Farrier Jack Spriggs demonstrates the application of Clogs and Avainti's to help a laminitic horse.

Clogs are my first choice when helping a horse through a laminitic episode.

The first step in the process are to hoof test the foot to see how much sole depth I have if I don’t have X-rays.

The foot is then mapped and trimmed. I’ll re hoof test the foot and mark the area which is sore. This is often the toe portion of the sole and one of the quarters. I do this so I know where I can load share and where I need to protect.

I use Impression Material to cover the non painful sole to help deload the painful areas. Magic Cushion is used in the painful zones as its neutral loading. It also helps prevent anaerobic bacteria from proliferating under the Clog.

The Clogs themselves can be nailed on, glued, screwed, cast or any combination of these methods to attach the Clog to the foot.

They are great at stabilising the hoof capsule, greatly reduce leverage forces acting on the inflamed laminae and are cost effective in comparison to the other mainstream therapeutic shoes.

The Clogs are then kept on for a normal shoeing cycle.

Transition out of the Clog is dependent on how quickly the reasons for the laminitic episode can be resolved and the level of detachment seen within the laminae.

Six weeks later the horse had improved to a level where I could start transitioning out of the Clog.