Basic farriery for the performance horse.

Summary

# Editorial Summary: Basic Farriery for the Performance Horse O'Grady's comprehensive review establishes that farriery fundamentally underpins both hoof health and biomechanical performance in working horses, with direct implications for lameness prevention. Through examination of traditional shoeing principles and hoof conformation assessment, the work emphasises how subtle morphological changes—detectable through routine examination—serve as early indicators of potential pathology affecting both the capsule and internal structures. For equine veterinarians and farriers collaborating on performance horses, this article provides a foundation for recognising when intervention is needed to maintain soundness, rather than merely responding to established lameness. The practical value lies in establishing a shared vocabulary and mutual understanding between farrier and veterinarian, enabling proactive hoof management tailored to the individual horse's biomechanics and workload demands. By integrating basic farriery knowledge into clinical practice and farrier-veterinary partnerships, professionals can substantially reduce the incidence of preventable foot-related lameness in performance populations.

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Key Findings

• •Proper farriery promotes healthy functional feet and biomechanical efficiency in performance horses
• •Equine veterinarians require working knowledge of farriery to ensure horse soundness
• •Recognition of subtle hoof conformation changes can preserve hoof capsule integrity and prevent lameness
• •Veterinarian-farrier collaboration based on shared knowledge enhances quality hoof care

Conditions Studied