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Laminitis Debate: Literature Review
Does rotation exist and what causes it? There is a fierce debate on social media about laminitis. The arguments have become cloudy and...
theequinedocumentalist
Feb 2013 min read
209

The Truth on Dorso-Palmer/Plantar Balance
1.0 Introduction The hoofs interaction with the ground should provide the horse with mechanical and functional efficiency while...
theequinedocumentalist
Jan 29, 202417 min read
3,270

Reliability Test of an Application for the Assessment of Hoof Balance
Changes in hoof balance are associated with increased strains in the soft tissue structures of the equine digit and injury. These links...
theequinedocumentalist
Jan 16, 202410 min read
1,241

Quantifying Posture : The research so far
The effects of posture on equine musculoskeletal health have been recognised subjectively and visually and are now becoming quantified...
theequinedocumentalist
Dec 20, 202313 min read
2,592

The quantification and definition of a new hoof balance paradigm
An investigation into the current hoof balance parameters and the quantification and definition of a new hoof balance paradigm The...
theequinedocumentalist
Nov 10, 202318 min read
3,153

Neuro-Bio-Tensegrity, the Push Puppet Effect
The interconnectivity of the horse’s musculoskeletal system, and the complexities of movement is continuously being unravelled and has...
theequinedocumentalist
Jan 12, 20237 min read
3,022

Negative Plantar Angles and Pathology Along the Dorsal Myofascial Line
An Investigation into the Postural Link Between Negative Plantar Angles and Concurrent Pathology Along the Dorsal-Myofascial Line Using...
theequinedocumentalist
Nov 30, 202219 min read
9,077

The Importance of Trim Plane
How can we change the palmar/plantar angle with the trim? We know that hoof growth during an average shoeing cycle reduces the...
theequinedocumentalist
Jun 15, 20224 min read
4,504

Hoof Capsule Integrity for Improved Morphology
Long toe, low heels are something that every farrier deals with at some point in their daily practice. But are there misconceptions on...
theequinedocumentalist
Jun 11, 20223 min read
1,800

Physiological implications of domestication on the horse
Very often, certainly in the argument of barefoot versus shod, comparisons re made between the wild and domestic horse. But in reality,...
theequinedocumentalist
Feb 15, 202215 min read
4,620

Hoof Balance - Where and When?
Farriery, until recently, has been based on tradition, anecdotal evidence and personal experience, but with the introduction of objective...
theequinedocumentalist
Jan 9, 202212 min read
6,840

The Hoof-Horse Connection
To understand the hoof – horse connection there are certain principles of hoof biomechanics we must first appreciate. How the hoof...
theequinedocumentalist
Dec 7, 202111 min read
2,677

Can we Locate the Centre of Rotation from a Lateral Photo?
Pilot study into the accuracy of an external template for the assessment of dorso - palmar hoof balance according to internal...
theequinedocumentalist
Nov 1, 202113 min read
4,527

Quantifying the Subclinical
we, both owners and professionals, are failing to recognise pain and lameness in our horses, but there is technology available now that...
theequinedocumentalist
Mar 18, 20211 min read
1,238

Evidence Based Podiatry
Farriery has, up till recently, been largely based on anecdotal evidence and experiential opinion. We are entering a new era of...
theequinedocumentalist
Jan 5, 202117 min read
5,792

Palmar Angles
There is much debate about the ideal angle for the pedal bone to sit at in relation to the ground. Some sects suggest a palmar angle of 0...
theequinedocumentalist
Nov 17, 20209 min read
23,164

Wet-Dry Cycles - Effect on the Hoof
Winter is coming and with it comes the rain and mud and boggy fields. The reality is in the wild horses would never choose to stand in...
theequinedocumentalist
Oct 25, 20206 min read
12,378

Horse Shoes - Back to the Future
For thousands of years horses roamed the grasslands, surviving, thriving and all without the need for something applied to the bottom of...
theequinedocumentalist
Sep 22, 202012 min read
6,261

The Hoof - It Is What You Make It
Nature has an inherent ability to improve, to adapt, to survive and to overcome. The miracle of the evolutionary complexities that it...
theequinedocumentalist
Jul 26, 202012 min read
6,030

Hoof Pastern Axis - Influential Factors
Hoof pastern axis (HPA) is a term for the relationship between the hoof and the pastern. There are three categories for HPA; broken back,...
theequinedocumentalist
Jun 20, 20209 min read
22,706

Bio-Tensegrity and Farriery - The Foreword
Tensegrity, a combination of the words “tension” and “integrity”, is a principle that has been used in structural engineering for...
theequinedocumentalist
Jun 11, 20204 min read
11,481

Bio-Tensegrity and Farriery
Every biological entity is made up of systems upon systems, existing in symbiosis for the collective good. Even our own evolutionary...
theequinedocumentalist
Jun 8, 20207 min read
5,627

The Unacceptable Norms of Equine Management and the Inevitable Paradigm Shifts
Social norms are a collective representation of acceptable group conduct and an individual’s perception of their particular groups...
theequinedocumentalist
May 18, 202010 min read
10,508

Barefoot vs Shod
This debate is often fiercely contested and remains controversial with two schools of thought, traditionally diametrically opposed. As...
theequinedocumentalist
Apr 30, 202010 min read
15,769

Supporting Limb Laminitis
Most horses will suffer with a severe unilateral lameness at one time in their life, when this is for prolonged periods of time, such as...
theequinedocumentalist
Apr 28, 20205 min read
2,113

Haemodynamic Mechanism - The Key to Hoof Health
The ability to withstand concussive and load forces is vitally important in musculoskeletal health and the hoof is on the front line. At...
theequinedocumentalist
Apr 9, 202010 min read
10,883

The Truth about Hoof Pastern Axis
There is conflicting rhetoric traversing the social universe about the importance and ideals of phalangeal alignment and stance angles,...
theequinedocumentalist
Apr 4, 202013 min read
20,120

The Influences on Shoeing Cycle
Shoeing cycle length is a vitally important factor in hoof health and controlling the morphological changes associated with hoof growth...
theequinedocumentalist
Mar 19, 20209 min read
3,559

Myofascial trains, Kinetic chains and Antalgic Posture - Their Farriery Relevance
The relationship between conformation and hoof morphology has been studied, Curtis (2002) outlined the effect of limb deformities on hoof...
theequinedocumentalist
Feb 11, 20209 min read
9,836

The Beginning of the N - Navicular
Navicular syndrome (NS) is all too common a pathology, one paper expressed it as appertaining to a third of all forelimb lameness’ and...
theequinedocumentalist
Jan 26, 202011 min read
7,757

The Hoof - The Beginning and End of the Kinetic Chain
Often horses and their teams of professionals struggle with perpetuating cycles. Vets, and physios in particular struggle with...
theequinedocumentalist
Jan 13, 20207 min read
17,521

Ex-Racehorse feet
Why do so many ex-racehorses have bad feet? This very interesting question was asked to me recently and the answer is complexed. There is...
theequinedocumentalist
Jan 1, 20207 min read
9,453

Horse Shoeing - How Much Length?
There is a long list of factors that influence the amount of length a farrier shoes a horse with, many are environmental; type of work,...
theequinedocumentalist
Dec 10, 20197 min read
8,720

Hoof Balance - Shoeing Around the COR in 3 Dimensions
A question that is asked very often whenever people are looking for advice on farriery related issues is “what shoe would you put on for...
theequinedocumentalist
Nov 25, 201910 min read
16,829

Farriery Related Conformation-Macro, Micro, Dynamic
A horses conformation is the way it is made up, its structure, how its body parts relate to each other and how it is proportioned....
theequinedocumentalist
Nov 10, 20197 min read
3,915

Recognising pain in the horse
Many, many horses are in unrecognised pain. As their owners and caring professionals the responsibility lies with us to get better at...
theequinedocumentalist
Oct 30, 20198 min read
12,544

Frog Pressure - Historic vs Modern Applications
Frog function is a vitally important factor in hoof health. A cliché has emerged amongst some farriery circles “use it or lose it.” when...
theequinedocumentalist
Oct 20, 20197 min read
10,041

Wedges - A Necessary Evil?
Wedges are widely debated in the farriery world, do they help to create better geometric hoof proportions in a broken back hoof pastern...
theequinedocumentalist
Sep 22, 20197 min read
14,444

What About The Hinds? - Shoeing the Powerhouse
Farriery care can often be guilty of being fore limb focused, most of the research on horses’ feet has been fore limb dominant, there are...
theequinedocumentalist
Aug 31, 201910 min read
15,017

High-Low Hoof Conformation - Farriery and Whole Horse Relevance
There is a complexed relationship between the hoof, its conformation and the forces applied to it which affects the entire...
theequinedocumentalist
Aug 12, 20199 min read
16,830


Disordered Physiology and Hoof Morphology - The Chicken and the Egg
The physiological effect of poor conformation and hoof morphology on the wider skeletal system of the horse is a highly complexed...
theequinedocumentalist
Jul 20, 201912 min read
16,600

Equine Thermography - Hot or not?
The potential uses for thermography in equestrian care have been outlined historically, as far back as Von Schweinitz (1999) its...
theequinedocumentalist
Jul 1, 201911 min read
4,737

Ligaments- Their Farriery Relevance
Ligaments are short fibrous connective tissues which connect bone to bone or cartilage, farriery can have huge potential influences on...
theequinedocumentalist
Jun 3, 201911 min read
19,377


Supplements- A Brief Review
Equine Powders and Potions- Fact or Fable? The list of supplements, herbal remedies, powders and potions is almost endless, tales of...
theequinedocumentalist
May 10, 201921 min read
1,951


The Bearing Surface- Creating optimal basal support
The digit is on the end of the limb, the limb is attached to the body and all this weight is transferred through the hoof. Creating a...
theequinedocumentalist
Apr 20, 20199 min read
1,808

Laminitis-A Pictorial Review
Our understanding of laminitis is changing and developing but one thing is clear, it can be a debilitating disease and has long been...
theequinedocumentalist
Apr 6, 20197 min read
14,599


Evidence-Based Farriery
Introduction “No Foot, No Horse!” what does that mean? Originally it came from the cavalry, you needed the hoof of your deceased horse in...
theequinedocumentalist
Mar 25, 20199 min read
1,938

Navicular-A Retrospective Study
Introduction The navicular apparatus is designed to dissipate force between the Deep Digital Flexor Tendon (DDFT) and the third phalanx...
theequinedocumentalist
Mar 16, 201917 min read
3,100

Vibration Therapy-What's The buzz about?
The potential benefits of vibration therapy have been long studied, in 1867 Gustav Zander created a series of weights and pullies to...
theequinedocumentalist
Mar 10, 20196 min read
1,175

Brief Review of common Diagnostics
Introduction Lameness diagnosis is not a straightforward process, it requires both skill and experience, firstly recognising the lame...
theequinedocumentalist
Mar 4, 20199 min read
458
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