The Illustrated Horse’s Foot (A Comprehensive Guide) is the latest book by veterinary surgeon and researcher Christopher C. Pollitt. Released in December 2015 by Elsevier as a follow-up to Pollit’s renowned book, Color Atlas of the Horse’s Foot, which is no longer in print. This 272-page book is a must-have for all equine practitioners specifically all farriers and equine veterinarians.

The book is broken into two large sections: “Foot Structure and Function” and “Conditions of the Foot.” Each of these sections contains several subsections. If you enjoyed Color Atlas of the Horse’s Foot, you’ll love this book, as it is similar to that volume. It is loaded with 284 high-quality images with just the right amount of wording to adequately describe and share Pollitt’s expertise.

“The Hoof Capsule,” the second chapter within the first section, includes a series of weekly pictures taken of a foal from birth to 11 months. This series of pictures alone can result in hours of studying by the reader as the hoof grows in shape and size. This is the first set of pictures I can think of that shows the point (5 months of age) when the fetal hoof (smaller bearing circumference than the coronary band) grows out and adopts a more adult appearance (larger bearing circumference than the coronary band). The end result of this series of pictures confirms the long standing hypothesis that the foal hoof grows faster than the adult hoof.

The chapter “The MIMICS Anatomic Models” includes the models created…