The Common Sense Hoof Blog

  Basically, The Black Pad is a cushioned insole designed to alleviate the trauma incurred from repeatedly landing on a very hard conventional horseshoe by replacing the back portion of the shoe with a cushioned pad that absorbs the concussion while also spreading the impact over a broader surface, making a more comfortable solution for the horse. The insoles are made of a very high quality polymer (with a PSI of 3500) and are designed and created to reduce the concussion and the resulting inflammation to a horse’s hoof from the repeated insults resulting from the hoof impacting the ground. ...

March 20th – the first day of Spring and not that far away!  Most everyone I know is looking forward to the change of seasons and the longer, warmer days that come with it; however, with all of the beautiful changes, including especially the luscious green grass popping up everywhere, comes the threat of laminitis that occurs when our horses gorge themselves on those tempting, tender tufts.  Overindulging is just one of the causes of laminitis but I think it’s one that we, as horse owners, caretakers, trainers must keep in mind because, as satisfying as it is to see...

Hi, my name is Gary.  This is my first blog post and while I realize that there are quite a few “hoof blogs” already out there, having worked on horse’s feet for over 30 years, I have some ideas that I’d like to share.  Some may agree and some may disagree, but I think the conversations are invaluable to continuing to learn and improve how we try to help our horses.    I am not a farrier but as I mentioned, I have worked on horse’s feet for more than 30 years – mostly patching quartercracks, separations, abcesses and the like. ...