The front half of a horse’s hoof has been the center of trimming and shoeing discussions for quite some time. Specifically, finding the ideal breakover point has been the focus of countless conversations and endless training.
Lafayette, Ind., farrier Danvers Child points out that the vast majority of hoof issues occur in the back half of the foot, not the front.
Is the practice of grooving beneficial when managing a quarter crack?
Conventional wisdom seems to indicate that it does. However, Bedminster, N.J., farrier Bob Pethick had doubts. So when a client, who happened to be a veterinarian, bought a Quarter Horse with a bleeding quarter crack and a displaced heel quarter on the front foot, the Hall Of Fame farrier was presented with an opportunity to experiment.
In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which devastated the United States’ Gulf Region, one of the less publicized stories involving animal rescue and voluntary aid revolved around an incredible joint effort of a number of farriers, veterinarians and veterinary students in Louisiana.
That message came through loud and clear from speakers who voiced opinions on farrier regulation and licensing during the recent open forum sponsored by the American Farrier’s Association
Among roughly 75 AFA members, educators, suppliers and non-members who attended the mid-September “open forum” sponsored by the American Farrier’s Association, nobody spoke in favor of regulating and licensing farriers.
Does your rig work for you or against you? Unless you’re one of the few farriers who have the horses brought to them, your shoeing rig goes a long way toward determining how easily and comfortably you work and travel every day.
Count Dave Ferguson among those farrier clinicians who stress the importance of understanding equine anatomy in providing good footcare. Where Ferguson goes beyond many others is that he emphasizes that to really understand anatomy, you need to go further than reading about it in a book.
Dennis Manning of Roosevelt, Utah, has a well-earned reputation as a horseshoer, blacksmith and toolmaker. One of the reasons for that reputation is his understanding of the science behind those crafts, as he demonstrated during a clinic at Dave Ferguson’s Mint Vale Forge in Cambridge, Md., late last year.
"Sometimes we tend to get really focused on the foot we're working on," says Steve Prescott, a farrier from Bluffton, S.C. "Sometimes we need to ask ourselves if the foot we're working on is showing more signs of stress because the horse is trying to keep its weight off the other side."
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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