The AVA Annual Conference is the nation’s premier veterinary event, covering all fields of veterinary science and in 2017 brought together over 920 veterinary professionals and 115 exhibitors.
From a farriers point of view a laminitic horse has a more ‘mobile’ pedal bone inside its hoof capsule. Certain factors (distal descent of the pedal bone through the weight of the horse, the pull of the deep flexor tendon etc.) causes P3 to ‘sink’ (be displaced distally) or to look at it in another way the hoof capsule is displaced proximally in relation to the bony column. P3 can also ‘rotate’ or the hoof capsule can be levered dorsally. This creates abnormal stresses/loads on the structures inside the hoof capsule and on the hoof capsule itself. Basically the farrier’s job is to keep P3 inside the hoof capsule, to minimise the pain the horse has to endure, to limit the amount of distortion and abnormal stresses/loads being placed upon he external and internal structures of the foot until it grows new ‘tight’ dermal/epidermal laminae attachments. There is no ‘one size fits all’ treatment method when a horse is afflicted with laminitis. I hope to show how to use various methods to support P3 and to reduce the abnormal mechanical stresses/loads placed on the hoof capsule external and internal structures on case by cases basis using different trimming/shoeing methods.
