Farriery Flashcards
How long does it take to train to become a farrier?
Are there different levels of specialism?
Who are the governing body for farriers?
How long does it take to train?
* Four-year Apprenticeship with an Approved Training Farrier (ATF). With blocks of time at one of the three colleges offering farriery courses.
* End Point Assessment: award of Diploma of the Worshipful Company of Farriers (DWCF)
* The apprentice can then Register with the Farriers Registration Council – equivalent to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS)
Are there different levels of specialism?
Yes: there are three qualification Diploma, associate and fellowship
Who are the governing body for farriers?
Farriers’ Registration Council
Can farriers diagnose and manage lameness?
They are NOT trained to diagnose or treat lameness, they need to work with a vet
Do horses need shoes?
what are the benifits of shoeing?
It is not ‘normal’ for horses to have shoes – although most horses in work will require shoeing.
- Prevents excessive wear
- Flat soled horses may be lame on rough ground
- Protects the white line and reduces the incidence of foot abscesses
- Prevents the development of cracks
PROTECTION. CORRECTION. RETENTION OF GRIP
What is the aim of shoeing horses?
Optimal foot balance:
Three Dimensions of foot balance
* Medial Lateral (long axis)
* Hoof Pastern Axis
* Foot Shape (Solar View)
We are looking for symmetry – BUT – the medial side of the limb is more heavily loaded than the lateral side - so should the foot be exactly symmetrical?
what foot axis is shown here?
Medial Lateral (Long Axis) – solar surface at 90 degrees to the long axis of the limb
what foot axis is shown here?
Hoof Pastern Axis – the alignment of the dorsal hoof wall with the dorsal surface of the pastern
what is the function and biomechanics of the equine foot?
The equine foot is a ‘shock absorber’.
When contacting the ground, the heels expand, and the frog descends.
The digital cushion is compressed – pushing blood back up the venous system.
What do the following terms mean in regards to horse shoes?
Web, Toe, A fuller, Concave
Web = the full width of the steel used
Toe – the most cranial part of the shoe
A fuller – the groove around the shoe – aids grip and traction and accommodates the nail heads
‘Concave’ – the gradient around the inside of the web – makes it easier for the shoe to come out of the ground.
What are the features of a well fitted shoe?
- Follow the outline of the hoof
- Have no nails caudal to widest part of the hoof
- Have no contact with the sole
- Fully support the heels
Objective is to achieve a balanced foot with a normal axis – remember best achieved by good trimming (not remedial shoeing)
What are equine corrective shoes designed to do when there are problems with the foot?
- Redress balance (where foot balance can’t)
- Alleviate conformational abnormalities
- Improve gait abnormalities
- Support hoof capsule imbalance
Can the problem be solved by trimming the foot?
What are the four cetegories of equine remedial shoes?
- Closed or bar shoes – of which the ‘heart bar’ is the best known.
- These shoes are designed to give increased support to the caudal foot.
- Shoes with ‘extensions’
- ‘Graduated’ shoes – normally elevating the heels.
- Hospital plates / pads
What corrective shoe is this and what is the function?
Considerable support can be given to the heels – but remember that if the shoe extends too far caudally the hind limb may well ‘interfere’ and pull the shoe off.
What kind of shoe is this and what is the function? what conditions are they used for?
Heart-bar shoe
360 degree support
Load or offload different areas
“floating”
Frog support
Conditions
* Hoof cracks
* Frog support
* Poor heel conformation
* Laminitis
* Palmar heel pain
If you had a horse with a limb that needed to be moved more laterally, where would you apply an extension?
The foot will ‘move’ towards the extension. - place extension on lateral side
(Extensions work best on surfaces with some ‘give’ in them like grass.)
What do graduated shoes do? what conditions are they used for?
- Heel elevation
- Alters angle of
- Dorsal wall
- HPA
- DIP joint
Conditions
- Poor conformation
- Broken back HPA
- DDFT strain/injury
Graduated shoes work best on a hard surface.
Consider the effects of wedges on feet with poor conformation….
when are hospital plates used?
Hospital plate shoes can be used to protect the sole following surgery or an injury.
They are designed to permit daily access to apply medication or dressings.
Need careful management as they can simply hold dirt and contamination onto the damaged area.
What is thrush of the equien foot?
What is the treatment?
White, powdery malodorous disease of keratinised tissues of the foot
Treatments
* Remove cause
* Debride area
* Trim
* Keep clean/dry
* Peroxide?
* “Thrush buster”
* Anti-bacterial sprays
Not really a farriery issue, but often managed with regular farriery
What can you see on this radiograph?
- Gas shadowing (shows the ‘acuteness’)
- Convex solar surface
- Depression of coronary band (worse prognosis than just rotation)
Acute laminitis
What is the is the farriery treatment for chronic laminitis?
Trimming, - remove the toe take of a little bit of the heel needs to be doen over 4 visits (slowly) (please note that trimming in the radical fashion illustrated here is contraindicated in the acute phase as it increases tension on the DDFT, consider this a long-term goal)
- Heart bar shoe in the recovery / chronic phase
- Radiographic guidance
