Primary Objective: Attend to the Health and Welfare Issues Surrounding Hoof Care

Action Items:

• Eliminate the use of all toe grabs larger than 2 mm, turn downs, jar caulks and stickers on front shoes
• Research the use of hind shoes with toe grabs and other traction devices
• Require trainers to take an educational course on hoof care
• Distribution of educational material to owners and trainers
• Create educational hoof care and safety DVD
• Gain information on current farrier licensing practices and work toward standardizing

• Model rule banning toe grabs greater than 4 mm developed and passed at RCI Convention in April 2007
• Model Rule banning toe grabs greater than 2mm and elimination of all traction devices on front shoes approved and passed in August 2008
• Information on detrimental effects of toe grabs distributed to racing commissions and made available to public on Welfare and Safety Summit website
• Grayson-Jockey Club "Research Report" (distributed in The Blood-Horse magazine) for Summer 2007 and "Horsemen's Update" for September 2007 focused on toe grabs
• Research using video from high-speed cameras of horses breezing on dirt, turf and synthetic surfaces wearing different types of shoes, including shoes with toe grabs of varying heights.
• Shoeing DVD trailer complete and presented at the AAEP Convention and Racing Symposium.
• The Hoof: Inside and Out, 65 minute full length DVD completed with worldwide distribution. Spanish translated version due out the first quarter of 2010
• Presentations made at workshops and industry events on shoeing and hoofcare by committee members.