Q: I have an 11-year-old Paint horse that toes in with his right foot. He also has arthritis in his fetlock joint on the same leg, due to the stress he puts on that joint from toeing in. He is reasonably sound, but does get lame when ridden too much.
The fascinating case history outlined in the May/June issue has generated considerable comment in letters and through the "Farriers Forum" on the American Farriers Journal Web site.
Abscesses are internal infections of the foot, like a blood blister or a pimple. But because they are internal and there is no room for swelling within the foot, they are excruciatingly painful for the horse.
I came across a 2-year old Thoroughbred that was moved to Missouri from Florida this summer. The first farrier the lady had out recommended she call someone else. I was the one she called.
Q: I recently had a new client contact me who has racing Quarter Horses and he wants them shod with race plates. I don’t have any experience with racehorses and racing plates. I imagine they’re shod the same way — by making sure the foot is balanced and level — followed by putting the shoe on.
One of the most important - yet often overlooked - aspects of shoeing, is the dangerous and difficult working conditions that farriers must endure. Of all the barns I've ever worked at, only two have made any effort to install the safety improvements I requested! At one large barn, I played electrician (since nobody else would) to install badly needed lighting for an area I often worked in. I received no assistance in this effort. In fact, while I was doing this electrical work, the 'jefe' was working on the barn-owner's sailboat.
Q: I need some advice with a shoeing problem. I hot shoe all my horses, as I have found this cuts down heaps on lost shoes. I have one horse, however, that constantly loses his front shoes. The shoes usually hold for the first 3 to 4 weeks, then they almost always fall off. This happens only on this particular horse that most often is ridden
on rocky trails.
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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