Preparation Is Everything When Casting A Foot

Stephensville, Texas, equine veterinarian John Janicek told attendees of the American Association of Equine Professionals (AAEP) annual convention that it is imperative to have all your materials organized and ready when casting a foot or limb. Be aware of water temperature that you will soak the casting material in, as the warmer the water, the quicker the material will set. He’ll typically soak the casting material for about 10 seconds prior to application.

Understanding The Cause Of Foot Pain In Horses

The United Kingdom’s Centre for Equine Studies examined records of 702 horses that were referred to it with front foot pain. Of these horses, 62 were diagnosed with navicular bone injuries, 92 had navicular bone injuries in concert with damage to the podotrochlear apparatus, 69 had evidence of deep digital flexor tendon damage and 180 had injuries to the distal sesamoidean impair ligament and/or collateral ligament.

“We also found that there was no statistical association between diagnosis of the causes of foot pain and X-ray grading of the navicular bone,” Sue Dyson, the head of clinical orthopaedics for the agency, tells The Horse. “This means that even horses with changes to the navicular bone in an X-ray do not necessarily have navicular disease or only have navicular disease.”

Tracking Vehicle Expenses Over A 5-Year Period

To demonstrate the need for many farriers to charge a barn call fee to keep trimming/shoeing costs the same no matter where traveled to, Webster, N.Y., farrier…