Swiss researchers surveyed 133 Icelandic competition horses at four international horse shows to assess the relationships between hoof size, shape and balance, and the occurrence of hoof pathology and athletic performance. Measurements and radiographs of the left front and hind hooves were taken at the competitions with additional measurements made from the radiographs at a later date.

A farrier at the Royal Veterinary College in England examined the effects of tungsten road nails on movement asymmetry using wireless inertial measurement devices that measure vertical movement.

Researchers from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Berry College in Georgia investigated the effect of trimming and resetting shoes on the time spent lying down and the number of steps taken per day using 10 light horse geldings, aged 3 to 21.

Led by a scientist at Michigan State University, a team of researchers evaluated the effects of a dietary supplement containing resveratrol and the amino acid leucine on insulin dysregulation in horses with equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). Fifteen horses with naturally occurring EMS were treated for 6 weeks with weight, body condition and several metabolic factors, including insulin levels, measured following an oral sugar test both before and after treatment with the supplement.

At each year’s International Hoof-Care Summit, attendees are asked to fill out surveys to help American Farriers Journal staff learn more about farrier wants and needs.

South African Farrier Takes Shoeing Efficiency to a New Level Farriers seemingly are always on the lookout for strategies to improve their efficiency while trimming and shoeing horses. South African farrier Derek Poupard has found a way to change shoes in a matter of seconds, according to Thoroughbred Racing.