Thanks to David Bartley for this guest post: One way to fabricate nearly any special shoe For any farrier that does an amount of work of the “one off” type, (experimental shoe types in an effort to save a horses life for example), I think the bandsaw is probably one of the most under rated …
Break-over and concussion
Q: My question is about break-over and concussion. Where I live, we have had a long and very dry spring, summer and early autumn, so the ground has been rock hard for months and lots of horses (including mine) have jarred up and become sore. A friend of mine has a new farrier, though, and …
What tools are need to remove a horseshoe?
What tools are need to remove a horseshoe? To remove a horseshoe safely you'll need most importantly, the knowledge and some skill. It's probably best to have a farrier to do any work on the feet but in an emergency, having some tools at hand can be useful: Buffer (also called a clinch/clench cutter). Raises …
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Barefoot trimming
Here's a reproduction from Absolute Horse magazine posted by Trelawne Equine in the UK. Simon Curtis' angle on barefoot trimming:
Surface Dressing (Guest Post)
We welcome guest posts. Thanks to David Bartley from Tasmania for this guest post. SURFACE DRESSING / FITTING AND OUTLINE FITTING HORSESHOES The art of farriery is not the preparation of the foot to take a steel wear plate. And it is most definitely not trimming the foot in a particular manner so one can apply a …
Over-reaching
Q: My horse is a chronic over-reacher, and he quite often injures himself. I turn him out in bell boots, but these tend to rub. What can you suggest? Barbara, Rotorua A: Hi Barbara. Over-reaching can be a problem and if he’s doing it in the paddock then that’s frustrating too. Hopefully, there’s a solution …
Kicking the stable wall
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 …
Replacing lost shoes
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? …
Sticking to the shoeing process
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 …
Odd feet on my dressage horse
Q: I have just bought a four-year-old I hope will be my dressage star of the future, but he has two very different front feet. His left front is upright while the right has very low heels. I believe he has Advanced/Grand Prix potential, but I worry that he hasn't been balanced properly. I haven't …
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