2015 Equine Podiatry Conference

Guest blogger: Ed Szymanski

The 2015 Equine Podiatry Conference was hosted by the University of Tennessee Veterinary Medical Center and organized by Dudley Hurst. Rob Logsdon and I had the pleasure of participating, along with approximately 80 farriers and veterinarians. The clinicians for the event were Bob Pethick, APF CJF (sponsored by FPD) and Dr. Greg Staller.

Attendees watch the shoeing demonstration.

Broken down into two segments, the conference offered lectures in the morning and a live demonstration in the afternoon. Bob’s presentation, “Hoof Capsule Management for Limb Deviations” covered sheared heels, quarter cracks, mismatched feet and a look at the hind end. Dr. Staller’s presentation was, “Important Lameness Problems that Require Veterinarian/Farrier Collaboration.” Both presentations were well received by all in attendance. During the afternoon live shoeing, Bob and Dr. Staller collaborated on solutions for a horse with a club foot and almost no sole depth. Bob put modified Kerckhaert SX-8 shoes on the hinds and Kerckhaert Classic Rollers on the fronts.

We continue to receive a lot of interest and enthusiasm for the new Ranger series by Kerckhaert, particularly the newest shoe in the series, the Ranger Lite Rim. As always, farriers shared positive feedback about the Kerckhaert brand, in general, and the Liberty nails, which are rapidly growing in popularity among professional farriers.

At the end of the day, I would say this conference was extremely beneficial for furthering farrier/veterinarian relationships and providing a first-class educational venue and Rob and I were happy to participate.

I’d like to share a note that we received from Jeremy Rigsby, a Tennessee farrier who attended this conference:

“I just want to tell you all how deeply appreciative I am for your support of the 2nd Annual Podiatry Conference at The University of Tennessee. Giving back to the farrier community like that shows not only your passion for our profession, but also why you are an industry leader. Thank you so much!”