“Neither of us can be successful in helping the horse without the other.” This is a simple statement, but rang loudly when I interviewed farrier Bob Pethick for this report. The Hall of Fame farrier, who has nearly 50 years of experience, works with dozens of vets each year on lameness cases. He recognizes that farriers and veterinarians putting egos aside, providing mutual respect and working together helps deliver the best outcome for the horses in their care.

Pour-in pads may help with joint pain Deep ground surfaces, like plowed dirt, can put stress on a horse’s upper body, shoulders and hips, and can be especially painful if the horse is already experiencing joint pain from lack of exercise.

Examination of a series of lameness cases in Texas revealed insights into why owners of 200 cutting horses sought treatment at the Texas A&M Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Two hundred cutting horses were presented for evaluation with poor performance being the more common complaint (58%) compared with lameness (42%). All of the horses were lame in at least one limb and 81/200 were lame in multiple limbs.