There's regular discussion about the pros and cons of hot shoeing over cold. One of the things I enjoyed about hot shoeing was the smell. After a busy day shoeing, my clothes had that distinctive pong, particularly if I'd been working in a stable or in a closed environment. Less airflow really helped the odour …
Laminitis
Q: My pony has come down with a bad case of laminitis for the first time and the farrier has asked me to get some xrays of the feet before he trims her. Is it usual for farriers to ask for xrays and can you tell me what use they will be to him? I …
Andrew Nicholson (Friday photo)
Kevin Bacon's hoofcare range is endorsed by Andrew Nicholson. For the Friday photo this week, here's an image of Andrew competing at Badminton in 2010 on Avebury. Visit the Kevin Bacon's NZ website for more info about this great range of hoofcare products.
What does Hankin do all day?
I no longer do any shoeing or trimming. I just do farrier supplies. Our warehouse and store-room isn't a conventional shop. We have farriers coming in to collect stuff and to have a look at farrier gear but we don't have a shop which is staffed all day. The popular misconception seems to be that …
Smarter farrier business
I've blogged before about the importance of farriers maintaining (and raising) the standard of work when things are financially tight. It doesn't always seem the most obvious approach but increasing the overall quality rather than cutting corners and defaulting to inferior shoes and tools will often pay dividends in the long run. But there are …
Horses that dish Q&A
Q: I'm looking at purchasing a staionbred/standardbred cross which dishes its front legs. In the future I would like to do some showing and dressage - would corrective shoeing help? What can I do to fix, help or disguise this fault? Angela, Kaiapoi Answer: Angela. Dishing, where very simply, either one or both of the front …
Farrier excuses (5)
Farrier excuses: "The dog ate my diary"
Farrier excuses (4)
Farrier excuses: "There was something stuck in the foot so I'm just letting out the nasty juices"
Farrier excuses (3)
Farrier excuses: "My stud holes were perfect, you must have been using the wrong sized studs"
Farrier Blog 