Crooked hooves – a case for the horse owner, farrier, or therapist?

In this webinar, Prof. Dr. Konstanze Krüger and hoof expert Dr. Michael Zanger will examine and evaluate the latest scientific findings regarding asymmetry and laterality and their influence on hooves.

The webinar is divided into four thematic blocks:

• Block 1: What is meant by asymmetry and laterality? Many people talk about a horse's asymmetry and some about its laterality, but hardly anyone succeeds in distinguishing between these aspects. Here, congenital asymmetry and the development of motor and sensory laterality, as well as their mutual influence, will be explained.
• Block 2: How does the hoof get its shape? Hardly any other structure of the horse's body can change its shape as quickly and flexibly as the hoof. Whether it's the horse's anatomy, its gait, an illness, or training, the hoof shows us everything! It tells us whether everything is "running smoothly" for the horse or if problems are occurring that we need to react to. And to understand how this works, we first look at its inner structure and composition.
• Block 3: What influence do asymmetry and laterality have on the hoof? As always, prolonged stress only makes everything worse – including a horse's laterality. Does this also affect the shape of the hoof?
• Block 4: Is there a connection between asymmetry and spavin? Can asymmetry and laterality influence the development of diseases in the horse's musculoskeletal system? An exciting question! Using the example of the common disease "spavin," we find interesting answers that should make us sit up and take notice and that pose new questions for common hoof trimming theories!

Who is this webinar suitable for?

Horse owners, farriers, hoof care specialists, trainers, therapists of holistic veterinary medicine

The Authors

Prof. Dr. Konstanze Krüger is a zoologist and behavioral researcher. The professor of horse husbandry teaches at the Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences and initiates or supervises many research projects.

Dr. Michael Zanger is a hoof care specialist, hoof technician, state-certified farrier/NL. He studied biology with a focus on zoology and anatomy at the University of Heidelberg. His work has been nominated several times for the Equitana Innovation Award. Expert partner of the Pferd Bodensee trade fair and research partner of the Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences. The "Digital Gait Analysis" is the latest research project, which is being realized in cooperation with the Nürtingen-Geislingen and Mannheim universities.

More about Prof. Dr. Konstanze Krüger:

https://www.hfwu.de/konstanze-krueger/

https://equine-behaviour.de

https://innovative-behaviour.org

More about Dr. Michael Zanger:

https://www.zanger-pferd.de/dr-michael-zanger/

Image credit: encierro/Shutterstock.com