Equine practitioners are regularly exposed to various and sometimes contradicting opinions on farriery and especially on therapeutic shoeing. The fact that new graduates go into practice with minimal training in farriery and shoeing only exacerbates the problem and leaves practitioners grappling with this contentious subject. This 2-day practical course approaches the subject in a scientific and as objective way as possible by reporting established facts and recent, cutting-edge findings from scientifically sound clinical studies. The anatomy, physiology and the biomechanics of the foot will be covered, followed by lectures on trimming, shoeing, different shoe types and what effect they have on the foot, how to examine the foot and how to deal with specific foot problems.

In the afternoons, 7 hours of practical sessions will give attendees plenty of opportunity to put theory into practice on live horses and limb specimens in small groups (2 vets per specimen). Each attendee will be rotating through the following practical stations:

• Foot Examination on live horses
• Foot Preparation Techniques
• Shoeing Techniques
• Quarter Crack Repair
• Applying Wooden Shoes
• Application of a Foot Cast