Farrier Service

In addition, computer analysis of the hoof can assist in the accumulation of data which leads to a better understanding of deformation of the equine hoof as seen in under-run heels and hoof capsule distortion.

Since the hoof is such a critical element of a horse’s viability, New Bolton Center Farrier Service partners with Equine Sports Medicine as well as Surgery and Orthopedics to diagnose and treat the equine, as well as to research and develop new techniques in hoof care.

The Horse’s Hoof

Farriery, the art of shoeing horses, can only be properly learned by a long practical experience in the shoeing-forge. But since the horse’s foot is a living object, training obtained in the forge is only one aspect of this practice.

What Farriers Do

The hoof is constantly growing and changing its form.

The duty of a farrier therefore is not merely to fix a shoe upon the hoof, but to reduce the hoof to proper proportions before doing so. And, since the hoof is only the outer covering of a complex and sensitive foot, damage to the exterior surface may injure the structures within.

At New Bolton Center’s Farrier Service, our farriers have evolved ground-breaking techniques using glue-on shoes and synthetic polymers for hoof reconstruction.

Today, Chief of Farrier Services Pat Reilly continues to explore new materials and techniques for the advancement of hoof care, with studies underway to include the development of a protocol for in-shoe force measurement as a means of quantifying the effect of different shoes on the hoof. 

In addition, computer analysis of the hoof is used to assist in the accumulation of data, leading to a better understanding of deformation of the equine hoof as seen in under-run heels and hoof capsule distortion.