Raul Bras, DVM and certified journeyman farrier, of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., points out a different sort of balance problem that farriers may run into, particularly when dealing with lameness cases.
It's been 53 years since Ed Warrington started shoeing Standardbred racehorses. And he says determining the best way to balance these horses is just as important today as it was back then.
Lasers are used in a variety of fields, often in very high-tech ways, but some farriers are finding lasers useful for a more mundane, but vitally important task; helping them to better see a straight line.
When it comes to discussing change, Bill Miller calls on plenty of experience, having started shoeing as an apprentice in 1947. "In the past 63 years, I've seen many changes in our trade," says the veteran shoer from Rochester, Wash.
"It's called horseshoeing, not footshoeing," says Jim Keith, explaining why he rejects the traditional approach of aligning the hoof-pastern axis as the starting point for bringing a hoof into balance.
On occasion almost any horse will experience the loss of a shoe catching it on a gate or fence while pawing and jerking it off, or scrambling in deep mud and stepping it off, or some other abnormal situation. Some horses, however, routinely pull their shoes off due to the way they travel and overreach. In these cases, careful measures must be taken to eliminate foot contact.
American Farriers Journal is excited and honored to celebrate its 50th anniversary of publishing the hands-on magazine for hoof-care professionals. Learn more about our special edition, which comes out in December 2024.
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