Back in the late 1980s, Pat Reilly thought there were veterinary clinics in his future. He was right — but a fork in his career path took him there by a different route than the one he’d originally planned.

I've recently been called to trim a horse and noticed that the hoof on the off-side front has separated from the coronet front by about 3 inches. After pointing out this problem to the owners, they told me that the horse was totally lame about a week prior and it's now sound and putting full weight on the foot. There's no sign of infection, and during trimming the horse shows no signs of discomfort. There's a lot of movement in the separation opening and you can see a sensitive area that appears to be healthy.

We heard from readers lining up on all sides of the toe dubbing controversy after we printed the article by Oklahoma farrier and equine veterinarian Jack Roth in the January/February issue of American Farriers Journal. As is the case with many hoof-care techniques, there wasn't any agreement on what is the best approach.

What’s the best way to deal with clients who want to keep their horses barefoot all year?

Even in Georgia, late February doesn't qualify as early spring. Nevertheless, it's a spring-like day, with temperatures already hovering around 50 in the bright early morning sunshine as farrier Derrick Perry drives the pickup towing his shoeing trailer south on I-75 from his home near the Georgia-Tennessee border toward Atlanta. It's not a short drive, but it's one he makes fairly frequently.