Laminitis continues to be an all too common, devastating mystery — extremely painful for affected horses, frustrating for those treating them and sometimes ruinous to equine businesses. We don’t yet know how to prevent it 100%, and we can’t always treat it effectively enough to bring affected horses back to work.

There are a number of horses I have cared for that have the same apparent foot condition. These are horses with chronic laminitis that have a dropped sole where the hoof wall — as it grows out — does not grow straight down, but flares out at the ground level or higher up the hoof wall.

The biggest problem confronting a farrier who’s asked to shoe a mule for the first time may very well be fear of the unknown.