Presenting the horse to the farrier

Posted on March 12, 2012 by

I expect all farriers have some clients who are more conscientious than others when it comes to presenting their horses for shoeing.

It’s usually quite easy for the client to turn up early to get the horse ready. Here in NZ, most horses live out all year around so the state of the paddocks depend on the weather and the state of the paddocks has an impact on the cleanliness of the legs and hooves.

Most horse owners expect (quite rightly) a high standard of work from their farrier. But the number who probably wouldn’t give any thought whatsoever to presenting their horse in a clean and tidy state for the farrier to be able to do the best job possible is too high! How can a farrier do a good job of the trimming or shoeing when he can’t see the feet or gets his hands and tools covered in mud?

If you ask me, all farriers should insist on having a clean and tidy horse to work on and also a clean and level surface to work with too. When the owner does present the horse in a less than desirable state, I think it’s important for the farrier to make sure the owner cleans the horse off and lets them know what they expect for next time. It’s too easy for farriers to end up wiping the feet and legs themselves whilst the owner holds the horse. It’s wrong but we’ve all done it without thinking!

Something that owners can miss is also the fact that farriers prefer dry horses too. Washing muddy legs with a hose pipe just before shoeing can make for an unhappy farrier :)

Farriers, how many clients have ever asked you (unprompted) how you would like the horse presented for shoeing?

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Kicking the stable wall

Posted on March 11, 2012 by

Q: My horse has white hooves and (I think) due to his annoying habit of constantly kicking his stable wall, the side of his hoof is discoloured as if it is bruised. It doesn’t seem to be causing lameness though. Should I just ignore it?

RT, Te Awamutu

A: You’re correct, this discolouration is likely to be bruising from kicking the stable wall. Whilst it may not be causing any lameness problems at the moment, the habit and any resulting bruising isn’t something that should be ignored.

I recommend trying to come up with a solution for the stable kicking. There is some potential damage to hooves from repeated trauma of this nature. The hoof can split and crack or if the problem becomes excessive, there’s the potential for more serious injury – to the hooves and/or limbs (not to mention damage to the stable wall!).

The cracks we’d expect to see can occur higher up the hoof wall than the ones you’d normally see which start at the ground surface. A horizontal crack can open up when the hoof is placed under excessive forces from the wall kicking.

In order to find a solution, start by trying to ascertain why he is kicking the wall in the first place.

David Hankin Dip.WCF

This question and answer first appeared in NZ Horse & Pony magazine, September 2011

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Building the Equine Hoof

Posted on March 10, 2012 by

Building the Equine Hoof is an educational book co-developed by Zinpro and David Hood from Texas A&M University.

Covering topics from basic anatomy of the horses foot, nutrition, hoof growth and common diseases, this 45 page full colour book is easy to read and educational. I’ve always particularly liked the transparent layered pages which overlay to show the outer wall, dermal layer and then the bone structure within.

Building the Equine Hoof

45 pages, paperback, 2002 edition, published by Zinpro Corp.

Building the Equine Hoof is available at www.farrier-shop.com. Yes, we ship worldwide

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Replacing lost shoes

Posted on March 7, 2012 by

Q: My new farrier charges me to replace a cast shoe, but my old one never used to. I feel a bit resentful, as why should I pay if he hasn’t nailed the shoe on properly in the first place and it falls off or gets sucked off by the mud? What do you think?

Roz, Manawatu

A: Hi Roz. I suggest that it’s highly unlikely that a shoe falls off on its own! If your farrier nailed a shoe to a fence post, it would very likely still be in place six weeks later (and probably six years later too) and not have fallen off. It’s more likely the horses’ behaviour in the paddock or something in the paddock environment itself that is causing the problem.

A farriers job should be to shoe the horse for the benefit of that particular horse, their comfort and long term soundness as a priority. With regards to the shoes, it’s the owners job to care for and ride the horse to ensure the shoes stay in place (to therefore compliment what the farrier is trying to achieve). The owners responsibility includes where the horse is kept, how it is ridden/competed and so on.

If your horse is shod well but losing shoes frequently then you need to look at what is causing the problem. If you think they’re getting sucked off in the mud and you’re not keen on paying the farrier to replace it then I recommend moving the horse to a drier paddock.

The fencing around horse paddocks is very often unsuitable in NZ. The number of horses with wire cuts from getting their feet through unsuitable fencing is huge in this country. Other than the physical damage to heels, pasterns and the like, the likelihood of pulling shoes off on fences is high for these horses.

I expect your farrier is keen to avoid coming back to replace lost shoes too regardless of whether he charges you for the visit. If you talk to him and work together to find a possible cause of the problem then you can all benefit (including the horse of course). Although talking about “shoes just falling off” might be best avoided for finding the best solution!

David Hankin Dip.WCF

This question and answer first appeared in NZ Horse & Pony magazine, August 2011

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What causes corns?

Posted on March 4, 2012 by

Q: I do a lot of road riding and 10 to 20km forest rides, and my horse has developed corns on his heel. Can you tell me what corns are (are they anything like the corns that humans get) and how can they be treated? Is it caused at all by the surfaces he is worked on?

Ricky, Auckland

A: Corns are a bruising which is occurs in a particular place in the hoof called appropriately, “the seat of corn”.

The seat of corn can be seen on the solar surface on the inner area of the hoof wall turns to form the bars. There’s two on each hoof – one on the inside and one on the outside.

The causes of corns have some similarity to other types of bruising. That is, they can be caused by hard impact, regular concussion to the area and sometimes disease/injury.

The pressure from an ill-fitting or shoe that has been left on too long (with the hoof growing over the shoe) is a classic cause of a corn. The shoe presses on the seat of corn and causes a corn to form. Working the horse regularly on certain (usually harder) surfaces can be a contributing factor. The co-lateral cartilages of the pedal bone are directly over the seat of corn and more often than not play an important role in helping corns to form. Sometimes these cartilages can be the cause of a corn when bony changes occur within the hoof capsule. A veterinary diagnosis may help establish the likelihood of this and it’s most certainly something worth investigating when the initial farrier alterations have been tried and the problem doesn’t improve or there’s a persistent recurrence.

It’s also worth checking to see if dirt or debris is getting lodged under the shoe and pressing on the seat of corn – this could be quite simple to eliminate if it’s the case.

A minor corn is often seen as reddening on the solar surface of the foot and can be eased away by the farrier or vet to remove the pressure on the area.

More severe corns will continue deeper into the hoof (often in a relatively tubular shape towards the inside) and can sometimes be wet and bloody and turn necrotic.

As with any bruise, we expect to see some degree of lameness in a horse with a corn.

Treatment involves identifying the cause of the corn and removing that cause. Often carefully cutting the corn away and attempting to prevent recurrence by adjusting the shoeing or hoof balance will be enough. For deep seated corns, some further veterinary treatment may be necessary which allows the seat of corn to drain and then protect any damage to sensitive structures.

In answer to your question, yes, the surface you’re working on could be a contributing factor to the problem. Talk things through with you farrier and vet if necessary and together you can hopefully find a solution that works for your horse.

David Hankin Dip.WCF

first published in NZ Horse & Pony magazine December 2011

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Sticking to the shoeing process

Posted on March 3, 2012 by

I wouldn’t claim to have worked with heaps of different farriers over the years. In fact, I consider myself a bit of an under-achiever in that respect. I have little doubt working alongside other farriers is probably the best way to improve our skills, learn new stuff and for farriers who usually work alone, realise our short-comings.

It always surprised me how differently the farriers that I did work alongside went about things. The order in which they did things as well as the intricacies of the job itself. I’m not saying they were right or wrong, just that it was food for thought!

I was taught to work the feet in pairs. Whilst too many feet aren’t a perfect pair, in the ideal horse, making them a pair should usually by a focus. So it follows to me that working in pairs is a logical approach.

Watching other farriers – particularly some of the old school, they would start at one front foot then go to the nearest hind foot, then to the other hind and finally to the remaining front.

I could always see the merit in going from one front foot to the other. Keeping in mind what I had done to the first front foot when I was working on the other. Going directly from one to the other front meant I hadn’t forgotten what I did to the first by the time I’d worked my way around the hinds too.

And equally importantly when shoeing, treating each stage of the process separately. Taking the shoe off one front foot then immediately doing the same to the other so both shoes are off before any foot dressing takes place. And before the dressing, taking the shoes off the hinds too (but still working in pairs).

Taking the shoes off is a good time to further assess the horse and feet before any trimming is done. We can assess wear patterns, any unusual hoof angle growth and have a good think about what we’re going to do later on in the process. A classic example of this is horses with very odd feet (one boxy foot and one sloping/flat). A farrier in a rush who takes off one shoe and dresses the foot whilst he still has it up might not realise the other foot is particularly different and wish he hadn’t when he finally gets around the other side to the hoof that is (for example) flat. The odd feet on this horse could have been trimmed to get closer to being a pair but end up being even more odd. Once the foot is trimmed, it’s not very practical to stick the hoof back on.

Then dressing two feet accordingly and fitting two shoes so the shape is fresh in my mind. It’s so easy for the most experienced farrier to get distracted when shoeing (horses doing horse type things, owners wanting to chat, phones ringing etc) so I found focussing on one part of the process at a time can actually be more productive than trying to multi-task. How many times do us farriers have to go back to the foot we just dressed to remind ourselves what shape it is because we lost concentration?

A simple guideline I remembered from my early days was to do to one foot what you did to the other. It’s not a rule, just a guideline but keeping that in mind when shoeing helped me to keep thinking in pairs. If I couldn’t remember what I did to the other foot then I was doing something wrong!

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Asking to get burnt

Posted on March 2, 2012 by

Somebody should tell this farrier fella that using a rasp like that when burning on is dangerous and there’s a possibility the rasp could slip and he will burn himself.

It happened to me once. At least.

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Derek Gardner hammers

Posted on March 1, 2012 by

We just took delivery of some Derek Gardner hammers. Wow, they’re just beautiful (in a practical sort of way).

Made in the UK by multiple national farrier champion, Derek Gardner from Cumbria, each finished hammer is inspected by Derek before if leaves his workshop.

The turning/rounding hammers are available in 1 3/4lb, 2lb and 2 1/2lb weights and we also have in stock the Derek Gardner 2lb cross pein.

Even though I won’t be using these tools myself (no longer shoeing), I’m stoked to make them available for the first time to farriers in NZ. C’mon, don’t we all like to go to work with the best tools?

Derek Gardner hammers are available from www.farrier-shop.com 0800 211 212

 

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What is causing my horse to stumble?

Posted on February 28, 2012 by

Q: I have my horse shod regularly – usually every five weeks – and his feet look perfectly normal to me. But he trips a lot, especially when being ridden in a paddock. Is this a physical/foot problem, or to do with the way he is being ridden? Is there anything my farrier can do?

Stumbly bumbly, Christchurch

A: Nice to hear you are having your horse shod regularly, that’s very important and can help to reduce the likelihood of many common problems.

There are a number of elements that can contribute, encourage or exaggerate stumbling in a horse. It may be that one or a combination of these factors could be the cause:

  • Long toes/low heels (should ideally be improved through regular shoeing)
  • Conformational imperfections (a limb that is not straight will not necessarily move straight)
  • An unfit horse (horse may find it harder to move forwards)
  • An overweight horse
  • A young or green horse
  • Unbalanced feet
  • Unbalanced or overweight (for the horse) rider
  • A horse not ridden suitably
  • Uneven or heavy-going riding surface
  • Lameness

Many of these factors are related to the ease (or lack of) to which the horse can break over and move forwards. Anything that restricts or inhibits the movement of the front feet and horse can encourage stumbling.

Having identified the cause should assist you with and your chosen professionals with arriving at a suitable solution and course of action to improve the stumbling problem.

From a farriery viewpoint assisting the breakover of the front feet may be a consideration. This can be done in a number of ways but the most popular methods include a break over assisting/rolled/rocker-toe  shoe or fitting the shoe slightly under the toe. This may make it easier for the horse to move forwards and reduce the likelihood of stumbling. Your own farrier will be able to offer advice if this is considered to be appropriate for your particular horse.

David Hankin Dip.WCF

This question and answer originally appeared in NZ Horse & Pony magazine, February 2009

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Farriers looking after themselves

Posted on February 27, 2012 by

The focus is usually on farriers being big and strong. For sure, the need for muscle is important to be able to do the job competently day in and day out without collapsing in a heap (and even then, many of us have been known to collapse in a heap anyway).

A farrier being able to work physically efficiently or having developed smart ways to do various parts of the job will help tremendously. Brute strength isn’t always the best way to get a job done of course – doing something correctly and efficiently can help a farrier conserve energy and either mean we get an extra horse done per day or better still have enough energy at the end of a day to spend time with the kids/family/on our own recreation.

Along the same lines, physical fitness is in my opinion something that is overlooked by farriers. Anybody who’s done the job for a while will realise that farriery won’t actually keep you fit – not in an overall sense anyway. Yes, we get strong, build some muscle (in some parts of the body) and get “shoeing fit” – meaning we can get through a busy day of shoeing. But that doesn’t mean we’re healthy or necessarily fit. A farrier who does little physical exercise other than shoeing might struggle to do a 20 minute run or walk up a steep hill without puffing.

I met a self employed gardener quite a few years ago who said he liked to go for a run after work. He was very physically hard working during the day so I didn’t at the time fully appreciate where he was coming from. Surely, a run after doing a hard days work would be the last thing he needed (or maybe he wasn’t actually working hard enough if he had enough energy left after work to go for a run I thought). But I’ve come to appreciate where he was coming from. Indulging in some phyiscal exercise of the none work variety can help clear the mind, release some of the physical tension from the daily grind and importantly for farriers, work wonders for our backs. And being in good physical shape can have a hugely positive impact on our work and personal lives.

Being supremely fit isn’t something we’re all going to realistically achieve. But getting rid of some of the belly, improving core strength and giving the parts of the body that farriery doesn’t reach is something just about all of us could and should do.

Over the past few years, I’ve bounced around from being supremely fit and healthy to being overweight and feeling like crap (I have some work to do again at the moment!). I have struggled with getting the right balance of work and exercise but know how important it is to get them both going at the same time. I’m going to succeed on being successful and healthy! Are you doing the same?

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