It’s no secret that laminitis is a complex condition, and its treatment is even more complicated as farriers and veterinarians try to keep a horse comfortable when it stands on the very source of pain. It’s a condition that has forced podiatrists to get creative with the construction of therapeutic horse shoes.

The transition that happens when bringing a horse from the track to the farm often requires more intense farrier care than the average farm resident can provide. Clearly, a farrier working at a farm shoeing yearlings or broodmares will not have the same objectives that he or she does when at the track. At the farm your farrier will generally use larger nails, heavier shoes, and a tighter heel fitting. While this is not necessarily ideal, it is highly practical.

Two horses that had been neglected for at least 15 years were discovered on a Maryland farm this week. They were found in a stall piled high with 3 to 4 feet of manure, and their hooves had grown to over three feet long.

At the rear side of the pastern on each equine limb are two small sesamoid bones that provide anchor points for the two branches of the suspensory ligament. As elements of the pastern joint, the sesamoids are under stress each time the horse takes a step.

Disease of the navicular bone, also called the distal sesamoid bone, and its associated soft tissues often are at the root of chronic forelimb lameness. Though young horses might be affected, navicular disease typically crops up in mature riding horses.