Farriers may find themselves dealing with at least three distinct types of coronary band injuries. They include irritation and damage to the coronary band and sandcracks.

Among many of the challenges a farrier must deal with are sheared heels. Scott Morrison, the veterinarian and farrier who leads the Podiatry Department at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington, Ky., says this problem is usually the result of less than ideal conformation. Usually the horse toes in or out, putting more stress on one side of the hoof wall (and heel) than the other. When a horse develops sheared heels, the stressed heel becomes jammed upward, the hoof symmetry is distorted and one heel is bearing most of the weight.

Last issue, we shared some of the responses we received to an e-mail we sent out asking our readers to let us know what landmarks they use to guide their trimming. Responses continue coming in and we thought we’d share some more of them with you.

Additional research is needed to fully understand navicular disease and injuries to the structures involved with these situations, maintains Tracy Turner.

I have an older mare with a foundered front hoof. The mare stays shod year-round for comfort. I’ve been shoeing her for 3 years and it seems that within the last year, the hoof capsule is changing shape

“The bearing surface of the shoe, especially at the ends of the branches, must be horizontal,” wrote Anton Lungwitz in the 19th century.