Farrier and Vet Join Up For Lecture and Demonstration at UC Davis
The 31st Annual Charles Heumphreus Memorial Lecture will take place January 28, 2017 at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM). This year’s event features veterinarian Scott Pleasant and farrier Travis Burns from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (VMCVM). Farriers and equine veterinarians are invited to attend the event, which takes place from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Morning lectures will be in Gladys Valley Hall on the SVM campus, and the afternoon shoeing demonstration will be in the Large Animal Clinic’s covered arena. A complete schedule for the event can be found at www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ce.
Over the years, the Heumphreus Lecture has served as an opportunity for farriers and veterinarians to share insights and collaborate on industry best practices. A veritable “who’s who” of farriers and veterinarians have served as past guest lecturers. As equine podiatry becomes even more of a hand-in-hand venture with veterinary medicine, this year’s event proves to be a unique opportunity to showcase how veterinarians and farriers can work together to improve equine health.
The annual lecture—the first endowed lecture series established at the SVM—honors the memory of Charles Heumphreus, the school’s farrier from 1967 to 1985. The program was initiated to foster the veterinarian-farrier relationship in order to develop a better understanding of equine foot disorders. Each year, the lecture is arranged by clinicians of the UC Davis veterinary hospital. Faculty member Dr. Mary Beth Whitcomb is the chair of the 2017 event, assisted by UC Davis farrier Shane Westman, along with Drs. Eric Davis, Larry Galuppo, Karl Jandrey, Claudia Sonder and David Wilson.
“We are excited about this year’s lineup for the 31st Annual Heumphreus Lecture,” said Dr. Whitcomb. “Scott and Travis will share their unique experiences working together to improve veterinarian-farrier relationships. And we’re very excited to introduce our new farrier Shane Westman who replaced Bill Merfy, our longtime farrier who recently retired.”
The morning lecture session will include Dr. Pleasant and Burns jointly presenting “Veterinarians and Farriers Working Together for the Wellbeing of the Horse” and “The Veterinarian-Farrier Team in Lameness and Surgery Cases,” highlighting how a strong veterinarian-farrier team is imperative for “best management” of lameness, musculoskeletal surgical cases, and the overall health of the horse. Following those two joint lectures, Burns will present “Glue-On Shoe Technology and Application.”
The hands-on afternoon session will include a shoeing demonstration by Burns during which the two primary methods to glue horse shoes to horses’ hooves—“direct glue” and “indirect glue” methods—will be explained in detail. Burns will then team up with Dr. Pleasant again to present a shoeing and hoof wall repair laboratory. The afternoon session has a limited capacity (40), so early registration is strongly encouraged.
Farrier Travis Burns, CJF, TE FWCF, is chief of the Farrier Services at VMCVM and a lecturer at the school. He attended farrier school at the North Carolina School of Horseshoeing and received a BS in Animal Science from North Carolina State University.
Equine specialist Dr. Scott Pleasant, DVM, MS, DACVS, is a professor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at VMCVM (his alma mater), where he has been a faculty member since 1991.
Farrier Shane Westman, APF, who joined UC Davis last summer, will open the event and present his approach to fostering the veterinarian-farrier relationship at the UC Davis veterinary hospital. As a lifelong horseman and a farrier for 23 years, Westman brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his new position at UC Davis. While growing up riding and working with horses in his home state of Washington, he decided to turn his horse hobby into a career, and attended farrier trade school in 1992. Westman joined the American Association for Professional Farriers in its inaugural year as a founding member, and has since served on the board of directors for three years. He is especially passionate about promoting professional development through continuing education to help all farriers to constantly improve their practice.
Thanks to the generous support of individuals and organizations over the years, admission to the Charles Heumphreus Memorial Lecture remains free of charge. However, to help sustain the level of excellence for which the Heumphreus Lecture has been known for more than 30 years, the school asks that participants consider making a contribution of $50 or more. Donations will help continue to bring exceptional speakers to benefit farriers and veterinarians alike.
Please make check payable to: UC Regents for the Charles Heumphreus Memorial Lecture Fund. Donations can be brought to the lecture or mailed to: School of Veterinary Medicine, Office of the Dean – Development, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616. Donations can also be made online.
Veterinarians may earn up to 6.5 hours of continuing education credit. Complete registration information can be found at www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ce.
