Evidence-based farriery

‘Putting science into farriery’ is not new. Förringer’s apparatus [1], used to show and quantify hoof capsule movement, was a standard teaching tool in all veterinary and farriery colleges. Muybridge [2], using a multiple camera technique, originally to settle a bet on the flight of horse’s legs and feet, went on to extend its use in many other biomechanical studies on animal and human locomotion. However, the know-how of farriery has mostly been based on practical experience and hearsay, and has traditionally been passed on from master to apprentice through verbal communication.

Prior to World War I, a vast amount of practical and technical horseshoeing knowledge was passed on in this way, but due to mechanisation, the demise of the working horse and the consequent decrease in farrier numbers, only a small proportion of this knowledge survived to the 1960s. At that time there were only 3 small books [3–5] and one ‘magazine’, which had to cater for agricultural engineers and fabricators too. Today there is a vast array of books, magazines, DVDs and web-based resources specifically dedicated to farriery. However, as yet, there is no peer-reviewed journal dedicated to this field. With peer-reviewing being the cornerstone of scientific publishing, the actual number of publications that would be counted as ‘scientific’ is rather small compared to other fields. While there is a substantial amount of scientific evidence in ‘surrounding’ topics involving the (functional) anatomy of the foot, aetiopathogenesis of foot disorders (especially laminitis research, which has been very prolific) and diagnosis (particularly since the introduction of standing magnetic resonance imaging), there is still a paucity of scientific evidence behind the practical application of farriery. In today’s professional environment, the need to keep up to date and abreast of current thinking is vital (and in many areas a legal necessity), hence the importance of research and its dissemination through CPD seminars and conferences. With the development of academic higher degree studies in farriery alongside the traditional higher Worshipful Company of Farriers examination requirements, more farriers are undertaking research projects which will hopefully benefit the profession and add science to the art of horseshoeing.