Being the farrier at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center requires the profession’s traditional skills, as well as those of a teacher and an inventor
Being able to problem solve for the unexpected and unfamiliar is a job requirement for farriers. Even today, when manufacturers continually make new keg shoes and equipment to tackle nearly every footcare issue, resourceful shoers will still reach for bar stock when unique cases arise.
As the name hospital pad clearly suggests, these pads are used primarily in therapeutic situation, providing protection and support for an injured hoof. They can be particularly useful when providing follow-up care following a puncture wound or other damage to the sole.
I had a customer call me tonight asking about putting a hospital plate on a young horse that has an abscess. I have an idea that I need to fit a shoe and cut an aluminum plate to fit it, drill holes through the plate, drill holes in the shoe and tap them. I need to use bolts in holes — careful not to go through to hoof. Do I have all of this right?
Farriers moving from horse to horse commonly encounter hoof abscesses. Often during treatment, a severe hoof abscess or other foot problem will expose sensitive tissue, necessitating more extensive measures such as a veterinary examination and the application of a hospital plate.
AT TIMES, there are good reasons for using a plate to cover the sole area of a horse’s foot. It may be to protect a bruised sole or frog or for keeping medication in the proper place.
ANYTIME THE SENSITIVE structures on the bottom of the horse’s foot are exposed, it is a good idea to protect them. There are various ways to protect the foot, including bandages and pads, however almost every farrier will encounter a time when the hospital plate is the ideal method.
A hospital plate can be readily removed to provide access to the sole. This can be of considerable value when treating acute lesions in the sole or wall.
While Working extensively with laminitic horses over the years, I have used the heart bar shoe with great success, as have many farriers all over the world.
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.
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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.
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