Laminitis is very painful so much so that a horse with it will barely be able to walk, and sometimes they will not be able to walk at all! For clarification, founder is a laminitis turned chronic. Laminitis is acute inflammation of the lamina which is the structures that holds the hoof to the coffin bone. One of the most famous recent cases is that of Barbaro, in which he had laminitis in his left hind foot due to breaking his ankle on the right hind leg. The pressure of having to stay standing on the left hind all the time caused the laminitis.

Today I found an extremely good very detailed article on laminitis -

Laminitis Attack: The First Line of Defense

My favorite statement in the article is the comment about having to work together as a team. This is so true the farrier and the veterinarian as well as the caretaker/owner need to be in communication with one another to work out the best treatment for the horse. It is essential so that the horse has a chance at recovery. I am such a strong believer in this team approach that I feel that not only should this be done for laminitis but for any disease or management process in regards to the horse’s health.

Back to the article I want to point out the three most important topics covered in the treatment of laminitis and these are -

• Get Expert Help
• Use of Pain Medication
• Find the Cause

Check out the article, if you ever have to deal with this horrible disease you will be glad you did… Laminitis Attack: The First Line of Defense

Other laminitis information found on the web…

Laminitis : The Hidden Danger Of Pasture
New Bolton Center Fund for Laminitis Research Fund raiser
Laminitis & Founder
Laminitis Product Receives Award from Queen of England

Big Brown the Kentucky Derby Winner has a type of shoe that is glued on to the bottom of the hoof. Now you may ask yourself why glue instead of nails?

There are several reasons that glue on shoes are preferred for some horses even big horses like Big Brown.

• Horses that have damaged hoof walls
• Hoof walls that are thin
• White line disease or hoof wall separation
• Laminitis (Founder)
• Coffin bone fractures
• Even hooves that have been trimmed too short and are now sore

In Big Brown’s case he had hoof wall separation and an infection (abscess) in the foot. The glue on shoes helped him recover and recover quickly. So quickly, in fact that from January when he was laid off because of the problem, he was able to come back and win the Kentucky Derby. Now he has his eyes set on the Preakness. Let see if the glue on shoes help him win that one as well.

For more information about Big Brown’s glue on shoes check out -

Big Brown’s Feet Not So Bad, Farriers Say 

The most important aspect of the health of a horse’s hoof is how it is trimmed.

Oh there are nutritional supplements that help and there are hoof applications that help and how you ride and what type of surface all helps in determining the health of the hoof but THE most important is how it is trimmed.

So now we can open a can of worms as to how is this accomplished? What is the best way to trim a horses hoof? There are arguments upon arguments or shall we say intellectual discussions on how this is to be done. There are farriers who have been around for centuries it seems that have never gone to farrier school and say it should be done this way, and there are others straight out of farrier school that say it should be done this way and then there is every type of farrier in between. Just take a look at one of my favorite forums to lurk – http://www.horseshoes.com/forums/ This forum is a great resource to learn about shoeing and trimming and everyone there has an opinion. You just need to be able to read between the lines or rather take all the information in and form your own opinion OR just read my blog and I’ll give you your opinion…LOL

Dynamic hoof balance, geometric balance, natural balance, physiologic hoof trim, Strasser trim (OK not that ONE) all are techniques used to improve the soundness of the horse and not one of them is the RIGHT one for every horse. A good farrier will know how to use one or more of a combination of these techniques to improve the hoof health and soundness.

As a horse owner how can you tell if your horse’s hoof is trimmed so that it is healthy. What should you look for? Here are three foundation principles you need to notice about your horse’s hoof and if your horse’s hoof does not follow these foundation principles, you need to ask your farrier why. Now there may be a perfectly valid reason why your horse’s hoof does not exactly follow these three principles and your farrier may have a good reason for not following these but they are a good start to building a healthy sound hoof…

First, look at the bottom of your horse’s foot (the sole). Draw an imaginary
straight line through the widest part of the foot. From that line back to the heels
should be more total surface area than in front of that line.

Second, the frog should be at least ½ as wide at the heel base, as it is
long. It should also make contact with the ground at the base.

Third, the angle of the hoof should parallel the angle of the pastern. It is
not an exact number but usually falls between 45 and 55 degrees. The best way
to determine if proper angle is met is to look at the foot from the side and place a
straight edge (ruler) along the front aspect of the hoof from the toe to the coronet
band. If it is a correct angle, the front aspect of the pastern will follow on the
bottom of the straight edge exactly all the way to the fetlock.

If your horse’s hoof follows these three foundation principles then it should be as healthy as it can be. If not ask why not, because as the Native Americans used to say…no foot, no horse! Or was it some old british farrier, I can’t remember. In any case a healthy hoof is a good foundation to a healthy horse.