Abaxial- Away from the axis of a body part. In podiatry refers to the digit or foot.

Abscess- A localized infection of the sensitive tissues within the hoof. Abscesses often cause lameness which usually subsides when they are drained. If not drained intentionally, abscesses often rupture at the coronary band or the bulbs of the heels, a.k.a.: Gravel

Acute laminitis- 1) The initial stages of laminitis. 2) The phase of laminitis beginning with the onset of clinical signs and lasts about 72 hours.

Adhesion- Sticking together. Medical term for the sticking together of two structures that normally move free of each other.

Angle of the sole- Palmar-most or plantar-most part of the crura of the sole between the hoof wall at the heel and the bar. Synonym: seat of corn.

Ankylosis- [from the Greek angkylos, crooked]: Fusing of a joint. (forming of bone)

Arteriovenous anastomosis- A direct communication between the arterial and venous circulations without an intervening capillary bed.

Atrophy- [from the Greek atrophia, not to nourish]: Shrinking or degeneration of tissues. Usually results from disuse or disease.

Axial- Towards the axis of a body part. In podiatry refers to the digit or foot.

Bag of Marbles- Multiple bone fracture in a small area.

Balance- An anatomical and functional concept that describes the relationship between the hoof capsule, the underlying musculoskeletal system and the ground. "In balance" is best described as a harmonious relationship between the hoof capsule and the deep musculoskeletal structures that is most likely to permit lasting soundness.

Bar – 1) The inflexion of the hoof wall that lies between the crura of the sole and paracuneal sulcus; 2) Any part of the shoe that extends from one branch towards the other. May be partial or complete.

Basal Crack- A sandcrack which starts at the ground surface and splits upward.

Basement membrane-  A thin acellular membrane attached to the basal cells of the secondary epidermal lamina and forms the dermo-epidermal junction of the lamellae.

Bench Knee- A limb conformation defect in which the leg fits somewhat to the outside of, rather than directly below, the forearm at the knee. a.k.a.: Offset knee.

Biaxial- Pertaining to both sides of the axis of a body or body part, i.e. medial and lateral foot.

Bifurcate- [from the Latin bi, twice and furca, fork]: To separate, split, or divide.

Bilateral- Pertaining to both sides of the body, i.e. left and right limb.

Bowed Tendon- Damage or rupture of the sheath of the tendon, most often the SDF of a foreleg. Bowed tendons usually occur in performance horses during hard exertion. a.k.a.: Tendonitis; peritendinitis; tendosynovitis; tendovaginitis.

Breakover- The phase of the stride between the time the horse's heels lift off the ground and the time the toe lifts off the ground.

Breakover point- The most dorsal contact of the ground surface of the foot in the unshod horse or the shoe in the shod horse with the ground the moment the heels begin to rise off the ground.

Broken-back foot-pastern axis- The angle the dorsal hoof wall makes with the ground is less acute than the angle the dorsum of the pastern makes with the ground. This angle can be measured using radiographs.

Broken-forward foot-pastern axis- The angle the dorsal hoof wall makes with the ground is more acute than the angle the dorsum of the pastern makes with the ground. This angle can be measured using radiographs.

Bruise- 1) The rupturing of blood vessels within the sensitive structures resulting from trauma. Hoof bruises often result from the horse stepping on stones. Bruises can also occur in any sensitive structure, including the frog and the bulbs of the heels.a.k.a. Strawberries. 2) Hemorrhage within tissues usually caused by blunt trauma. In the foot most commonly seen in the solar dermis. Maybe focal or diffuse.

Buck Shins (Buck Shins)- A periostitis of the front of the cannon bone, usually occurring on the forelegs of young horses that are strenuously exercised.

Bulbs- Are the starting of the frog which holds the heels together.

Bulge- A lump or a bump in the hoof that protrudes from the normal angle.

Buttress- Thickened area of hoof wall that forms the junction between the wall and the bars at the end of the heel. Synonym: Angle of the wall.

Buttress foot- A change in shape of the foot caused by an exostosis on the extensor process of the distal phalanx.

Calcification- A hardening of tissue or becoming inflexible through the deposits of calcium salts.

Cancellous- Loose bony tissue.

Canker- 1) Abnormal, vegetative growth of the frog. May also affect the sole. Caused by infection and the exposure of the hooves to harsh ammonia compounds.a.k.a. Hoof Cancer.2) A chronic, hypertropic, moist podermatitis that usually affects the frog, bars and adjacent sole. Accompanied by a foul odor.

Capped Elbow- A soft, flabby swelling over the point of the elbow due to trauma. Also known as a shoe boil.

Capped Hock- An inflammation of the bursa over the point of the hock caused by trauma.

Capsular Rotation- 1) The hoof wall rotates away from the P3, while the P2 remains in alignment with the pastern. This condition can be due not only to founder, but also to overweight, too low a hoof angle, or use of toe grabs.2) Describes the divergence of the dorsal hoof wall from the dorsal parietal surface of the distal phalanx independent of the relationship of the distal phalanx with the phalangeal axis.

Cheap John- A colloquialism for a horseshoer who attempts to build up his business by charging low prices. Because a Cheap John will have to shoe too many horses just to make a living, he will not have time to further his professional education or to provide quality care to his client's horses. See also: Cowboy Shoeing. (I had to put that in)

Check Ligament- A ligament which connects a tendon to a bone. Check ligaments are often considered to be parts of tendons.

Chondro- [Greek]: Having to do with cartilage.

Chronic- [from the Greek chronos, time]: Persistent. The long-term phase of many diseases and conditions.

Chronic laminitis- 1) Late stages of active laminitis.2) The phase that begins with separation of the dermal and epidermal lamellae resulting in mechanical collapse of the foot.

Cleft- A horizontal crack in the hoof wall. Clefts are usually caused by damage to the coronary band, or the rupture of an abscess at the coronary band.a.k.a. Crosscrack.

Close Nail- A horseshoe nail that does not actually quick the hoof, but comes close enough to sensitive structures to create irritating pressure. It may take a few days for a close nail to cause the horse apparent discomfort.a.k.a. Hot nail.

Clubfoot- An extremely upright hoof with a broken-forward pastern-hoof axis. May be caused by flexor deformity. In extreme case, the digit may be folded back, with the animal bearing weight on its dorsal surface. In congenital club feet, the slope of the heels is usually more upright than that of the toe.

Coffin Bone- Is located in the hoof. It contains nerves and blood vessels which form the hoof's sensitive structures and cushion the area between the bone and hoof.a.k.a. Third Phalanx, P3, Distal Phalanx and Pedal Bone.

Confluence- Flowing together, becoming one.

Conformation- The size and shape of the distal limb determined by the shape and size of the individual structures of the limb and the spatial relationship between them.

Congenital- Acquired by the foal during development in the mare's uterus.

Contra Limb- Limb opposite the one that suffered the original lameness. Sometimes becomes lame from compensatory stress.

Contracted Heels- 1) Condition in which the posterior half of the hoof undergoes a significant reduction in width. This may result from other hoof problems, improper shoeing, or both.a.k.a. Contracted hoofs; hoofbound.2) Decreased width of the palmar/plantar aspect of the foot so that the heel bulbs are close together than normal. Associated with a decrease in frog width that can be measured by dividing frog width by frog length.

Contusion- [from Latin tundo, to beat]: A traumatic flesh injury which does not break the skin.

Coon Foot- Very low hoof angle with an even lower pastern angle. May result from sprained suspensory ligaments, weak pastern, or chronic laminitis.

Corium- Synonym for dermis.

Corn- A bruise or hemorrhage in the angle of the sole. Sometimes caused by the heels of the hoof growing over the horseshoe, or by improper shoeing.

Corona- Any structure resembling a crown. With reference to the foot, the subcutaneous tissue, dermis and germinal layer of the epidermis at the proximal border of the foot.

Coronal- Pertaining to a coronal structure. Specifically, the corona of the foot.

Coronary- Coronet or hair surface, part of the hoof farthest from the basal surface of the hoof at any given point.

Coronary Band- Is the part of the hoof where the skin and hide join with the hoof wall.

Coronary Crack- A sandcrack which starts at the top of the hoof and splits down.

Coronary Groove- A groove in the proximal border of the hoof capsule that contains the germinal layers of the epidermis of the dermis of the coronary integument. Synonym: coronary sulcus.

Coronet- Synonym for corona.

Corrective- (1.) Trimming or shoeing a horse's hooves to counteract flaws in stance or gait. (2.) Wrongly used as a synonym for therapeutic.

"Cowboy" Shoeing- Shoeing done without fitting the shoe but simply cutting down the foot, shaping the shoe by opening or closing it, nailing the shoe on, and rasping the foot down to match the shoe. Excessive rasping of the lower border of wall producing a dubbed effect.

Cracks- A split in the hoof wall.

Crena- A shallow notch in the dorsal solar margin of the distal phalanx P3.

Cuneate- Pertaining to the frog.

Curb- Swelling of the plantar tarsal ligament of the hind leg just below the point of the hock. This is a ligament sprain, and may be caused by stress, poor conformation, or direct trauma.

Dermal lamellae- Lamellae formed by the parietal dermis, which interdigitate with the epidermal lamellae.

Dermis- The sensitive connective tissue layer of the skin located below the epidermis, containing nerve endings, sweat and sebaceous glands, and blood and lymph vessels. The sensitive laminae of the hoof are dermal.a.k.a. Corium.

Derotation- See realignment of distal phalanx.

Developmental laminitis- The time between the initiating cause and the development of lameness. Synonym: prodromal laminitis.

DFF (Deep Digital Flexor Tendon)- A major tendon which runs down the back of the equine leg, uses the navicular bone as a pulley, and inserts into the semilunar crest of the PIII.

De-Rotation- The condition when the distance between the outer surface of the hoof wall at the toe and the face of the PIII is greater near the coronet than it is near the ground. Often due to the dubbing of the toe.

Desmitis- Inflammation of a ligament.

Diaphysis- The shaft of a long bone.

Digit- [from the Latin digitus, a finger]: The equine limb distal to the fetlock. The extremity of the limb distal to the metacarpophalangeal joint.

Digital cushion- Modified subcutaneous tissue composed of fat, connective and elastic tissue. The digital cushion is the sum of the cuneate (frog) and toric (bulbar) cushions. Forms the bulbs of the heals.

Distal displacement of the third phalanx- Movement of the distal phalanx distally within the hoof capsule. As opposed to rotation of the distal phalanx.

Distal phalanx- Most distal bone of the limb. Synonyms:third phalanx, coffin bone, osungulare (P3).

Distention- The state of expanding from internal pressure; swollen or enlarged.

Dorsal- Literally, pertaining to the back. In the limbs this refers to the cranial facing surfaces (the primitive dorsal surface in embryologic development). Opposite to ventral, palmar and plantar.

Dropped Sole- The sole of the hoof which has become convex rather than concave. As the sole protrudes below the solar plane of the hoof wall, it bears excessive weight and is subject to bruising. Foundered or club footed horses often have dropped soles.

Dubbed Toe- (1.) A hoof which has had the dorsal surface of its toe ground off. This may be a result of excessive rasping after a horseshoe was poorly fit, or of high lameness which may cause the horse to drag his hoof. (2.)The intentional dressing back of the toe done to treat founder or a toe flare.a.k.a. Dumped Toe.

Duckett's bridge- An arbitrary point located in the middle one-third of the frog that lies on an imaginary line drawn vertically through the center of rotation of the distal interphalangeal joint, ideally in the center of the widest part of the foot.

Duckett's dot- A point located approximately one quarter to three eights of an inch behind the apex of the frog which can correspond to a vertical line drawn through the extensor process of the third phalanx.

Dynamic balance- The concept of balance applied to feet of an animal in motion; said to occur when both heels land on the ground simultaneously from a dorsal or palmar/plantar viewpoint and the relationship between the toe and heel as they land from a lateral viewpoint.

Edema- Abnormal collection of fluids in body tissues.

Epidermal lamellae- Lamellae formed by the parietal epidermis.

Epidermis- Most superficial layer of the skin or integument.

Epipysitis- (e-piff-e-si-tis) Inflammation of the epiphyseal plates.

Epithelium- Thin membrane tissues covering most of the body's structures and organs, internal and external. Also describes the first layers that heal over a wound.

Exostosis- Abnormal bony growth. A bony growth projection outward from the surface of the bone.

False Quarter- A vertical indention in the hoof wall parallel to the horn tubules, resulting from a defect or injury to the coronary band.

 False sole- A false sole is a layer of cornified epithelium that is separated from a second layer of cornified solar epithelium that is attached to germinal epithelium and dermis in the normal fashion.

Fetlock- Lower leg joint formed at the meetings of the long pastern, cannon and sesamoid bone.

Fetlock Joint- Contains the cannon bone, long pastern bone and two sesamoid bones.

Flare- An outward distortion which may occur on any portion of the hoof wall. If left untreated, they can alter functional toe angle, mediolateral balance, and hoof symmetry.

Flat footed- A foot that has no concavity to the sole.

Flexor Deformity- Excessive tension on either the DDF or SDF. Can result from heredity, malnutrition, injury, or a combination of these. Can be treated with managed exercise, diet, farriery, and surgery.a.k.a. Contracted tendon.

Flexural – Abnormal flexion of a joint, frequently the distal deformity interphalangeal or metacarpophalangeal joint, caused by relative shortening of the musculotendinous structures on the flexor surface of the limb.

Floating – To unload a section of the foot by creating a space between the foot and the shoe.

Foot – The specialized extremity of the digit. The hoof and all structures enclosed within it.

Foot-Pastern axis FPA – The axis formed by the dorsal surface of the hoof wall and axis FPA the dorsal surface of the pastern viewed from the lateral aspect.

Fossa-  [Latin for ditch, plural fossae]: A pit, indention, or cannel in a bone.

Founder- [old French afounder, to founder or sink. From Latin fundus,bottom]: The mechanical result of laminitis. The tip of the PIII rotates downward towards the sole near the toe. Sole bruising, abscesses, and hoof distortion commonly occur.

Frog – The ‘digital pad’ of the horse which includes the epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous tissue. It lies between medial and lateral bars and crura of the sole.

Gravel – A lay term for a variety of abscesses involving the dermal, soft tissue structures of the foot, especially those that drain at the coronary band.

Heel – Palmar portion of the foot that includes the bulbs and the palmar most aspects of the wall, sole and frog.

Heel Bulb – Integument immediately proximal to the point of inflexion of the wall palmarly/plantarly. The stratum corneum forms the bulbs of the hoof capsule and the subcutaneous tissue forms the palmar part of the digital cushion.

Hoof – Integument of the foot and includes the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue (telasubcutanea).

Hoof Angle – The angle the dorsal hoof wall makes with the ground.

Hoof Capsule – Horny hoof, formed by the cornified or horny epidermis (stratum corneum) of the limbus, corona, wall, sole, frog, and hell bulbs.

Hoof-Pastern axis – Synonym; foot-pastern axis.

Hoof Rings – Rings formed in the hoof wall distal to the coronets that are associated with variations in hoof wall growth.

Hoof Wall – Horny wall formed by the stratum internum, stratum medium and stratum externum.

Hoof Wall Separation - Disruption of the hoof wall’s structural integrity. Commonly seen where all or part of the stratum medium is separated from the stratum internum.

Horn-lamellar distance (HL) - Descriptive - (radiographic) - Distance measured between the dorsal parietal surface of the distal phalanx and the outer surface of the hoof wall. Synonym for the thickness of the dorsal parietal hoof.

Insensitive lamellae - A historic synonym for epidermal lamellae.

Jamming - Jargon that describes the proximal displacement of the coronary band due to excessive loading of the wall distal to that area.

Keratoma - A tumor of the keratin producing cells of the epidermis of the hoof.

Lamella - A thin flat layer. Ridges formed by interdigitation of the parietal dermis (dermal lamellae) and epidermis (epidermal lamellae) that extend in a proximal to distal direction in the wall of the hoof.

Lamellar - Pertaining to the lamella.

Lameness (Lame)- A clinical sign or set of signs by which the horse tells us that he feels pain or discomfort in a given leg. Describes a horse who is suffering sufficient pain and/or mechanical defect to interfere with normal movement and weight bearing in one or more limbs. Limping.

Lamina - Used interchangeably with lamella, though the latter is preferred.

Laminitis- The horse is almost unique in his affliction with this terrible condition. There are several types of laminitis. "Laminitis" can be classified into four groups: Laminitis, Acute Founder, Sinker, and Chronic Founder. Acute means the sudden and chronic means long term. The digital artery, located over the fetlock joint, will have a strong pulse. The horse does not wish to walk and if forced will support as much weight as possible on its back legs. The horse will not support weight on the toe of the front feet, walking on its heels instead. Hoof testers will indicate tenderness over the sole in front of the frog. These horses will have clinically normal hooves.” Acute Founder": These horses will have clinically normal hooves but will also have palpable depressions just above the coronary band. The horse will have a bounding digital pulse. Coronary depressions are evaluated by running a finger down the pastern and over the coronary band. In normal horses, the finger slides down the pastern and over the coronary band. In a normal horse, the finger slides over the coronet and onto the hoof wall; if a depression is present, the finger tends to lodge just above the coronary band. "Sinkers": All sinkers show depressions that extend the full length of the coronary band. They will have a bounding digital pulse and a reluctance to move or lift the leg. Some will adopt a toe-relieving stance while others will stand flat and shift their weight, moving in a heavy flat-footed manner and slapping the feet down like wobblers. These are not chronic founder cases. "Chronic Founder": These horses will show changes in foot characteristics, including a broken-back hoof-pastern axis, overgrown or concave dorsal hoof walls, stretched white lines from quarter to quarter and divergent growth rings on the hoof walls with rings being wider at the heals than the toes. There is an overgrowth of the heels and the soles will be flat or convex. Some of these animals will demonstrate signs of laminitis or acute founder.

Try to avoid feeding your horse large quantities of high-protein grain rations or rich alfalfa hay (if not at all) and monitor their consumption of water (only a little bit at a time). The prevention of pony-type laminitis is certainly obvious. Trim your pony's hooves, restrict his diet to something like that of his natural environment (holds true for all horses), and this form of founder should virtually disappear.

Suppose laminitis, classical type, does occur. What to do? Call for veterinary help immediately and call your farrier. Stand the horse in cool water, and have the farrier pull his shoes. The vet will radiograph the involved feet and the vet and farrier will determine the degree of coffin bone rotation and act accordingly.

Laminitic rings - Refers to unequal hoof wall growth at the coronet that results in a disparity of growth between the toe and heels i.e. unequal width of rings, which are further apart at the heels than the toe.

Lateral cartilage - Synonym - ungual cartilage.

Lesion- The specific damage to a part of the leg which causes such pain or discomfort. We usually recognize acute lesions and chronic lesions. Acute lesions are of short duration and characterized by pain, heat, swelling, and (when recognizable) reddening of the affected part. Chronic lesions are frequently rather difficult to recognize. The same signs are often present, but they may be considerably less obvious.

Limbus - Modified band of integument between the skin and the hoof that forms the softer horn of the stratum externum. Synonym: periople.

Limbic groove - Narrow groove in the stratum corneum of the limbic integument immediately proximal to the coronary groove that contains the germinal layers of the epidermis, the dermis and subcutaneous tissue.

Long toe, low heel - Describes a foot that is considered to have excessive toe length relative to the conformation of the heel.

Natural balance - Hoof conformation that is modelled after the foot in its (farrier term) natural state i.e. feral horses.

Navicular Disease- [from the Latin navicula, little ship]: Degenerative heel lameness. May involve the navicular bone, navicular bursa, DDF, and the coffin joint.a.k.a. Navicular Syndrome.

An arthrosis developing on the services of the navicular bone and the deep flexor tendon. The cartilage and tendon are damaged first, followed by changes in the navicular bone itself. Osteophytes then appear. These osteophytes appear because of snapping and jerking of the suspensory ligament of the navicular bone. This ligament runs from the end of the navicular to attach on the lower end of the long pastern bone, just above the pastern joint. With the upright pastern confirmation there is a tendency for the pastern joint to wobble back and forth, and this wobbling jerks the ligament which jerks on the end of the navicular bone, and new bone formation is the result. The arthrosis develops because of vibration and friction between the navicular and the tendon. Vibration occurs for many reasons: too high heels, too low heels; very hard ground; foot too small for the size of the horse either genetically, as with many Quarter Horses, or because too enthusiastic trimming; pain in the foot: the horse may put his foot down on the ground improperly because he knows it is going to hurt. Hard ground may lead to navicular disease even in a horse with a well-built, well-trimmed hoof. Show jumpers and hunters are particularly prone to this disease.

Onychomycosis - A mycotic disease of the nails in humans. There is no direct proven corollary in horses.

Palmar - Used to describe the caudal facing aspect of the forelimb from the carpus distally. The opposite of dorsal.

Palmar/plantar angle of distal phalanx - Angle between the plane of the solar margin of the distal phalanx and the ground measured from a lateral radiograph. Angle can be positive or negative. In fact the angle is distal rather than palmar/plantar.

Parietal - Pertaining to or forming the paries or wall of a cavity. Refers to the wall of the hoof, e.g. parietal dermis, parietal epidermis, parietal surface of the distal phalanx.

Pedal Osteitis- Severe and/or repeated bruising of the sole resulting in the inflammation of the P3 or coffin bone. Long term this condition causes the demineralization of the edge of the bone. Found mostly in front feet. May be caused by chronic corns, club feet, flat feet (constant bruising), laminitis and puncture wounds. The horse will be lame at all gaits. The horse will be reluctant to travel downhill or trot on hard surfaces.

Periople - Synonym: limbus.

Phalangeal rotation - Describes rotation of the dorsal surface of the distal phalanx palmarly/plantarly from its normal orientation and relationship with the middle and proximal phalanges, usually occurring concurrently with capsular rotation.

Plantar - Used to describe the caudal facing aspect of the hind limb from the tarsus distally. Opposite of dorsal.

Popped Knee- Carpitis, arthritis of the knee, knee spavin, popped knee. An acute or chronic inflammation of the knee joint, involving the joint capsule, ligaments and/or bones of the knee. Concussion and trauma are the major causes of popped knee. Young race horses that are worked too hard too fast. Confirmation faults of the knee that stress the bones and/or ligaments can contribute. Horses that strike their knee against the stall walls develop a popped knee. Swelling will occur around the knee. In more serious cases the horse will swing its leg outward at a walk in an attempt to prevent the knee from bending.

Prolapsed sole - The sole has developed a convexity distal to the solar margin of the dital phalanx.

Quarters - Abaxial portions of the wall that border the toe dorsally and the heels palmarly. The boundaries are poorly defined.

Quitter- A chronic inflammation of the collateral cartilage(s) of the foot. A quitter is caused by an infection of the collateral cartilage due to a puncture wound, wire or similar cut or severe bruising to the leg over the area of the collateral cartilage. Bruising may be the result of interfering. Swelling, heat and pain over the coronary band, in the region of the affected collateral cartilage and chronic abscessing that tend to heal and then break open at varying intervals. Lameness may only be present when the abscess is building and subside after the abscess has broken. The abscess site is just above the coronary band and is reoccurring.

Realignment of distal phalanx - A term used to describe realigning the palmar/plantar solar surface of distal phalanx with the normal weight bearing surface of the hoof.

Resection- 1. Surgery the removal of part of an organ, bone, etc. 2. Surveying a method of determining the location of a point by taking observations from it to points of known locations.

Rotation of the distal phalanx - Rotation of the distal phalanx can refer to either deviation of the dorsal surface of the distal phalanx from the wall (capsular rotation) or from the axis of the phalanges (phalangeal rotation), but if unspecified capsular rotation is usually assumed to be the default meaning.

Seat of corn - Synonym: angle of the sole.

Seedy Toe (White Line Disease)- This is a 'disease' of the hoof wall in the toe region in which the hoof wall is separated from the white line. The cause of seedy toe is unknown. There appears to be a relationship of a notched coffin bone to seedy toe. Blows to the front of the foot, puncture wounds and defective hoof development have been suggested as possible causes. Horses are rarely lame from this condition.

Sensitive lamellae - A historic synonym for dermal lamellae.

Sesamoiditis- An inflammation of the sesamoid bones, usually involving both the bone and its covering (periostitis). Can be caused by any unusual strain in the area of the fetlock joint. The branches of the suspensory ligament that attach to the sesamoids may be involved. Bruising and injuries to the bones themselves (interfering, overreaching) can create this condition. The horse will have pain and swelling of the fetlock joint, with the area of the sesamoids being particularly tender. The horse will not walk out comfortably. He will be short strided as long strides require too much fetlock action, increasing the pull of the flexor tendons on the sesamoid bones. The horse will land toe first.

Sheared heels - Displacement of one heel bulb proximally relative to the adjacent heel bulb. Thought to result from abnormal loading on one side of the foot.

Sinker - See distal displacement of the distal phalanx.

Slipper Foot- An extremely overgrown, toe-flared hoof. Can result from founder or neglect. In severe cases, the horse may stand on the back of his pastern, allowing the solar aspect of the hoof to be seen from in front of the animal.a.k.a: Elves Shoes.

Solar - Pertaining to the sole.

Sole - The part of the hoof bordered by the wall, bars and frog.

Static balance - The concept of balance applied to a horse's feet with the animal at rest; applies to the symmetry of the limb from the dorsal viewpoint and the foot-pastern axis from the lateral viewpoint.

Therapeutic Shoeing - Often called pathological or surgical shoeing, involves treating the diseases of the horse's feet or limbs by trimming or shoeing the feet. The need for it usually manifested by impairment in the stance or gait of the horse. This condition is called lameness. Often the problem causing the lameness is unsoundness. Horses with unsoundness may be made serviceably sound by the treatment of a farrier and/or a veterinarian. Treatments, as administered by the farrier, generally are of a protecting, supporting, or weight-shifting nature applied to the feet or limbs. One or a combination of these three methods may be used on any given horse.

Disclaimer*The information provided should not be used as a substitute for consultation with your veterinarian and/or farrier. The information offered on this web site is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The information on this site is provided for general reference and educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, prescribe or promote any direct or implied health claims. This information is not intended to replace professional veterinary and/or medical advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your veterinarian and/or farrier. The Fitzpatrick Farrier Services, Inc. glossary of podiatry terms is to be used as a reference for our clients for communications, both verbal and written, between the horseowner, their veterinarian and their farrier. This glossary is currently incomplete.