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Why do we seem to see an increase in lameness around mating time? A common thought is that at mating time you have cows riding each other and putting more weight on the hooves of the cow being [...]

We are now entering the drying off period. Another season is nearly over and, if you are anything like me, you will be looking forward to a little bit of downtime –  some of you may even go [...]

It is still a widely held view that cows hooves can get bruised by standing on a stone and that the hoof can get sole penetration from sharp stones. These are the most common reasons given when I [...]

Finally, it’s happening! New Zealand is getting its own Dairy Hoofcare Institute. On the 28th of November, the Dairy Hoofcare Institute NZ will be opened by Andrew Falloon in Ashburton. This [...]

Temperatures have been very high over the summer months and people are enjoying their summer holidays with long days at the beach, water skiing and swimming. At home we turn on the air [...]

As I was thinking of what to write this month my wife reminded me that our mission statement says, “Supporting farmers to be the best they can be”, and then she asked “what does that mean right [...]

Are thin soles a result of too much wear or a lack of growth? This may seem a strange question. Is it not the same thing? If the wear and the growth is out of balance you will either have hooves [...]

I have had a conversation with a farmer about trimming cow’s feet.  He was managing a farm and his contract stated that he was required to have a minimum number of staff members. Because of that, [...]

We are well into Winter now. If the weather stays as it is, it’s going to be a breeze. We made silage on our small holding only a month ago and there is already plenty of grass regrowth in the [...]

Last month I attended the International Lameness in Ruminants Conference in Tokyo, Japan. This is a conference where the latest research in lameness is presented from all over the world. You [...]