The role of the horse in society has changed from being a mainly working animal to that of a valued companion in sport and leisure, often treated much like a pet. Society’s heightened awareness of animal welfare and the increasing desire to respect animals' needs has not only led to significant changes in equine husbandry, but has also resulted in an increasing demand for highly skilled and knowledgeable equine professionals.

The vision behind e-hoof.com was the creation of a joint platform of knowledge for two equine professions – veterinary medicine and farriery – that form an integral part of equine health care. A shared source of information will help sustain and improve mutual respect, dialogue and cooperation between the two professions.

To appeal to all levels of knowledge, the platform has been made suitable for use as a teaching aid for individuals at the outset of their training, as well as being a source of information for established equine professionals wishing to develop their knowledge. Its attractive, user-friendly format should also appeal to anyone else with an interest in the horse who would like to know more about the horse's foot and lower limbs or the horse in general.

e-hoof.com is the result of many years planning and development. It is a state-of-the-art, interactive web platform that is based around material contributed and peer reviewed by specialists in their fields. It is divided into specific topics, and has a wide range of multi-media tools with thousands of illustrations, photos, films, interactive animations and models.

The content is divided into to four main themes around the horse and the hoof:

• HIPPOLOGY provides all the essential background knowledge on the horse.

Content includes chapters on evolution, behaviour, handling, identification, feeding, evaluation of the hoof and many more.

• ANATOMY forms the basis of any profession closely involved in keeping a horse sound. Content includes detailed chapters on the musculoskeletal system and the hoof, basic information on organ systems and a section devoted to biomechanics. 

• HORSESHOEING covers everything from the materials and equipment used, through extensive video footage of forging techniques to routine hoof care and remedial shoeing.

• DISORDERS OF THE HOOF provides detailed and up-to-date information on a wide range of disorders of the hoof and the distal limb, combined with chapters on orthopaedic examination and diagnostic imaging.

• More than 100 chapters

• Easy-to-use website navigation features with search function

• More than 3’000 photos and illustrations, over 50 interactive figures

• More than 200 training videos

• Step by step guide to forging 12 different specialised shoes often seen in competition

• Comprehensive anatomy atlas including interactive 3D models of the distal limb and hoof

• Glossary with over 1’000 terms relating to the horse, hoof and horseshoeing

• Extensive list of literature references linked to the Medline PubMed database

• Full printable manuscripts of the learning material

The aim of e-hoof.com is to provide an attractive, accessible platform through which to promote a high standard of knowledge, care and workmanship within the equine industry, because sound knowledge forms the basis of good equine welfare practice.

Subscriptions for e-hoof.com can be purchased directly on the e-hoof.com website with the option of  yearly or two yearly subscriptions. EFFA members may be able to purchase subscriptions at discounted rates through their national federations. 

Schools and colleges can purchase educational subscriptions for their students at highly discounted rates, while students from non-participating schools can apply directly for a discount. 

Access to the Glossary is free of charge and does not require a login.

For further information or general enquiries please contact the e-hoof team at info@e-hoof.com