Human medicine and athletic stores rely on visual maps to recommend orthotics or sneaker styles based on a person’s gait. Pressure plates measure how an individual distributes their weight as they walk or run and converts that data into a graphic interpretation. That information is used to pair the right support or shoe style for specific gait pattern or abnormality to reduce the risk for injury.

From platelet-rich plasma to tendon splitting and beyond, there is a plethora of effective therapies available for veterinarians to treat soft tissue injuries in horses. These therapies work to speed healing in the soft tissues by addressing inflammation, increasing blood flow and more — but there is another aspect of care that assists with healing.

Why does a footcare solution succeed with one horse, but fail with another? The answer could be simple, but usually it is complex, considering the endless list of variables affecting the outcome. The horse, its job, environment and client all have a huge influence on the success of a farrier’s work.

Pads and pour-ins offer farriers a variety of options when servicing hoof-care clients. Nick Denson, a farrier in Sagamore, Mass., works on many therapeutic cases and relies on these products regularly. During the 2020 International Hoof-Care Summit, Denson presented “Shoeing Tips with Castle Pads and Pour-in Urethanes” during a How-to Hoof-Care Product Knowledge Clinic, sponsored by Castle Plastics.

Veteran farrier and founder of the Crawford, Neb., Butler Professional Farrier School, Dr. Doug Butler is credited with saying, “Hoof quality may relate more to the hoof’s ability to regulate moisture content than anything else.” Although Lafayette, Ind., farrier Danvers Child jokes that he and Butler, both members of the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame, sometimes have disagreements, they see eye-to-eye on this point; the key topic of client discussion should center around regulating the moisture content in hooves.