of sole, the hoof's sole, which is an often-overlooked, under-studied insensitive structure of the hoof that fails to get much attention until there is a problem. The failure to care for the sole's well-being, like its homophone cousin (soul), may have deeper implications and longer-lasting consequences for the soundness of the horse that it is attached to. The...