Tackling Troublesome Lost-Shoe Concerns

During a recent Southern Nevada Horseshoer’s Association clinic in Las Vegas, Nev., 
Lee Green talked about how to best deal with lost shoes. While there’s no best answer, the farrier and owner of The Shoein’ Shop in Yucapia, Calif., recommends that you develop a policy.

Some shoers charge nothing if the problem doesn’t develop into a habit. Others replace lost shoes free only within 30 days. Another farrier said that he replaces a shoe for free if the horse was shod the way he wanted, but charges if he had to shoe the horse like the client wanted.

Since it takes time, effort and material to replace a lost shoe, Green builds this cost into his prices. “If it becomes a habit, I’ll quit the customer,” he says. He also mentioned the lost-shoe philosophy followed by Gene Armstrong of Atascadero, Calif., who maintains farriers should be paid for nailing back on every lost shoe so the owner doesn’t think it was the shoer’s fault.

Heel Wedges Worsen Superficial Digital Flexor Tendon Injuries

The sharing of data between American and Dutch equine researchers indicates heel wedges do not reduce the amount of strain on the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT). Since wedges may actually lead to a small increase in stress, Hilary Clayton, a researcher at the Mary Anne McPhail Equine Performance Center at Michigan State University, and Liduin Meershoek from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, don’t recommend using heel wedges with horses suffering from SDF tendonitis…