Use The Right Knife To Open Up The Heels

French equine veterinarian Philippe Benoit says one of the keys to dealing with situations that require opening up the heels is to promote proper heel expansion. He told attendees at the 21st annual Farriers Conference at Cornell University that one way to do this is by trimming the edges of the frog with a hoof knife to open the edges in a narrow V-cut, even cutting the bars. Benoit believes there can be problems with a loop knife or a hoof knife with a hooked blade, since you may not get deep enough to allow the heels to expand. He uses a straight knife.

When The Ringing In Your Ears Won’t Stop

With repeated exposure to the noise from continually banging shoes on the anvil, many horseshoers suffer from some degree of a constant ringing in their ears. Called tinnitus, it’s caused by loud sounds that can damage the nerves in your brain that process auditory impulses, causing the brain to hear a high-pitched sound that results in ringing in one or both ears.

Writing in Bottom Line Tomorrow, University of Iowa audiologist Richard Tyler says tinnitus can also be caused by aspirin, certain medications, a blow to the head, exposure to certain solvents, aging and ear or sinus infections. However, the problem should not be confused with noise-related hearing loss, a separate ailment caused by damage to the tiny hairs of the inner ear. Tyler says your best protection…