Steve Kraus says a horse’s conformation problems can have a serious impact on footcare problems. The veteran farrier from Trumansburg, N.Y., told attendees at the recent American Farrier’s Association convention that breeding for color, show ring quality, performance ability and factors other than feet and legs have led to many of today’s conformation concerns.

When American Farriers Journal readers provided data for the 2008 Farrier Business Practices Survey (see Pages 19 to 28), they were asked to estimate the percentage of horses living in their area that get different levels of hoof care. Here’s how the national averages worked out: