Why do Veterinarians still prescribe shoes for hoof problems?
Most vets are more concerned with the rest of the horse, not just the feet. Though they understand anatomy, they don’ t necessarily focus on the mechanics of the hoof. Traditionally that has been left to the farriers, in fact, unless you were dealing with broken bones or laminitis, most vets pass the foot problems on to us, who work exclusively with the hooves. Even in those cases, the vet sends the horse back into the care of the farrier. I guess you could say farriers are a sort of specialists and vets are the general practitioner, though there are exceptions to that, of course. Vets and hoof care providers should be allowed to work together when you have a lameness issue in your horse. Most vets and farriers are taught traditional treatments for the same old problems. You also have to remember that until recently, the wild foot wasn’t a model. The vets and farriers were so used to the problem feet, and the problem feet were the norm. It’s hard to break tradition, too. It takes a lot
