By Chris Pollitt, BVSc, PhD
Mosby-Wolfe
available from Centaur Forge
414-763-9175
hardcover, 208 pages, illustrated, $100 + s&h
Reviewed by David Millwater

Dr. Christopher Pollitt's association with the Equine Medicine School of Veterinary Science in Australia apparently exposes him to a wider array of hoof and leg injuries and maladies than most farriers and vets will ever see will ever see (fortunately!). He also happens to be an excellent photographer. Put those two aspects together and you get the Color Atlas of the Horse's Foot, a collection of hundreds of full-color, highly detailed images from Dr. Pollitt's archives.

There are spectacular photographs of the hooves and legs affected by every imaginable injury, malformity, and disease. Illustrations detail various bad shoeing approaches and some practical diagnostic procedures. Although Dr. Pollitt tries to focus on what can be observed directly and externally, the Atlas does include many images of internal structures including bones that have been removed from specimens, scanning electron microscope images, radiographs, injected acrylic molds of the circulatory structures, conventional microscopic sections, and beautifully drawn diagrams. The Atlas does an incredible job of explaining the relationship between the internal pathogenesis and external changes involved in lamenesses.

Step by step case studies are presented showing the treatment of severe hoof maladies in great detail, including therapeutic shoeing, resection, and hoof reconstruction. Dr. Pollitt called on such farrier experts as Burney Chapman in the construction of the Atlas, and founder is covered at length.

The Color Atlas of the Horse's Foot is a remarkable achievement in the collection and presentation of visual information relevant to farriery. The text also includes a great deal of good information, although it may be hard to get past the eye-catching images to read it. The Atlas is a wise investment for professional farriers who truly want to know the science of farriery inside and out.