I became a farrier 11 years ago and have been on hiatus for the last 2 years after getting married and moving twice. We are now living in Fallon, Nev., and I would like to build a shoeing business again. Does anyone have any advice?
My Thoroughbred was slightly lame for 3 weeks. He seemed fine out in the pasture, but was definitely sore when worked in the arena. I’m not sure if it was because he just had his shoes pulled or because the ground recently froze and his feet needed time to adjust without shoes.
I'm working with a 9-year-old gelding Quarter Horse with bone spurs and possibly early onset navicular. X-rays and an ultrasound taken last year show mild, decreased vascularization of the navicular, an anterior/superior spur (small and slightly rounded) on the coffin bone and a sharp spur on the navicular bursa. The horse has been lame for 18 months.
Has anyone found a way to permanently restore medial-lateral balance on horses that continually need to be trimmed low on the lateral side in order to stay balanced?
Recently I was called to shoe a 4-year-old horse that had lived his whole life in a pasture in Nebraska. He was barely halter broke and had never had his hooves trimmed!
Q: I own a 13-year-old, 15.3 hand black Quarter Horse and have had him for about 7 years. I ride him all the time. Well, he’s got hooves as hard as cement! I’ve been fighting this problem since I first got him. I get a very hard ride, especially at trots and stops.
Q: Does anyone have any experience shoeing small donkeys and the trouble they seem to have with deformities (Such as ripples and bending sideways)? How long should they be?
So you've got the horse balanced, trimmed up properly and shod and you’d like to keep him that way. You ask the horse owner about scheduling the next appointment and you get an answer just about as firm as the sky you’re standing under.
Farrier Kim Hillegas of Oakhills, Fla., touched off quite an online debate when she posted a question regarding American Farrier’s Association (AFA) certification standards vs. the shoeing needs of the individual horse on the American Farriers Journal message board. We featured some of the edited comments from that debate in our September/October issue and decided to include a few more this month.
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.
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