First look
Could FormaHoof make foot problems a thing of the past? Allison Lowther takes a closer look to see if this is the miracle solution horse owners have been waiting for
Formahoof — is this the future of hoof care?
THE OLD SAYING ‘no foot, no horse’ still rings true today with many soundness issues due to problems in the hoof. Thankfully, remedial farriery has improved significantly in recent years, helping many horses. However, one exciting new product could revolutionise the way hoof problems are addressed.
FormaHoof is the result of many years of research, development and extensive trials and it’s already being widely used with great success in the USA, Australia and Dubai, where it was first introduced.
This revolutionary hoof care and equine podiatry system tackles soundness from the hoof up, offering vets and farriers a highly effective, easy to apply and low cost solution to every hoof care challenge.
Robert Stevenson, a world class farrier with many decades of experience in equine podiatry and hoof care, developed the FormaHoof concept to provide a supportive, effective and non-invasive solution.
“I spent years working and consulting in equine organisations and centres around the world and have dealt with most hoof care challenges a farrier can see,” explains Robert. “I knew a better way to treat foot-related soundness issues was possible and set about researching and testing materials and technologies. I was fortunate to be introduced to Alexander Papantoniou, a product development specialist with great experience in high-tech industries, in particular 3D printing and scanning, and together we designed and developed FormaHoof.”
What is FormaHoof?
The reusable FormaHoof mould is shaped internally with all the features of a healthy, strong, balanced hoof, including a concave sole, reinforced support for the heels and heel bulb region, and an optimal hoof pastern axis. The mould is placed onto your horse’s hoof and an adaptable polyurethane resin is poured in. Once the FormaHoof AP resin has set, the mould is removed and the hardened resin then mimics a fully balanced, healthy hoof that offers your horse protection and support.
FormaHoof allows your vet or farrier to correct hoof imbalances, structural weaknesses or conformation challenges to give a lame horse the best possible chance to return to full soundness, and for sound horses to stay that way.
“The beauty of FormaHoof is that it can be used for pretty much any hoof-related problem, from thin soles and white line disease to conformation, developmental and poor performance issues. It’s fantastic for treating laminitis, too,” says Robert.
“If needed, the vet or farrier can apply medication under the application. The mould delivers the perfectly shaped hoof and the resulting FormaHoof AP application protects and supports the foot, offering immediate relief from pain. The AP resin has similar structural properties to a healthy hoof, which allows it to expand and contract on movement, just as a healthy barefoot hoof would.”