This was taken during my farriery apprenticeship on the Isle of Wight. Probably about 1993. Back in the olden days when I clenched up and clenched up then clenched up.
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Farrier photo – clenching up again
Posted in Farrier business, Farrier Services
Tagged farrier apprenticeship, farrier photos
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What’s going on with these feet?
Q Hi David. We are trying find a big, safe, suitable horse for my husband to learn to ride on – he is keen on taking up hunting. We have found a horse who seems great in all respects – except his feet! I have included a shot that we took when we tried him out – what on Earth is going on with that hole in the middle?
Apart from the fact I can’t believe someone presented a horse for sale with feet like this, I can’t swallow the owner’s insistence that the horse is sound. Do you think there is any chance these feet can be rehabbed by a decent farrier? Are they just a bit neglected or do you think we should steer well clear?
Name withheld, North Island
A: Thanks for your question. I agree, it’s disappointing that the horse has been presented for sale with a foot like this. I’m sure you would have preferred to have been shown a horse with this problem already addressed and the feet trimmed. If I were viewing this horse, my concern would be if the seller allowed the hooves to get in such an obvious state then what else had the horse been subject to or what other problems had been allowed to develop that were not as clearly visible as the feet?
The crack at the toe and the hole in the middle are quite probably infected with white line disease (commonly known in New Zealand as “seedy toe”). Seedy toe is a bacterial/fungal infection which initially affects the white line between the outer hoof wall and sole but can travel up if left untreated.
I note from the photo supplied that the hoof wall is flared – that is, has been allowed to deviate from the angle of the hoof wall further up. This is particularly noticeable on the right hand side of the photo. Allowing the hoof to flare will force the hoof wall to pull away and stretch underneath (at the white line area for example).
I suspect the stretching of the white line caused by the flare has allowed dirt and debris to penetrate the white line underneath and the seedy toe to get started.
To answer your questions, yes I think it is possible for a farrier to make improvements to these feet. Seedy toe and cracks of this size don’t always cause initial lameness so it’s not uncommon for a horse to be sound in the short term. But it’s quite possible that he’ll become lame if the problem is left to deteriorate further.
After your vet/farrier has confirmed the diagnosis, they might choose to address the flares to start with by carefully rasping the outer wall and re-aligning the angles. As this is a possible cause of the crack/seedy toe, it should be one of the first things to tackle before clearing up the other problems the hoof may have.
The treatment of seedy toe needs to be carefully planned as each case can require an individual approach. This may include removing the affected area with a knife or dremel tool, the application of an appropriate effective solution and corrective shoeing and trimming at the time of treatment and on an ongoing basis until the hoof has regrown to a healthy state. This should always be performed with veterinary advice and assistance and when removing larger areas of hoof, consideration should be given to providing the hoof capsule adequate support as there can be knock-on consequences from removal of hoof wall or other structures.
The prognosis should likely be positive if the removal of the suspected seedy toe, the management of the crack and realignment of the hoof wall angles is managed correctly.
David Hankin Dip.WCF
this question and answer first appeared in NZ Horse & Pony magazine, September 2010
Posted in Advice, Hoof Care and Treatments
Tagged farrier advice, hoof trimming, seedy toe, white line disease
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What happens at farrier competitions?
Q. Can you tell me what happens at a farrier competition? Is it the fastest person to shoe a horse who wins? My own farrier (he’s about 80 years old) takes a long time to put front shoes on my Clydesdale mare. Do you think that’s why he always says he’s too busy to enter competitions? Sally, Hamilton
A. Great question Sally. Speed isn’t usually the main objective in farrier competitions although for most classes, there is usually a time limit to complete the task.
There are some variation in classes at different competitions throughout New Zealand and the world but generally certain skill-sets are being tested and judged.
These often include forging skills (including shoe making, tool making and so on), foot dressing (trimming for example) and shoeing.
In many classes, the competing farrier will be required to make a particular shoe, prepare the foot and then shoe the foot within a certain time limit. The judge will mark each part of the process and compare the scores with other competitors to ascertain the winner. Other classes include just shoe making, forging and so on. The shoemaking generally involves making a horseshoe from a straight steel bar. In some classes where extra strength is required, the competitor will be allowed a “striker” who uses a sledge hammer to help shape the steel.
Some competitions have a mail-in class where competitors who don’t necessarily attend the competition can make something and send it in for judging.
Other classes are sometimes team events – a three man heavy horse shoeing for example. This can be particularly enjoyable to watch and a real crowd pleaser.
New Zealand has produced some exceptional talent when it comes to farriers. We are regularly represented in some of the toughest farrier competitions in the world – sometimes by NZ based farriers who travel overseas to compete and other times by NZ’ers who live offshore.
Farriers who compete often do so to improve their skills (a certain amount of practice is required), to learn from their fellow competitor and to stay in touch with other farriers.
Sally, I think your farrier has earned himself the right to pass on the opportunity to enter competitions if he so wishes. If he’s still shoeing Clydesdales in his advancing years then he deserves the time off!
David Hankin Dip.WCF
This question and answer first appeared in NZ Horse & Pony in December 2009
Posted in Advice, Horseshoes and hoof boots, Shoemaking
Tagged Clydesdales, farrier advice, farrier competition, horseshoeing
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Barefoot versus shoeing
farriersnotebook blogs:
Phrases like “shoeing is abusive” or “horses are barefoot in the wild” can easily sway inexperienced horse owners to keep their unsound horses trimmed instead of reaping the benefits of shoeing. Anybody that is any good at anything knows there is never “only 1 way” to do something! Trimming and shoeing horses are no exception.
Techniques used on one horse may not work on another horse. Trimming and shoeing guidelines are developed by professionals with decades of experience. Studies on angles, depth of sole, breakover, flight phase and landing phase are crucial in understanding hoof biomechanics.
Lack of finances could be a reason to pursue keeping a horse barefoot, but barefoot trimming may not be conducive to the horse’s performance. Novice riders that do not have the feel to detect lameness should be aware of the type of footing their barefoot horse is required to work in. Horses may respond differently to variances in footing and riders must become sensitive to the wear and tear they are causing the feet.
On the other hand, more experienced riders might be able to accurately evaluate soundness when the horse is being ridden. They may know what to look for in a quality trim and their horses may do quite well under the right circumstances.
The post goes on to list the pros and cons of barefoot trimming. It’s a well balanced blog post and I’d recommend it to any horse owners considering making the switch to barefoot.
The full post is on the farriersnotebook blog
Posted in Hoof Care and Treatments
Tagged barefoot, farriers blog, farriersnotebook, shoeing
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Kerckhaert in NZ
Kerckhaert horseshoes
We sell a wide range of horseshoes from our warehouse in Christchurch, New Zealand. I’ve set up the farrier supplies business to cater for what farriers, vets, saddleries and horse owners need regardless of what brand the gear is. The benefit of being independent and not aligned to any particular large international manufacturer means we stock what our customers want and not just what we’re told to stock. It seems to be a popular approach according to our customers.
We supply many of the popular shoes made by Kerckhaert in Europe. The range includes Kerckhaert Classic horseshoes, Classic Rollers, Kings light steel shoes, Kings racing ali plates and a selection of the shoes for the harness racing industry – half round half swedge, half round trotting shoes, Kings degree graduated aluminium hinds and outer rim fronts to name just a few.
The Kerckhaert shoes are very good quality and whilst not our best selling shoe, have a loyal following. We send the Kerkchaert shoes to farriers in all four corners of New Zealand.
The name Kerckhaert is the surname of the manufacturers in Holland. There are some common mis-spellings of the name in farrier circles as you might expect:
- Kerkhaert
- Kerckheart
- Kerchaert
- Kercheart
- Kerckart
- Kerkhart
However you like to spell the name, the Kerckhaert factory makes some nice horseshoes.
Have a look at a selection of Kerckhaert shoes in NZ
Billy Crothers shoemaking – video
The beauty of concave horseshoes.
Five times world champion farrier Billy Crothers, manufacturer of HMS horseshoes discusses the merits of concave and shoemaking in this short, easy to watch video from Hoofwatch
Posted in Horseshoes and hoof boots, Shoemaking
Tagged Billy Crothers, building shoes, concave horse shoes, shoemaking
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Stud hole maintenance tips
Anthony Lawrence blogs about the care of stud holes
Perhaps nothing in the shoeing process causes as much frustration (for those who use them) as stud holes. A vital component of traction for sport horses, they can be very problematic for competitors to deal with… and usually at the worst possible time, when you get to your event and need to screw in your studs.
Like everything, stud holes require proper maintenance to sidestep this infuriating occurrence.
A 5/16″ hole is punched to be tapped with a 3/8″ thread. All studs and stud holes in NZ use this standard.
They should anyway 
The stud holes in your horses shoes are subject to interaction between the ground and your 600kg horse with every single step he takes, often on bitumen, gravel, mud, manure, urine etc. That is a pretty hostile environment for a precision fitting situation such as the threads of a stud hole, that are tapped to fit precisely with the thread of your stud.
Any damage to the thread of the stud hole and you will have problems screwing in the stud. Without some sort of protection for your stud holes, they become packed with the above, which is very difficult to remove from a possibly stressed and wriggling horse at a show. Worse still, the leading edge of the stud hole will be burred over and damaged, making it impossible to get the stud in without re-tapping the hole.
This is not stuff you want to fool around with at the show.
We’ve all seen it!
Some people stuff the holes with cotton wool or use rubber stoppers or some such method to keep dirt out. but this does not save from damage from the ground. and often you still have to re-tap to get the studs in.
Inserting the studs is much easier in a stud hole that has been protected with keepers I strongly recommend some sort of screw in stud keepers to protect the hole from damage. It then becomes an easy matter to remove the the keepers and screw in the studs to a preserved stud hole.
Even this is not foolproof and requires some periodic maintenance to avoid frustration at the horse show.
Fine dust particles work into the threads and along with moisture, they can rust tight, making them difficult or impossible to remove.
If using hex-head keepers, the head can wear down to the point where you cannot get your spanner on.
This is easily prevented by checking the keepers once a week to inspect for wear and to move the keeper, i.e. screw it out a few turns and screw it back in to prevent the rusting in problem.
It is not a bad idea to brush the threads of your studs and your keepers to remove dirt and apply some grease or oil to lubricate and prevent rust when screwing them in and out.
Lastly, be very careful not to cross-thread when screwing in studs and keepers.
With these few steps, it should prevent any hassles when you need your studs in – at the horse show.
But Murphy and his Law are ever present. If anything can go wrong, it will; and at the worst possible moment. So be armed with the various paraphernalia to clean out and re-tap stud holes in an emergency. These are available from any decent saddlery.
All good advice Original post by Anthony is here
Posted in Advice, Farrier Services, Farrier tools and gear
Tagged horseshoes, stud holes, stud keepers
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