The December 2016 issue of American Farrier’s Journal featured the article, “A Prelude To Understanding Duckett’s Dot.” Based on a presentation delivered at the 2016 Northeast Association of Equine Practitioners Annual Symposium in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Duckett touched on the history and principles of his work on the Dot.

The Ambler, Pa., farrier, who holds a fellowship in the Worshipful Company of Farriers and is a member of the International Horseshoeing Hall Of Fame, followed that presentation up with a review of the practical application of his theory. More directly, however, Duckett challenged attendees to think and look more closely at their work.

Showing His Lab Exercise

Duckett reminded attendees that as he worked on the theory, the helpful tools used for research today didn’t exist, such as the internet, or were impossible for him to access, such as X-ray machines.

With this in mind, Duckett reviewed a lab exercise that he has used for years and finds valuable for students to illustrate the consistent relationship that the Dot has with the coffin bone. It gives them a better perspective on the balance of the foot in relation to everyday work.

Taking cadaver feet of average sized horses, he drills vertically at 3/8 of an inch behind the apex of the trimmed frog. By keeping the drill bit perpendicular to the ventral surface, it will…