A thorough working knowledge of podiatry permits the veterinarian to readily interact with the farrier and commands respect. Podiatry must be tailored to individual breed/ discipline issues that vary from practice to practice i.e. specific knowledge of the farriery needs of dressage/ combined training horses, vs. specific knowledge of the needs of “long footed” horses. One of the biggest problems is the routine “condemnation” of one discipline or another by a veterinarian who does not understand the demands of competition with regards to animation and shoeing. Blanket condemnation of gaited horse shoeing as “cruel” shows an inherent ignorance of the intense technical demands of such shoeing and the simple fact that this type of shoeing leads to probably the lowest incidence of “caudal heel” pain of any breed! There are certainly other problems inherent, but by alienating client and farrier, you’ll lose the chance to work with them! Client perception of your own podiatry expertise and bias is an extremely important driver of your caseload! For example, there is much discussion about the return to a ”natural hoof” (Figure 5). Is this always appropriate? The Grand Canyon packhorse has different needs, housing, nutrition and environment than the average show or event horse when compared to the dressage horse that is stabled most of the day.
The unshod foot of a Grand Canyon pack horse is pictured above.