The Fifth International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot held in West Palm Beach, Fla., in early November, included an interesting presentation on tenotomies of the deep digital flexor tendon.
Gorgeous sunshine and swaying palm trees were good reasons for visiting Florida’s Atlantic coast, but they were greatly enhanced by the gracious hospitality and extraordinary exchange of equine knowledge at the Fifth International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot.
It's been said that horseshoeing is a necessary evil, but the same can be said about farrier accounting. The thought of sitting down to do my bookwork is about as appealing to me as working on an old broodmare in a muddy lot. If you find it an equally distasteful subject, it is essential to make keeping your books as easy and efficient as possible.
There are very few advantages to having had a lot of birthdays and some gray in your hair, but the big benefit is having a lot of experience and a personal sense of history. In the 40 years I have been shoeing hunters and jumpers, I have witnessed a lot of changes. The biggest is the shift from using ex-racing Thoroughbreds to European warmbloods as the primary breeds.
Hundreds of farriers attended the February 2009 American Farrier's Association (AFA) Convention in Chattanooga, Tenn., for all kinds of reasons. Many came to check out the new products fresh on the market.
If you wanted to grow in the farrier industry and keep up with state-of-the-art farrier practices, Cincinnati, Ohio, was the place to be in the first week in February.
Renchin strongly suggests you use an accounting program like Quicken. In addition to software you can load on your machine, the company offers a Web-based interface.
One of the nice things about being a farrier is having the freedom to do the job without much interference about how to actually do the work. This freedom leads to many different shoe styles and innovations in tools and techniques.
Just in case you haven’t noticed, shoeing horses is a lot of hard work. If you let it, the job will break you down and wear you out. Being a practical person, I have — from the beginning of my career — sought ways to preserve my body by making the job as easy as possible.
The old cliché about the basic qualifications for a farrier being a strong back and a weak mind certainly took a beating from the presenters at the fifth annual International Hoof-Care Summit. A high degree of expertise and sophisticated thinking was evident and in abundance.
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.