This clinic will be presented in French and is reserved for professionals only

Presented by Maia Chaput and Dre. Audrey Langlois

Comparing Anatomy and Morphology of the Equine Hoof

Day 1 – Dissection and exploration of the internal and external structures of the foot.

We will start with a short review of anatomy, however participants should already have an understanding of the internal and external structures of the foot prior to  attending. I highly recommend Paige Poss’s online “Anatomy of the Equine” course, for  beginners and professionals alike.

The dissection will be lead by the instructor, but students will be hands on in helping with the  the different stages of the dissection. We will pick 2-4 hooves that have different morphologies.  The number of hooves we dissect may vary depending on what we find, and how long we  spend with each one. We will compare the differences between healthy and unhealthy  structures in each foot.

Participants will learn how to visualize where the internal structures are positioned by reading external landmarks. Participants will go home with techniques to:

– Assess the health of the soft tissue structures in the back of the foot (Digital cushion, lateral  cartilages, frog corium).

– Assess and accurately estimate sole depth and medio-lateral balance – Assess palmar/plantar angles

– Pinpoint the center of rotation of the coffin joint

– Assess P3 position in relation to toe length

– Read wear and loading patterns in untrimmed feet (we will speculate on whether the wear we  see is static (postural) vs dynamic (created during movement).

We will do our best to have examples of common pathology which may include:

– Deep sulcus thrush affecting the frog corium

– Stretched/weak lamina

– White line infection

– Wall cracks

– P3 remodelling that is visible externally

– Wall delamination

– Abscess

– Thin soles and thick soles

Day 2 – Radiograph guided trimming

Prerequisite – (Day 1) Anatomy and Morphology Course

In this clinic, we will use the assessment techniques learned in the comparative anatomy clinic  to make trimming decisions. Feet will be x-rayed prior to trimming, and again post trim. We willl  be able to critically assess how our trim impacts the position of the hoof capsule in relation to  the boney column. Each participant will then complete a self guided dissection/exploration of  their foot.