A: The first question I ask is “Why?” Why affix a pad to the horse’s hoof? Is it necessary? What is my objective? Is it beneficial to the horse during the shoeing cycle? Will it aid in protection and relief? Is it needed for environmental reasons, such as rocky terrain? Or is there a therapeutic need for it — sole protection, pathology, ligament/tendon issues?
Talk with most farriers and hoof-care providers about safety or dangers inherent to the work and the most common thing that will come up is potential injury caused by a horse.
It seems that every few months a new pad is introduced to the equine market. For inexperienced farriers, the overwhelming options can create confusion, which discourages pad usage in a practice. Understanding what's available in pads and how they are used will help determine the appropriate pad for the intended use.
Selecting the proper boot and getting the right fit for a given situation is usually the difference between success and failure. Boots can be dangerous and unreliable when fit by untrained owners or trainers.
Shoeing allows farriers to provide five benefits to horses: protection, traction, correction, therapeutic and performance. Most horses today are used for performance and pleasure. The duties that owners ask of their horses are tough and can be physically hard on the animals. With special shoes, horses are able to perform amazing moves with less stress to the hoof and all structures supported by it.
Q: I have been a farrier for 7 years. I have started doing endurance riding. My horse has very sensitive front feet. One of them is slightly upright. I usually put plastic pads on him for endurance rides because the footing is often very rocky and we ride pretty fast and hard.
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.