What kind of view do you have?
One of the steps to getting a good trim is often overlooked. If you don’t have a good view of the balance of the bottom of the foot it is difficult to get the best trim. How you hold the leg affects the view of the foot, sometimes dramatically changing the perception you end up with. [more]
Fundamentals of Trimming
Many of the most experienced and respected farriers in the industry will tell you that the trim is the most important step in shoeing a horse. If you don’t get the trim right then keeping the horse sound and the hoof in good condition is going to be more difficult. We have a few simple suggestions regarding the observations you should make before jumping into the trim of a front foot. [more]
Keeping an Old Hunter Happy
By Doug Workman CJF
We all have these horses on our books. They are heading down the back side of the hill in their working life and they need a little help from the farrier. Now I’m not talking about crippled or lam horses per say, just horses with minor problems that are acquired from a long active life. This particular horse we will call Sugar Lump is just such a horse. Sugar Lump is a Hunter and lives the typical hunter life of bath in the morning, training, bath again, 3 to 4 days a week and shows on the weekends with more baths. I don’t really understand all the bathing but it’s hard on the feet. Aside from the feet being wet all the time things tend to get a little loose and run forward with age. [more]
The Cannon Bone as a Reference
By Dave Farley CF
This article will focus on the cannon bone and how it relates to the limb. We selected limbs with and without faults to show and explain what we see. Understanding the basics of these reference points will help develop your eye so you can help your horses achieve better health through better balance. Seldom will you find a horse that has perfect conformation and we do not imply that you should strive to "correct" a mature horse with faulty conformation. We do feel a farrier can help any conformation, good or bad, by trimming and shoeing to complement the conformation. [more]
The Practical Application of Bar Shoes
By Stephen E. O'Grady DVM MRCVS
Bar shoes could be considered the foundation of therapeutic farriery. A bar shoe is one in which the heels are joined to form a continuous unit of steel or aluminum. There are several patterns of complete bar shoes commonly used in therapeutic farriery including the straight bar, the egg bar, the heart bar, the heart bar-egg bar (full support shoe) and the “Z’ bar shoe. It is important to realize and understand the multitude of benefits a bar shoe can provide such as increased stability of the hoof capsule, increased ground contact surface, local protection and recruitment of additional weight bearing areas of the foot. [more]
Shoeing for Form, Function and No Pressure
By Doug Workman CJF
This is a show Hunter that has just finished a long show season. He has come into my life for a little light training and to let mind, body and feet have a much needed break. The life of a show horse being what it is, the farriers that work on them during the show season really have their hands full keeping these horses showing and sound. The fact that the horses have limited turnout, two to three baths a day and a variety of footing to deal with makes keeping them sound a tough job. My hat is off to these farriers. [more]
12 Points of Reference: The Knee
By Dave Farley CF and Roy Bloom CJF
The 12 points of Reference article printed in the last issue of the Natural Angle, combined with the 12 points DVD "is a winning combination.” We both use these steps on every horse we trim. Each of the 12 points can be linked to each other. We have all heard the statement, “Every action has a reaction.” This is a very important statement when compared to the bones and joints in the lower limb of every animal we trim. Each digit of the lower limb could be normal for that particular equine. Likewise, there are several abnormal conformation faults possible for each digit in the lower limb of any horse. The more normal the conformation the easier to trim and shoe, if we pay attention and keep the limb balanced for that animal. The more deviation or abnormal the conformation of each bone and joint in the limb, the more important it is to properly trim and maintain that limb for the longevity of that animal. [more]
12 Points of Reference for Evaluating Limb Balance
By Dave Farley CF and Roy Bloom CJF
We have developed a list of reference points that have helped us in evaluating limb balance and developing a plan for trimming the hoof to maintain or enhance the balance. We are putting together a series of DVD’s that will go into the details of these reference points and how we see them affecting balance. The following list and images give a good overview of those points and will hopefully give you food for thought in your daily work. [more]
Sheared Heels or Heel Shear?
by Dave Farley CF
In this article, I will show you how I shoe a horse with a mild heel shear. In future articles, we will deal with the two severe stages that I call sheared heels. I will not attempt to diagnose the cause of this condition, which is explained in several great textbooks. Instead, I will shoe the horse just as I do in my everyday practice. [more]
Baldor Grinder Capacitors - Low or High Voltage?
Baldor has long been recognized as the premier American brand of grinders and buffers. In order to service the farrier market, they have partnered with FPD to produce units that are easily adapted for use with various attachments such as Expander wheels, Multi-Tools, and various other useful options. [more]
In Belgium & Holland COARSE is good
by Red Renchin
I have been shoeing imported warmblood sport horses for wuite a number of years. One of my observations was that after being here for a while the shape of their feet would change . They would go from a nice round wide foot to a medium width . Then some would go to a narrow width and then into the long toe - low heel land of no return or just the opposite, to an upright dished or clubfoot look . Other farriers reported similar problems in other parts of the country. [more]
General Production Processes for Horseshoe Nails
by Bill Kleist
A book could be written about the history of horseshoe nails, but the intent here is to clarify some aspects and characteristics about today’s horseshoe nails and the way they are produced.
Short Background
Iron nails for holding horseshoes are found as early as 500 B.C. by the Celts in Britain. In the 1700’s horseshoe nails were hand-made by Journeyman Nailers. From the mid 1700’s to early 1800’s nails were produced in a variety of machinery. Typically all these machines used heated iron or steel in their production process. The development of better steel wire in the late 1800’s eventually allowed the development of cold forging processes where the horseshoe nail could be produced without having to heat the base material before forming the nail. [more]
Keep The Horse Going
by Dave Farley CF
Too often we are asked as farriers to shoe a horse that has an obvious problem but the trainer or owner insists that we don’t change much because the horse is doing well. That was the case with this horse . The crack was unloaded a couple of shoeings before by simply rasping (grooving) the wall about a half inch below the coronary. A groove like this should never be deep enough to reach sensitive tissue. I would have preferred to apply a heartbar shoe that was a size larger and also unload the wall behind the crack but was asked not to change the shoe. You can see that the crack is well below the coronary band now. [more]