The title, an homage to Led Zeppelin’s 1976 song of the same name, was a bit of an epiphany one afternoon when rocking out on the treadmill. On this occasion of routine torture, I was pondering both my future musings for this latest version of “Grouchy Farrier Shares,” as well as why I do this to myself (workout, that is, not write articles).

I have a cousin who is basically like an older sister. We talk often, carrying on a tradition and relationship that I had with her parents. We discuss everything under the sun, with the conversations predictably going down paths that inevitably cover the heavier subjects: life, existence and what are we all doing on this blue, spinning marble in space? (It’s worth noting, I still don’t have any answers.)

Years ago, during one of our sessions where I was probably complaining about the state of my existence, career change and uncertainty about the direction my life was going, spewing a ton of negativity and blame, my cousin, exhausted from my word vomit, blurted out, “You know every time you point a finger, there are three pointing back at you.”

“Huh,” I thought to myself, admitting to her, “Wow, I never thought of it like that.”

From that day forward, in both my professional and personal life when facing disappointment, disagreement and some life/career obstruction, I’ve made a conscious effort to hold myself accountable for my actions and what, if any, role they have played in the present situation.

Currently, researchers estimate that if a veterinarian examines and assesses 10 unsound horses, they will likely find and diagnose an issue that originates or presents in one or more hooves (generally the forelimb) in seven of them. With such staggering estimates, it’s no wonder hoof-care professionals (HCPs) feel their work is always under the microscope, including perceptions of being thrown under the proverbial bus, which is not a great feeling.

Now, hold it one second, reader. Before you start making any negative farrier declarations like, “This guy Jude said that I was right all along regarding Buttercup and the farrier,”—buzzer sound—you could be wrong.

Sure, there are plenty of times that an HCP needs to take responsibility for an error in judgment, and those occasions are certainly unfortunate. But as I’ve shared before, most, if not every HCP works diligently to avoid missteps and mistakes.

Moreover, upon closer examination, recent evidence suggests that not every one of these initial hoof-related unsoundness findings should have you pointing fingers in our direction. In fact, with continued advancements and developments in diagnostic tools, veterinarians now have a greater ability to pinpoint the origins of lameness.

When HCPs have dotted every ‘I’ and crossed every ‘T’ with their interventions, including occasions where collaboration is necessary with a veterinarian, what more can be done if the unsoundness continues? Initial findings are likely linked and a result of a horse’s compensatory mechanism, with the major, primary issue later determined to originate elsewhere, frequently higher up: neck, shoulders, hind end, etc.

That perfectly segues me to highlight three other scenarios where the finger has been pointed in my direction, when maybe the pointer should have considered taking my cousin’s advice. Each one of these examples can be their own separate article. However, for reader attention spans and space constraints, I will do my best to truncate, concentrating on the finer points.

Thrush

Without a doubt, thrush has nothing to do with your HCP and has everything to do with horse husbandry: care, maintenance and management.

Thrush is bacteria and fungus primarily affecting the frog.

However, if left untreated it can progress further into sensitive tissues of the foot, potentially causing issues greater than its localized impact on the frog’s integrity, up to and including impacting soundness and performance.

Thrush presents itself in multiple ways: Initially the frog will lose its integrity greater than in its normal process of shedding (see Figure 1). Telltale strong odors may also emanate from the affected hoof, including possible puslike black discharge. If you have never come across thrush, then count yourself as lucky.

Certain hoof morphologies and horses wearing shoes leads to hooves packing with all sorts of wonderful natural goodness (see Figure 2). Thrush generally manifests itself as a result of this exposure, including extended periods in wet and unsanitary environments, like improperly cleaned stalls, muddy, manure-filled paddocks or similar conditions.

Some horses can be exposed to these types of environments with no impact, while others can exist in pristine conditions with limited exposure and get thrush. I cannot definitively say why or what would make one horse more susceptible versus another.

Once the issue is detected, and depending on its severity, there are many topical treatments available, which are easily purchased online or through any tack store. Generally, your HCP can clean up the necrotic tissue with a hoof knife during a visit, trying to remove as much dead tissue as possible, but I often try to avoid getting too aggressive because this may create other issues, one being soreness.

Whatever the treatment, I always recommend application on a clean, dry foot once a day, usually when the horse is finished for the day and remaining in its (preferably clean) stall. For scenarios where the horse lives outside, then I suggest bringing them in a barn aisle or dry area, if possible, cleaning the foot, applying the treatment to the affected area, and letting the horse chill out for 10-15 minutes while grooming so the remedy can take some effect before turning them back out.

It’s worth noting that the bacteria can be stubborn and tolerant to one type of treatment, so in more severe cases, if you are not making any headway, I always recommend alternating thrush medications. Additionally, soaking cotton balls with the thrush medicine and placing them into the crevices that can often form helps maintain the treatment’s constant contact as well as keeping rocks and other foreign objects at bay. If the thrush is severe and impacting soundness, then I’d highly recommend getting your HCP and/or veterinarian involved for their recommendations.

Thrush can certainly be tricky, but with a little elbow grease and time it generally abates. I cannot stress enough that the best and most effective way to combat thrush is picking out the hooves as often as possible (for example, before/after riding and before/after turnout). Picking out hooves not only helps curtail thrush, but it ensures routine visual inspections of hooves, assessing their integrity (including the shoes), as well as enabling the detection of possible foreign objects inadvertently collected.

Forging

In this next example, client feedback will usually require observations of their horse in work under saddle, as well as an inspection of shoe placement and hoof balance. These checks will aim to identify any potential forging issue and determine what, if any, changes are necessary to correct the problem. However, if I have done my job properly, the issue usually lies elsewhere.

Forging is a type of interference that may occur during any gait in the shod horse. Generally, forging occurs when the shod hind hoof interferes with the shod front hoof, causing an audible clicking sound with varying degrees of severity. Other types of interference can occur, including examples where a horse may hit and/or “brush” hind fetlocks.

Effectively it is a stride-step timing issue, with the front end moving slower than the hind end, the possible result of a number of factors. Horses are front-end loaded by nature, with an approximate 60:40 weight distribution, and different conformations may greatly exaggerate that loading.

The need to apply horseshoes comes with both positive and negative implications, chief among them is the impact of the shoe’s weight on movement and stride dynamics. As a colleague once stated, applying shoes is a “necessary evil” for the horse that cannot perform barefoot and/or has unusual hoof wall wear negatively affecting its integrity.

Occasional forging should not be a cause for concern.

Gait extensions and transitions, encountering unlevel footing that causes a misstep, and riding on a loose rein might all possibly cause the random click. But repeated and ongoing clicking is a problem requiring further investigation.

Each farrier has in their bag of “tricks,” shoe types, placement and modifications, including adjustments to balance, which hopefully alleviate an issue.

Following these changes, if the problem persists, then one must shift to questions regarding a horse’s level of fitness, potential weaknesses, movement asymmetry, compensatory mechanisms, as well as potential riding and rider training.

Tripping

Our last scenario is self-explanatory and can be problematic for a number of reasons, but principally for rider and horse welfare. However, I’ve yet to see an example of toes so severely long that they would cause a horse to trip.

Is it possible? Maybe.

Researchers have quantified, on average, new hoof growth to be 8-10 mm for a normal four- to six-week shoeing/trimming cycle. These numbers are consistent with my personal findings from previous research, which examined multiple farrier practices. Undoubtedly, naturally occurring growth and hoof migration does have a biomechanical effect, but how great an effect remains an under-examined question.

Are these effects enough to cause habitual tripping at any point in the shoeing cycle, with complaints generally coming towards the end of a cycle?

Based on how fractional the numbers are, it’s doubtful. If HCPs trim, balance, and apply shoes properly, tripping’s root lies elsewhere.

As a rider in a previous life, I can assure you that riding on the buckle, downhill, with a distracted horse will get you the occasional trip and/or stumble, as will uneven footing, differing ground surfaces, especially on the trail, and other similar circumstances.

Riding a horse that is engaged with contact, listening to your aids, coming through from behind and in front of your leg should not result in repeated tripping. Sure, there can be an odd instance, perhaps when a horse is resistant to your aids, avoiding contact and losing focus, that may result in a stumble, but not instances when all of the above has been addressed.

If tripping becomes habitual then that should be cause for concern, and you should enlist all of the members of your team—trainer, veterinarian and HCP—to collaborate and assess the situation hoping to find some answers and solutions. Unfortunately, there are occasions when tripping can be indicative of some neurologic disorders.

Horse ownership, care and management comes with great responsibility. As is often said, “It takes a village.” Enlisting competent, experienced professionals that you trust is a key to success and should make your life easier, as does catching any potential issue well in advance before it becomes a greater issue—and detrimental to everyone’s safety and welfare.

But, next time, before you reach for that phone at 5 a.m. or 11 p.m. (true story), calling or texting your HCP regarding Buttercup’s problem, please take a second, think about the three fingers and go from there. Your HCP will appreciate it.

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Jude R. Florio, MSc, GrDipELR, has served as a professional farrier for 25 years, working with top professionals across a number of different disciplines. In addition to practicing farriery full time, he is a published author, patented inventor, researcher and lecturer for the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies Equine Science Program, where he earned his master’s degree in science, the first farrier to complete the program. He also holds a graduate diploma from the University of London’s Royal Veterinary College in applied equine locomotor research.

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This article originally appeared in the March 2025 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse. You can subscribe and get online access to a digital version and then enjoy a year of The Chronicle of the Horse. If you’re just following COTH online, you’re missing so much great unique content. Each print issue of the Chronicle is full of in-depth competition news, fascinating features, probing looks at issues within the sports of hunter/jumper, eventing and dressage, and stunning photography.