For centuries, farriery has been a craft relying merely on tradition, personal experience and empirical evidence. However, over the last decades, an increasing number of studies have provided insight in the biomechanics of the hoof, and evidencebased data on the effect of specific trimming and shoeing techniques is gradually becoming available.

In this presentation, University of Ghent researcher Maarten Oosterlinck will show how objective and quantitative tools to employ routinely in the assessment of equine locomotion and farriery techniques are gradually becoming available to the equine clinician and farrier. This presentation reviews the current biomechanical concepts that are important for evidence-based application of trimming and shoeing techniques in the treatment of lameness.

The main issues that will be discussed are hoof balance, shock absorption, grip vs. sliding, the pressure distribution within the hoof, and hoof breakover. Also, possible effects on the hoof mechanism have to be considered. Ideally, these issues should be considered in the prevention of injury rather than in the treatment of established pathology.