Explore the history and biomechanics of egg-bar horseshoes in this advanced review of recent research, including studies from 2023 and 2025. Learn how egg-bars influence caudal support, tendon strain, navicular loading, and coffin-bone movement, with practical insights into fitting, footing, clinical uses, and limitations.

Hoof balance describes how the shape and alignment of the hoof work with the internal structures of the foot and lower limb during standing and movement. This evidence-based guide explains static and dynamic balance, center of pressure, mediolateral and toe-to-heel loading, breakover, trimming, footing, and why a balanced hoof cannot be defined by perfect symmetry or one universal formula.

Equine canker is a chronic, progressive disease affecting the hoof, most commonly the frog. It involves abnormal growth and breakdown of the hoof’s outer tissue layers. Learn what causes it, how to recognize it, and how to treat it.

Hoof dressings are widely used and heavily marketed, but are the claimed benefits backed up by science? Learn what research has to say about hoof dressings.

Learn everything there is to know about splint bones, from their anatomy to possible injuries and their symptoms.

Learn the causes, consequences, and management strategies for interfering: a common equine gait fault.

Understand what causes gait faults in horses, how to recognize them, and how training, riding, and hoof care management can influence them.

Understand "forging", a common gait fault in horses. Learn its causes, consequences, and corrective approaches.

Learn the cause, treatment and prevention of quarter cracks

Hydration is one of the most overlooked aspects of daily horse care, yet it plays a crucial role in nearly every system in a horse’s body. Whether it’s scorching summer heat, a long trailer ride, or an intense training session, horses lose water through sweat, respiration, and even manure more quickly than most people realize. Dehydration can sneak up quietly, showing only subtle signs—until it becomes an emergency. That’s why every horse owner should know how to perform quic

Are you considering a career as a farrier? take this self-assessment quiz to see if this career path is right for you.

Learn about club feet: what causes them and how they are classified.

Find out what it is like to be a professional farrier

Abscesses are a common cause of lameness; learn their causes and symptoms

When it comes to therapeutic shoeing, few tools are as widely used—or misunderstood—as the egg bar shoe. These shoes aren’t just for horses with navicular pain or quarter cracks. When used correctly, they provide targeted support for the back of the hoof, stabilize the hoof capsule, and can even help horses work more comfortably in soft footing. In this post, we’ll break down what egg bars are, how they work, when they’re used (and when they shouldn’t be), and what to conside

Anatomy of a Heart Bar A “Bar Shoe” is any shoe that connects at the heels, leaving no opening in the back of the hoof. A “heart bar” is a type of bar shoe. What makes a Heart Bar a Heart Bar, is the “V” shaped plate at the heels that covers the entire surface of the frog. Heart bars can be made in an array of materials: from steel, to aluminum, to polymer materials (plastic). As long as the shoe has that “V” plate, we are dealing with a heart bar. We recommend reading our ar

What is a tendon A tendon is a tough, flexible band of fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It transmits the force generated by muscle contraction to move the bone or joint. Tendons are designed to withstand tension and are essential for facilitating movement and providing stability to the musculoskeletal system. Anatomy and Function of the Deep Digital Flexor Tendon The deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) in horses is a critical structure that aids in moveme

What Are Bar Shoes Bar shoes differ from traditional open-heeled horseshoes in that they incorporate a closed structure at the back,...

Laminitis and founder are terms that are often used interchangeably, but they refer to different stages of a progressive disease that...

NOTE! This article is on Laminitis. Laminitis is often confused with Founder. Laminitis and Founder are two different conditions, not...