The Essential Hoof Book: The Complete Modern Guide to Horse Feet - Anatomy, Care and Health, Disease Diagnosis and Treatment

“Could easily serve as a textbook for a class in anatomy, equine science or equine management, but reads so easily that you could find yourself working steadily from cover to cover. ... What I particularly love about this book is that it does not preach one “right” way to treat hooves — instead, The Essential Hoof Book teaches readers how hooves can be managed rather than “corrected”. The Essential Hoof Book needs to be on every horse owner's bookshelf.”—HorseNation.com

"Hardcover and spiral-bound, which make it delightful to use as a reference book (why are they not all like that?). With such a wide range of useful information, this is the type of book that is a must-have for all hoof care professionals (farriers/trimmers/vets) ... [and] every single horseowner."—The Horse's Hoof

“A great resource for all things hoof-related, The Essential Hoof Book truly is essential to have in any barn.”—Equine Journal

“Diagrams help to take the mystery out of commonly misunderstood things like proper hoof angles and toe length. With its spiral-bound format, this book can easily be kept in the barn or tack room for reference. ... A one-of-a-kind comprehensive study of the hoof.”—EquineSenior.com

“The Essential Hoof Book is just that: essential! ... A fascinating and detailed work that contains everything needed to make sure the most important aspect of horse keeping is addressed properly. A must-have for serious horse owners.”—Cowgirl

The Essential Hoof Book was written for the horse owner. However, the information and photographs that are used in this book to explain the concepts and goals in properly balancing the foot would be beneficial to any hoof-care professional. This is an excellent book for educating the public, well-written with exceptional photographs and illustrations. —American Farriers Journal

Easy-to-follow language, over 400 full color photographs, and do-it-yourself exercises promise to empower horse owners and caretakers of all experience levels with the tools they need to accurately assess hoof health and keep their horses as sound and happy as possible. — Northwest Horse Source

The equine hoof is a complex marvel of natural engineering, built to withstand tremendous forces and able to adapt to an astonishing range of environmental conditions. It also changes daily—for better or for worse—in response to external and internal factors. Few horse owners have the opportunity to acquire a deep understanding of the hoof, which limits their ability to advocate on their horses’ behalf and make informed decisions about hoof care and management. This book is the first resource of its kind to combine the most current and useful information available, gleaned from the research and wisdom of top hoof experts around the world, with a unique “hands-on” approach. The authors provide basic terms and anatomy, clearly illustrate the differences between healthy and unhealthy feet, discuss biomechanics and management concerns, and cover the causes, treatments, and prevention of commonly encountered problems, including laminitis, white line disease, and thrush. Along the way, readers are given activities to help them better analyze and understand the most important aspects of equine hoof health, such as hoof balance, depth of sole, and point of breakover. Easy–to–follow language, over 400 full–color photographs, and do–it–yourself exercises promise to empower horse owners and caretakers of all experience levels with the tools they need to accurately assess hoof health and keep their horses as sound and happy as possible.

Susan Kauffmann has been a professional in the horse industry for over three decades. The early part of her career was devoted to training and coaching, then in 2004 she branched out to become an equestrian journalist and photographer specializing in topics relating to equine health and welfare. She has been widely published in magazines such as EQUUS, Trail Blazer, and Western Horse Review, for whom she also served as Health Editor. In addition, Susan has written content for a number of courses for Michigan State’s “My Horse University” program, gives educational classes and seminars for horse owners, and still trains horses and riders using a blend of classical and natural horsemanship philosophies. Susan lives with her husband, three horses, a mini donkey, and various cats and dogs in northern Nevada, where she is active in wild horse advocacy and rescue.

Christina Cline became a certified trimmer through the American Association of Natural Hoof Care Practitioners in 2004, and has trimmed full time ever since. In her career, she has worked on thousands of hooves of every size and description. She is an instructor with the Equine Sciences Academy and a mentor with Pacific Hoof Care Practitioners. She has mentored directly with Pete Ramey, Cindy Sullivan, and Jaime Jackson, and has broadened her knowledge base by attending workshops with Dr. Robert Bowker, Dr. Debra Taylor, Brian Hampson, PhD, Dr. Kerry Ridgway, Katy Watts, Cindy Nielson, DVM, Dr. Tomas Teskey, and Dr. Deb Bennett, among others. She also received a certificate in Equine Massage from the Northwest School of Animal Massage in Redmond, WA. Christina lives with her seven horses, three dogs, and three cats in the Methow Valley of Washington State. When she is not working under a horse, she is often found backcountry riding in the North Cascades.

Gene Ovnicek is nationally and internationally recognized as a farrier, clinician and researcher. A pioneer in the study of wild horse hoof form and function, Gene has combined his 40 years of farrier experience with the information from other scientific research as a foundation for treating and preventing equine lameness.