One would ask why podiatry is important in equine practice. We could begin answering this question by saying, that some aspect of podiatry will form either all or part of the treatment regimen for the majority of lameness cases. This being the case, the evaluation of the trimming and shoeing should form part of every lameness examination performed by a veterinarian. An understanding of podiatry will also allow the practitioner to implement a preventive foot health program. Podiatry includes anatomy, physiology, biomechanics along with the farriery applied to the hoof (Figure 1& 2). The practice of farriery has a direct affect on a variety of parameters associated with the hoof and the limb above. Normal foot function, breakover, the manner in which the foot lands, the duration of the stance phase of the stride and injuries related to landing and weight bearing are all affected by trimming and shoeing. A thorough knowledge of farriery provides an understanding of how to change and improve abnormal foot conformation such as the long-toed, under-run heel or the club foot, and how to improve distal limb function as well as an understanding of therapeutic shoeing to treat diseases of the foot. It further allows the practitioner to assess how the horse is currently shod. Finally, it provides a basis to communicate with farriers and, most importantly, it allows the veterinarian to have reasonable expectations of what a farrier can or cannot do.
A nail driven an inch in front of the frog of a long-toed-low heeled horse is going to exit without damaging any vital structures! This is an example of applying anatomy to the mechanics of shoeing. There is plenty of toe to remove before reaching the sensitive laminae. (See Figure 7 to see this foot after a “natural trim”).
