Dave the Farrier - More Words of Wisdom

Packzilla Asks:
Also, I was wondering how often when working with horses do you correct a problem? I'm sure the majority of horses don't have perfect feet, so most of the time are you making at least small corrections?

A 2-parter. Yes and yes. When you come in with a horse, I look at him and I'm able to see what needs to be done. I'll see a horse that has one foot upright and another that's not. My job is to get that horse as balanced and level as humanly possible. The goal is to even him out. As a farrier I don't look for less obvious corrections unless the owner tells me there is a major problem. A horse can have a bump here and there that doesn't amount to anything. In short, I don't want to correct a problem if it's not a problem. These are animals, not machines. You can see a bump somewhere, but it doesn't mean there's a problem and it's best left alone.

Pifee Asks:
I'm not sure if this question is going to make sense, but here you go. What causes a frog to come off? If you have a horse with a sheared heel and you treat it will you be able to put a regular shoe back on?

Another 2-parter. A lot of people don't realize that a horse does naturally shed its frog. A horse will lose its frog from thrush, but he could also just be naturally shedding it. Every horse is different as far as how often a horse will shed a frog. Typically, it will happen once a year, but I've seen it happen in shorter and longer periods. If a horse is regularly trimmed you won't even notice that they've done it. I can pick up a horse that hasn't been done in a long while and the frog might be hanging there. That's Nature way of trimming the frog.

If you have a horse with a sheared heal, you fix the heal first and then you can put regular shoes back on the horse.

Christi Asks:
Is it true that certain kinds of shavings can dry out a horse's hooves?

Definitely! Some horses have allergic reactions to certain kinds of shavings. Each horse will react differently to different thing. I couldn't tell you which shavings are better than others. That depends on the horse. I will tell you what my favorite hoof dressing is – good old fashioned corn oil. Don't waste your money on all that other stuff. Just paint the corn oil on the hoof – the whole hoof, not just the hairline. It won't make it too soft and will keep it a nice consistency. It really helps with the periopal growth which is the waxy film that is about an inch below the coronet band. It's nature's way of keeping moisture in the hoof. It doesn't work all that well, but it's there.

Tatted Reiner Asks:
What's the difference between hot and cold shoeing?

Hot shoeing is heating up the shoe and putting it on the foot. Cold shoeing is pounding on the shoe and nailing it on to the foot. I prefer cold shoeing. I've been doing this for 20 years, shoed thousands and thousands of horses and never had a problem. The temper of the metal of shoes today is easy for me to work with. In the old days the steel was so hard you had to heat it up to do anything with it. Hey but this is 2008, not 1808.

To be clear, I'm not saying hot shoeing is wrong, I just don't feel that it's necessary. I think hot shoeing is really coming back probably because there are more and more shoers out there and it's a way to establish a niche. People that hot shoe swear by it. Personally, I prefer cold shoeing because my biggest thing is that people that hot shoe say they are sealing off the foot. That's fine, but if there's a fungus not visible to the eye, you're sealing that in as well. If there's a small pebble that gets hot shoed in the foot, it can cause an abscess. What I'm doing is working. I don't feel a need to change.

Comments  

 

# pifee 2008-05-29 14:33

There are so many different tips of shoes now, what do you think of the plastic or rubber shoes? What kind of shoes do you prefer to put on barrel horses polo, rimmed all around, flat etc.?

 

 

# reinerslider 2008-05-30 05:21

I have an easier question Any tips on a good (hoof healthy) way to clean them up good for show? I have a light hooved horse and they need to be white in the ring, the easiest way for me has been sanding (by hand) and scrubbing with an sos (dish wash thing thats softer but similar to steel wool). I've asked my farrier and he thinks its okay, but prefers i skip away from the power sanders. any suggestions for cleaning up a horses hooves without stripping them or making them unhealthy? anything i should do after the show? I cant imagine its a good thing to be doing too frequently, but likewise farriers file them lightly with a rasp so it really cant be bad either....

just something i think about while i sand ahha...

 

 

# jkdiverkaren 2008-07-20 00:41

Are there any good tips for keeping hooves dry?

We live in South Florida. In lieu of having 4 seasons each year, we are blessed with 2 -- wet and dry. We are now in the wet season and it is very hard to keep them out of water. I don't want to lose any more shoes.

I've been spraying "Hard Hooves" on the hoof after each cleaning/picking.

 

 

# Chase 2008-09-28 16:05

It has been my experience that you do not want your horses hooves to get too dry. that's what causes a lot of the cracking issues.

Dave, that Corn Oil tip is an excellent money saver for some of us money challenged enthusiasts. Thanks tons for it.

Bliss and Blessings

 

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