Q: My horse’s feet seem to splay outwards at the bottom, then chip. What’s going on and what can the farrier do about it? He is a barefoot horse now and mostly gets ridden over the farm and a bit at the beach. Kim, Henderson A: Hi Kim. What you’re describing may be what we …
Treating hoof abscesses
Q: I wonder if your experts can give me some help and advice about ideally preventing but also treating hoof abscesses/stone bruises. There is a lot of conflicting information out there. For starters, I don’t really understand why an infection is caused by an external injury such as a stone bruise. Is it best to …
Horse riding on the roads
Q: Can you please give me your opinion about the risks and benefits of road work for horses? I have recently moved, and where I now live there are not a lot of grass verges so I will be forced to do a lot of hacking on the roads (mostly unsealed, but some sealed surfaces). …
Why do horses go lame after shoeing?
I'd like to make a list of the reasons why horses go lame after shoeing I would appreciated if you can think of any (the obvious or even the more obscure ones are all needed) please post in the comments section. Thanks 🙂
Stud holes in horseshoes
Q: I am looking for some advice about stud holes. My farrier has always put two stud holes in my horses’ shoes, fairly near the heel. But my friend’s farrier puts her stud holes much further around the shoe, about halfway up the sides. And a friend in the US tells me she puts three …
How high should the farrier put the nails?
Q: Hi David. My friend's farrier says that nails should always be put in 'as high as possible', but my farrier says this is completely incorrect. What is your view on this? Nellie, Manawatu Answer: Thanks for your question. “As high as necessary” might be a better approach. That is, only as high as necessary …
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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 …
Thrush in NZ Horses
Q: I have a mare who is on three to four months’ box rest for an injury, and she is now suffering from thrush. I try to keep her bedding as clean and dry as I can, but it’s not easy. Do you have any suggestions for treatment? Also, she is currently boxed on sawdust …
The apprentice farrier working on my horse
Question: I have been using the same farrier for many years and I am very happy with him. And I still am, apart from one thing. For the last year or so, he has taken on some trainees and is letting them remove shoes, trim hooves and size new shoes. I have not seen them …
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What do bar shoes do?
Can you tell me what bar shoes do? My horse was on-and-off unsound in front until my farrier put him in bar shoes, and now he is sound. But I am curious as to how they actually help. MG, Wellington Answer: Thanks for your question. Great to hear that you’ve made the improvements and your …
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