New research!

I had a very interesting day on Saturday with Mark Caldwell, who is a very well known farrier and senior tutor at Myerscough College. Mark has consistently pushed for more research into hoofcare and shoeing, has worked with many leading vets and farriers and is the driving force behind a number of ongoing research projects into hoof form and function.

Obviously, whether you are primarily interested in shoeing a horse or working it barefoot, research into hoof loading and landing, medio-lateral balance and hoof growth rates are all essential. There are lots of common areas where new research would be an enormous benefit, and the barefoot horses here are a potentially very useful group of "lab rats" :-)

Watch this space!