Q: I have noticed that my friend's horse has one toe clip on his front shoes, but my farrier puts two clips on the front shoes of my horse. Is there a reason for the difference or is it just personal preference by the farrier? Rebekah, Bay of Plenty A: Hi Rebekah. It might be …
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 …
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 …
Burning on farrier photo
Photo by Antonia Steeg
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 🙂
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 …
Farriers and their reliability
When I first started my own shoeing round in the mid-90's back in Blighty, every one of my clients were obviously, new to me. I picked up quite a few clients who had been using farriers previously who they had labelled as "unreliable". Some of the farriers who had been grouped into the "he doesn't …
Farrier photo: clenching up
Clenching up the chestnut mare I was using Diamond pull-offs, Gibbins chaps and a T-shirt from The Warehouse
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 …
Continue reading "The apprentice farrier working on my horse"
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