For farriers and equine veterinarians seeking both practical and scientific shoeing ideas, the 15th Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium provided a good mixture of valuable techniques.

A dozen farriers, equine veterinarians and footcare researchers presented a variety of ideas during the mid-January event in Louisville, Ky.

Read The Foot Inside Out

Instead of simply looking at the hoof capsule, Danny Dunson believes you need to learn to read the foot from the inside out. That’s because the hoof capsule can often offer a distorted view as to how the bony column really is, maintains the Sparta, Tenn., farrier.  

“You must understand what is going on with the bony column,” he says. “You need to know how to realign the column to bring everything together and to release the shoulders.”

In learning how to effectively read the foot from the inside out, Dunson says you need to start by finding an equine vet that you respect and can work with effectively.

“You need to be able to talk and evaluate the proper shoeing method according to the alignment of the foot,” he says. “Having a vet take X-rays and reading them before you touch the foot is important. Get with a guy who will work with you on solving lameness problems.”

After years of looking at X-rays, Dunson realized he didn’t have a clue as to what was going on in the foot. “I could look at the hoof capsule or explain the anatomy, but I didn’t know the importance of how everything…