In this episode, we explore one of the most important yet often overlooked structures in the equine hoof — the frog.

From its role in shock absorption and circulation to its importance as a diagnostic reference point in farriery, this episode breaks down everything you need to know in a clear and practical way.

We also explore common frog pathologies, how they develop, and most importantly how to treat and prevent them effectively in real-world farriery practice.

📚 What You’ll Learn

• The anatomy and structure of the frog
• The function of the frog in movement, circulation, and stability
• Why the frog is critical for hoof balance and assessment
• Best practices for correct frog trimming
• How hoof conformation influences frog development

⚠️ Conditions Covered

We break down the key frog pathologies every farrier and equine professional should understand:

• Thrush – causes, treatment, and prevention
• Canker – recognising and managing this aggressive condition
• Sheared Heels – how imbalance affects the frog
• Frog Atrophy – why it happens and how to reverse it
• Puncture Wounds – risks, complications, and treatment approaches

🛠️ Practical Takeaways

• How to approach frog trimming without compromising function
• Proven treatment strategies used in modern farriery
• Environmental and management changes that make a real difference
• When to involve veterinary support
• How to use the frog as a guide for balance and internal hoof structures

🎧 Who This Episode Is For

• Farriers (students to experienced professionals)
• Equine vets and vet nurses
• Horse owners wanting a deeper understanding of hoof health
• Anyone interested in improving equine soundness and performance

💡 Key Message

The frog is not just passive tissue, it is a dynamic, functional structure that reflects the overall health of the hoof. Understanding it properly can transform how you approach trimming, shoeing, and rehabilitation.

Support the show

To order your hardback copy of The Hoofcare Companion visit:

Store | thefarrier

For an eBook version visit here:

The Hoofcare Companion (eBook Edition) eBook : Jerram, Marc: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Hoof boots are transforming modern farriery—but are you using them correctly?

In this episode of The Hoofcare Companion, host Marc Jerram breaks down everything you need to know about hoof boots, from their historical origins to their role in performance, barefoot management, and rehabilitation.

Whether you're a farrier, vet, or horse owner, this episode will help you understand when, why, and how to use hoof boots effectively—and avoid the common mistakes that lead to poor outcomes.

🔍 In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

• The evolution of hoof protection from ancient methods to modern boots
• The key differences between hoof boots and traditional shoeing
• Why hoof boots are essential for barefoot horses
• How to assess the hoof correctly before fitting
• The pros and cons of leading hoof boot brands
• How hoof boots support rehabilitation and laminitis cases
• Common fitting mistakes and how to avoid them

🐎 Brands & Products Mentioned

Scoot Boots
Flex Boots
Equine Fusion
Cavallo
Renegade Hoof Boots
Pioneer Sport
EasyCare / Easyboot range

⚙️ Who This Episode Is For

• Farriers looking to expand their skillset
• Veterinary professionals involved in hoof care
• Horse owners transitioning to barefoot
• Riders wanting better performance and hoof protection
• Anyone interested in modern, evidence-based hoof care

Support the show

To order your hardback copy of The Hoofcare Companion visit:

Store | thefarrier

For an eBook version visit here:

The Hoofcare Companion (eBook Edition) eBook : Jerram, Marc: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Interference injuries are more than just knocks and cuts, they’re often a sign of deeper biomechanical inefficiencies within the horse. In this episode of The Hoofcare Companion, Marc Jerram takes a detailed look at the causes, types, and farriery strategies used to manage interference.

From forging and overreach to brushing and toe drag, we break down how and why these injuries occur, and most importantly, how farriers can assess and address them through effective trimming and shoeing techniques.

Whether you're a practicing farrier, apprentice, or equine professional, this episode provides practical insights into improving movement, reducing injury, and enhancing overall performance.

🎯 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• What interference injuries really indicate about a horse’s movement
• The key differences between overreach, forging, and brushing
• How conformation influences limb flight and injury risk
• The importance of static vs dynamic assessment
• How breakover timing affects interference
• The role of radiography in diagnosing imbalance
• Practical trimming strategies to improve hoof balance
• Shoeing techniques including:
  • Safed off shoes
  • Rolled and square toe designs
  • Trailer shoes and asymmetric shoeing
  • Use of studs, pins, and traction devices

🐎 Key Takeaways

Interference is rarely random, it’s usually the result of imbalance, poor timing, or conformational predisposition. By focusing on accurate assessment and targeted farriery, you can significantly reduce injury risk and improve locomotor efficiency.

Support the show

To order your hardback copy of The Hoofcare Companion visit:

Store | thefarrier

For an eBook version visit here:

The Hoofcare Companion (eBook Edition) eBook : Jerram, Marc: Amazon.co.uk: Books

In this episode, we explore the precision of shoeing the dressage horse, from Intro level through to Grand Prix.

Learn how different movements influence hoof loading, how to assess the horse both statically and dynamically, and how shoeing strategies adapt to surfaces, conformation, and performance demands.

We cover trimming principles, shoe selection, barefoot management, and the importance of working alongside vets and physiotherapists to support long-term soundness.

A practical, evidence-based guide for farriers working with the modern dressage athlete.

Support the show

To order your hardback copy of The Hoofcare Companion visit:

Store | thefarrier

For an eBook version visit here:

The Hoofcare Companion (eBook Edition) eBook : Jerram, Marc: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Cushings disease, correctly termed pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, is one of the most important endocrine disorders affecting the ageing horse and a leading underlying cause of laminitis and chronic hoof pathology.

In this episode of The Hoofcare Companion, host Marc Jerram delivers a clear, farriery focused overview of Cushings disease, explaining how pituitary dysfunction leads to widespread metabolic, vascular, and immune changes that often manifest first within the hoof.

The episode explores thorough assessment of the Cushings affected horse, common and subtle clinical signs, laminitis risk, and the farrier’s role in early recognition. Veterinary diagnostics, medical treatment, and the importance of collaboration between farrier and vet are discussed, alongside practical hoof management strategies aimed at reducing mechanical stress and supporting long term comfort.

This episode is essential listening for farriers, veterinarians, and horse owners seeking a deeper understanding of Cushings disease and its impact on hoof health, laminitis, and lifelong management.

Support the show

To order your hardback copy of The Hoofcare Companion visit:

Store | thefarrier

For an eBook version visit here:

The Hoofcare Companion (eBook Edition) eBook : Jerram, Marc: Amazon.co.uk: Books

In this episode, we take an in depth look at one of the most critical yet often underestimated structures of the equine hoof: the coronary band. This episode is essential listening for farriers, veterinarians, and serious hoof care professionals who want a deeper understanding of how coronary band health directly influences hoof wall quality, growth, and long term soundness.

We begin by exploring the normal anatomy and function of the coronary band, explaining its role as the primary germinal tissue responsible for producing the hoof wall. You will learn how the epidermal and dermal components work together, how coronary papillae form horn tubules, and why the vascular and neurological supply of this region makes it both highly productive and highly vulnerable.

The episode then examines the coronary corium in detail, discussing blood supply, lymphatic drainage, innervation, and how mechanical loading and movement influence horn production. We explain why disruptions at the coronary band are always expressed distally in the hoof wall and how farriers can interpret growth rings, horn defects, and changes in wall quality as a historical record of coronary band health.

The second half of the episode focuses on coronitis and coronary band dystrophy, conditions that can have lifelong implications for hoof integrity. We discuss:

• Common traumatic, infectious, environmental, and systemic causes
• The difference between acute inflammation and chronic dystrophic change
• How repeated low grade trauma and poor environmental conditions contribute to long term damage
• The relationship between systemic disease, laminitis, vascular compromise, and coronary band pathology

You will gain insight into the clinical signs seen in both acute and chronic cases, including swelling, pain, discharge, scarring, altered horn growth, cracks, and capsule distortion. We also explain how to distinguish coronary band abscessation from other hoof pathologies and why accurate assessment is critical.

From a professional perspective, this episode outlines the diagnostic process, highlighting the role of the farrier in recognising abnormal growth patterns and working alongside the veterinary surgeon. We cover veterinary investigations including blood work, imaging, ultrasonography, and when biopsy may be indicated.

Finally, we discuss medical and farriery management strategies, focusing on:

• Controlling inflammation and infection
• Environmental and hygiene management
• Conservative trimming approaches during active disease
• Shoeing strategies to reduce mechanical stress on compromised horn
• Long term management, prognosis, and owner education

This episode reinforces the importance of a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach and positions the farrier as a key professional in early detection, ongoing management, and long term hoof care planning.

Support the show

To order your hardback copy of The Hoofcare Companion visit:

Store | thefarrier

For an eBook version visit here:

The Hoofcare Companion (eBook Edition) eBook : Jerram, Marc: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Sidebone is one of the most commonly encountered structural changes within the equine foot, particularly in heavier horses and those exposed to repetitive concussive forces. In this episode of The Hoofcare Companion, we take an in depth look at sidebone from a farriery perspective, exploring not only what it is, but why it develops, how it alters hoof biomechanics and how informed trimming and shoeing decisions can significantly influence long term comfort and soundness.

This episode moves beyond sidebone as a simple radiographic finding and places it firmly within the wider context of hoof balance, conformation, workload and management. Whether you encounter sidebone regularly in practice or want to deepen your understanding of its functional significance, this discussion provides practical insight grounded in anatomy and biomechanics.

What We Cover in This Episode

What Is Sidebone

Anatomy and Function of the Lateral Cartilages

Pathophysiology and Development

Causes and Predisposing Factors

Conformational Faults Associated with Sidebone

Static Assessment of the Horse

Dynamic Assessment and Gait Evaluation

Clinical Signs and Differential Considerations

Radiography and Its Role in Farriery Decision Making

Trimming Principles for Managing Sidebone

Shoeing Strategies and Traditional Sidebone Shoes

Pads and Supportive Materials

Long Term Prognosis and Case Management

Who This Episode Is For

Farriers and farriery apprentices
Veterinary surgeons with an interest in hoof biomechanics
Equine podiatrists and hoofcare professionals
Advanced horse owners seeking a deeper understanding of foot pathology

Support the show

To order your hardback copy of The Hoofcare Companion visit:

Store | thefarrier

For an eBook version visit here:

The Hoofcare Companion (eBook Edition) eBook : Jerram, Marc: Amazon.co.uk: Books

In this episode of The Hoofcare Companion, Marc Jerram takes an in-depth look at the suspensory ligaments of the lower limb, exploring teir anatomy, function, common injury patterns, and most importantly the farriery principles that influence both injury risk and rehabilitation.

Suspensory and navicular-related injuries remain one of the most common causes of chronic lameness and loss of performance across sport and leisure horses. This episode is designed to give farriers a clear working understanding of how hoof balance, trimming and shoeing decisions directly affect these structures, and how to work effectively alongside the veterinary surgeon during diagnosis and rehabilitation.

🎧 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why the suspensory apparatus is a critical load-bearing and energy-storing system
• The evolutionary anatomy of the suspensory ligament and its functional implications
• Key anatomical differences between front and hind limb suspensory ligaments
• How the muscular component of the hind limb suspensory influences performance and injury presentation
• The role of the navicular suspensory structures, including the impar and collateral ligaments
• How hoof conformation, toe length and heel height affect suspensory and navicular loading
• Common suspensory injuries:
  • Proximal suspensory desmitis
  • Mid-body and branch lesions
  • Navicular suspensory injuries
• Why front limb injuries often present as lameness, while hind limb injuries present as performance problems
• Diagnostic tools explained:
  • Palpation and gait assessment
  • Ultrasonography
  • Radiography
  • MRI and its role in distal limb soft tissue diagnosis
• Recognising altered gait patterns associated with suspensory pain
• Evidence-based trimming principles for suspensory rehabilitation
• Shoe selection strategies for:
  • Front limb suspensory injuries
  • Hind limb suspensory injuries
  • Navicular suspensory pathology
• The importance of farrier–veterinary collaboration throughout rehabilitation

🧠 Key Takeaways for Farriers

• Small changes in hoof balance and breakover can significantly alter suspensory strain
• Front and hind limbs must be approached very differently in both assessment and shoeing
• Suspensory injuries are rarely just a “rest and hope” problem—mechanics matter
• Correct trimming and shoeing can reduce reinjury risk and support long-term soundness
• Ongoing reassessment is essential as the horse moves through rehabilitation phases

🛠️ Who This Episode Is For

• Registered and apprentice farriers
• Equine podiatrists
• Veterinary surgeons working with lameness cases
• Therapists involved in rehabilitation
• Horse owners wanting a deeper understanding of suspensory injuries

Support the show

To order your hardback copy of The Hoofcare Companion visit:

Store | thefarrier

For an eBook version visit here:

The Hoofcare Companion (eBook Edition) eBook : Jerram, Marc: Amazon.co.uk: Books