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No hoof, no horse

by Andrew Nelles
Silhouetted by the afternoon sun, Dr. Bryan Fraley, an equine podiatrist, and his team reshoe a horse with chronic laminitis at a farm in Lexington. Bryan has been working with hooves since his early teens, growing up in Colorado.

Dr. Bryan Fraley slides the switch on a Dremel tool and sands the exterior of a horse’s hoof afflicted with a fungal infection. The high-pitched whine of the motor doesn’t bother the horse, which had been injected with a sedative.

The importance of a horse’s hooves drew Bryan, a veterinarian, to specialize in equine podiatry. Such a specialty is common in central Kentucky but still rare in the greater United States, he says. Effectively treating the ailments he sees each day takes dedication and knowledge.

“There is a saying: ‘No hoof, no horse,’” Bryan says.

He was born in Kentucky – the horse capital of the world – but lived most of his life in western Colorado where he worked with hooves since his early teens.

He followed his interests back to horse country eight years ago. On any given day, Bryan drives to stables to treat horses suffering from various ailments, including laminitis, fungal infections and hoof deformities. Treatment often involves customized shoes, which can be made on site in the rear of his truck.

“It’s made Kentucky feel more like home to me,” he says. “You can throw a rock and hit the next horse, vet or farrier.”

Bryan serves clients spanning central Kentucky, but geography doesn’t limit him. Between jobs one afternoon, he answered a call from someone asking him to fly to California to perform a procedure. He made trips like that several times a month prior to the birth of his daughter, Adeline, 1.

Now he tries to keep his work close to home, and Kentucky, which ranks No. 1 in horse sales, holds his interest.

“One day I can be working on a great race horse. The next day I’m working on a 25-year-old retired horse,” Bryan says. “They both get the same care.”

Before reshoeing a horse in Lexington, Bryan chats with barn staff and his coworkers.
Bryan (center) works with coworkers and barn staff to reshoe a horse afflicted by chronic laminitis at a farm in Lexington. "Believe it or not, I was taught to shoe by a Marlboro man," says Bryan, referring to his childhood neighbor in Colorado, who claimed that he had appeared in the cigarette advertisements.
Bryan uses a Dremel tool to carefully remove parts of a hoof afflicted with White Line Disease, an aggressive fungal infection. His truck is equipped with a variety of tools to treat hoof maladies.
During a stop at his Lexington home, Bryan pets his pony, Superman. Superman and Bryan's horse, Lady of Substance, have become good friends. They both have injuries that slow their movement.
Seen in the side mirror of his truck, Bryan drives his team out to reshoe a horse with chronic laminitis. The team spends a significant amount of time traveling from farm to farm every day.
While visiting a horse recovering from an abscess and bone infection, Bryan stops to chat with Eric Parsons, a farrier from Versailles, who was working on a different horse in the same barn. "We try to have a good relationship with all the farriers," Bryan says.
Bryan comforts a horse with chronic laminitis before reshoeing it at a farm in Lexington. The mare is nearing retirement and was reshod with specialized shoes to help combat pain related to the chronic laminitis. "The stallions get all the credit, but the mares do all the work," he says.
Using a rasp, Bryan works on a horse with chronic laminitis at a farm in Lexington. He uses the rasp to clean up the hoof in preparation for gluing on a shoe.
Bryan walks into a barn to check on a horse with an infected abscess at a Georgetown farm. Bryan and his crew serve clients in an area that spans several counties. "If someone needs us, we go," he says.