When Burney Chapman reintroduced the heart bar, it revolutionized equine hoof-care. Countless horses have survived the scourge of laminitis and founder as a result of the work put forth by the late Lubbock, Texas, shoer.
The scenario can begin in different ways. One involves you pulling the shoes, trimming the feet and noticing a small cavity just inside the white line. Picking up a nail, you give it a scratch and a powder-like substance comes out. More scratching leaves you part way up the hoof wall. Another involves having a horse with hoof walls separating in the most distal part of the foot. While probing the separation, you discover that not only is it separated at the bottom, it goes much higher.
A cold morning 2 days before Christmas found Blane Chapman and two apprentices shoeing at the famed 6666 Ranch in Guthrie, Texas. They didn’t let the closeness of the holiday keep them away, because it was Monday, and Blane has been traveling the 100 miles from Lubbock to Guthrie every Monday for 14 years.
We've heard many great stories about valuable mentors farriers have had throughout their careers. Who are the influential mentor(s) in your shoeing career and why?
Therapeutic shoeing has made great advances in the past few decades, partly because there’s more interest in this specialty, and also because of the development of better methods for dealing with therapeutic situations.
Greg Martin, CJF, of Boerne, Texas, takes the unique approach of marketing his hoof-care practice with a Christmas parade float in Boerne and Comfort, Texas. The award-winning float boasts a variety of surprising features.
Life Data Labs Inc. is a dedicated product manufacturer committed to producing premium quality animal nutrition and health products through continuous product improvement and new product development. First-class ingredients, fresh products, consistent high quality and scientifically proven effectiveness are the principal features of Life Data Labs animal health products. And that's why they've produced the #1 recommended hoof supplement by farriers for 12 consecutive years.
Kawell develops and produces copper alloy horseshoes and inserts, giving horses the care that they need to fight issues associated with white line disease, seedy toe and thrush.
From the feed room to the tack room, SmartPak offers innovative solutions to help riders take great care of their horses. SmartPak was founded in 1999 with the introduction of the patented SmartPak™ supplement feeding system. The revolutionary, daily dose SmartPaks are custom-made for your horse, individually labeled and sealed for freshness.