Original Horse Farriery & Training

01/10/2026

A very important photo comparing 2 digital cushions. One bad one good.

Both were Standardbreds, both feet were forefeet. Similar ages, both paddock pets.

What makes a good cushion? Its size and its composition, its elasticity and its resilience to loading. It protects the inner foot from damaging concussion forces at every foot fall and we can see nicely it is an important support for the bony column. Its important for blood movement inside the foot

Note how the bones are slumped in the top photo and how much straighter they are in the bottom photo?

If I moved the bones to a better, straighter position, I’d have to move the DDFT and skin and I don’t think I’d get the stretch!

I often this the slumped P2 in radiographs and it’s very commonly associated with a poor, crushed, low volume digital cushion that has lost its vital fibrocartilage

This leads to broken back bony column.

I am loading a video onto my Patreon page showing the digital cushion and its weakness.

Details in comments.

12/26/2025

Here is an example of the ELPO Distortion Grading Scale applied to frog distortions. The frog is a good window to how the overall health of the foot. Here is a good evaluation tool for determining the health of your horses frogs.

#0 – Optimal Frog
Wide, well-developed frog with healthy buttresses and good ground contact. Normal shock absorption capacity and stability.

#1 – Mild Distortion
Mostly functional frog with slight narrowing, or stretching. Mild dirt traps. Changes resolve with routine trimming and hygiene.

#2 – Moderate Distortion
Clear narrowing and loss of mass with deeper sulci and reduced ground contact. Frog and digital cushion function begin to decline; performance may be subtly affected.

#3 – Compromised Frog
Significant atrophy or chronic sulcus infection. Minimal ground contact, reduced caudal support, altered landing patterns, and increased stress to the caudal foot and DIP joint.

#4 – Severe Distortion
Severe contraction, recession, or even necrosis of the frog with poor caudal support. Lameness can be common and long-term pathology is could be likely. Corrective trimming, shoeing, and frog support are usually required.

#5 – End-Stage Pathology
Severely degraded or nonfunctional frog with digital cushion and deeper structure involvement. Horses are often lame; advanced therapeutic intervention may be needed.

12/22/2025

I still come across posts criticizing certain shoeing styles and calling them “bad” or “harmful,” but often the issue isn’t the shoe itself — it’s how the shoe is applied correctly for the individual horse.

This photo shows the mechanics behind a properly fit Centrefit shoe. It isn’t about ripping the toe back or ‘natural balance’ or anything dogmatic. It’s about ratios around the coffin joint and shoeing to reduce torque on the soft tissues and to reduce tension on the deep flexor tendon during movement.

Like any shoeing option—success comes down to correct placement and fit. No single method works for every horse. Good shoeing means applying general principles to the horse in front of you rather than making every foot look the same.

12/18/2025

Answer Thursday! This guy developed osteomyelitis (bone infection) from a long standing abscess. The infection is outlined in green. The white outline is called the crena and is a normal feature. So when is an abscess more than an abscess? Let's discuss!
They should follow this timeline, if they don't: Call us!
Day 0–2:
Sudden, often severe lameness. Classic abscess signs.
Reasonable to try basic first steps: stall rest, a poultice or soaking, protective bandage, and monitoring.
By Day 3–5:
You should see clear improvement or active drainage.
If your horse is still markedly lame, uncomfortable, or worsening, this is the point to call us.
Call us immediately if:
Lameness is extreme or non–weight bearing
Heat and swelling extend above the hoof
Your horse becomes systemically unwell
You’re unsure whether it’s actually an abscess

Why waiting too long matters:
Most hoof abscesses resolve uneventfully.
Some do not. And when they don’t, the problem is rarely just “a stubborn abscess.”
Common problems from untreated or prolonged abscesses:
1. Tract formation
Abscesses follow the path of least resistance. That can mean tracking:
Up the hoof wall
To the coronary band
Deeper into sensitive structures
These tracts can be difficult to fully resolve without intervention.

2. Chronic infection
What starts as a localized pocket of infection can become persistent, painful, and recurrent.

3. Coffin bone involvement (osteomyelitis)
This is the big one.
Infection can spread to the coffin bone, leading to:
Prolonged lameness
Advanced imaging needs
Long treatment courses
A guarded prognosis in some cases

4. Secondary laminar damage
Ongoing inflammation and pressure can compromise hoof structures beyond the original abscess site.
The takeaway we want you to remember
✅ Abscesses are common
✅ Most are straightforward
🚩 But lack of improvement is information
Calling us sooner rather than later doesn’t mean you’re overreacting. It means you’re preventing small problems from becoming big, expensive, long-term ones.

12/16/2025

A coffin bone that’s lost a lot of bone mass on its underside.

How do I know?
Because that hole you see - the terminal arch- is very low. It’s usually more central in the bone. It’s low because bone underneath it has disappeared.

We can see the end of the bone is curled up like an elf shoe. That is bone loss causing it to look like that.

Note the bone is quite compact on the bottom. I think there is more compact bone laid down due to the extra pressure of bone on the sole as the bones suspension has been compromised - the SADP in laminitis.

We have lost about 1/4 of the bone here.

12/04/2025

Is finished! A 3 dimensional puzzle of the equine distal limb. Anatomically correct and a marvellous educational tool.
Putting this together reinforces learning.

It includes the research findings of Prof Denoix showing on the ungular cartilage, ligaments and their attachments to bone and digital cushion

Created by Prof C Pollitt after years of Research.

I popped the website for this in the comments.

And I’m not on the payroll. I was gifted a model for me to enjoy and use to teach.

12/03/2025