I read a little article in a horse paper about running a horse related business. It gave a few tips to be successful amongst your competitors. Though it wasn’t about horseshoeing, business is business. One thing the article touched on was developing a field of expertise, like instead of just selling horses, sell quarter horses, and then not just quarter horses, but ranch raised, or yearlings that have been well started on their ground manners, etc. Something where you will stand out and offer a unique type of sale to your customers.
So I have been contemplating how this concept could be applied to my farrier practice. There are many diverse areas in this profession in which you could become an expert. Like doing just Draft horses, or gaited horses, or Reining or Dressage horses. And maybe when I was just starting out I should have centered on one discipline or breed, but I’ve had fun doing the whole gamut: Dude strings, Yellowstone Stagecoach pulling horses, barrel racers, Arabians, Paso Finos, Warmbloods, cutting horses, endurance horses, foals, navicular, laminitic, etc You get the picture. I suppose I feel I have a good handle on how to help horses with laminitis, cracked walls, and horses in the western disciplines. But to say I am an expert…well I doubt it.
I think I will keep striving to be an expert in customer relations and in providing a service second to none. And learn to be an expert in applying what I know for the well-being of the horse and learning what I don’t know that would be relevant to a particular case.
Though I fully understand and agree with what the author of the article was saying, I just need to figure out how I can apply the advise to where I’m at in my business. For now I will keep with the above goal and see how things pan out and if I should center on one aspect in the near future. But then again, often times the so-called Experts in other lines of work (weather forecasters, financial advisors, earthquakes predictors, etc) can be wrong!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Anniversary Blog
It’s been one year since I started this blog. It has been a good place to document my thoughts, stories, and theories enveloping my wonderful trade and life of horseshoeing. I really didn’t know if people interested in the farrier trade would or could easily “find” my blog and I am thinking all these entries just are out in cyberspace tangent to nothing, but my own fancy. But ya never know until ya try.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
New Year thoughts on an old occupation
Horseshoeing with iron shoes and nails dates back to the year 500 and before that plant parts and animal skins may have been used to protect the horse's feet. My point is that farriers have been providing hoof care for centuries; before x-rays, radiographs, ultrasound, shock wave, and other modern technology available today to diagnose and treat lameness. True we have been able to help horses return to soundness with these techniques, but what is fluff and what really is the key to sound horses and how do farriers play a part. Historians record that Nero had his horse shod with silver and his wife’s with gold. I am sure his horses were sound, but I highly doubt it was because of the special shoes.
So much rides on the hoof, that at times I feel many things are blamed on the condition of the hoof. Horse owners and veterinarians are quick with trimming or shoeing technique suggestions. But do they really factor in age, diet, breed, use, stalling conditions, bone structure, confirmation, etc? As a farrier, I love the advancements of the industry and the science involved to improve the condition of the horse through hoof management. However, I find that when a horse is “off” and no one has any real idea then “it must be the toe is too long”, “the horse has been trimmed too short”, “the shoe is too long”, “the shoe is resting on the sole”, “the sole at the wall needs to be part of the support”, “the angle is too steep”, “the angle is too low”, “if we give him heel support”, “pad the shoe”, “go barefoot”, ….you get my point. Sometimes even when the problem is found to be in the hock or the knee, etc it still gets blamed on the condition of the hoof. Because the applications of various shoeing/trimming techniques often help, it seems when in doubt blame the farrier.
When in reality a balanced foot, properly prepared for the activity of the horse remains the bona fide job of the farrier. Of course, knowledge of the numerous modern ways and means of acquiring this in a lame horse does help to perfect a balanced hoof. But all knowledge is not of equal value, some things are just interesting to know, but anything you learn needs to be applied wisely to be of value. So my question is, what else is going? Why does the unknown always get directed to the foot?
I love my job, it has become advanced, yet, as evident as the soundness of horses have been through the centuries before modern science, it really shouldn’t be complicated. I believe even when using these advances it still all comes down to trimming the horse to be balanced in stance, as well as, in motion.
So much rides on the hoof, that at times I feel many things are blamed on the condition of the hoof. Horse owners and veterinarians are quick with trimming or shoeing technique suggestions. But do they really factor in age, diet, breed, use, stalling conditions, bone structure, confirmation, etc? As a farrier, I love the advancements of the industry and the science involved to improve the condition of the horse through hoof management. However, I find that when a horse is “off” and no one has any real idea then “it must be the toe is too long”, “the horse has been trimmed too short”, “the shoe is too long”, “the shoe is resting on the sole”, “the sole at the wall needs to be part of the support”, “the angle is too steep”, “the angle is too low”, “if we give him heel support”, “pad the shoe”, “go barefoot”, ….you get my point. Sometimes even when the problem is found to be in the hock or the knee, etc it still gets blamed on the condition of the hoof. Because the applications of various shoeing/trimming techniques often help, it seems when in doubt blame the farrier.
When in reality a balanced foot, properly prepared for the activity of the horse remains the bona fide job of the farrier. Of course, knowledge of the numerous modern ways and means of acquiring this in a lame horse does help to perfect a balanced hoof. But all knowledge is not of equal value, some things are just interesting to know, but anything you learn needs to be applied wisely to be of value. So my question is, what else is going? Why does the unknown always get directed to the foot?
I love my job, it has become advanced, yet, as evident as the soundness of horses have been through the centuries before modern science, it really shouldn’t be complicated. I believe even when using these advances it still all comes down to trimming the horse to be balanced in stance, as well as, in motion.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Christmas
What is the meaning of Christmas?
1. To send out greeting cards and keep in touch? “Do not forsake the fellowship with others.” Hebrews 10:25
2. To Party, Party, Party and eat and drink some more? “There is nothing better for a man than to eat, drink, and tell himself that his labor is good.” Ecclesiastes.
3. To take a day off (or more) from work? “So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God” Hebrews 4
4. To celebrate the winter solstice? “The heavens declare the glory of God” Psalm 19
5. To give food, clothes, and toys to the needy? “if I give all my possessions to the poor, but do not have love, it profits me nothing” I Corinthians 13
6. To celebrate the birth of Jesus? “I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” Luke 2
You pick.
But I’ll give you a hint….all the answers are in the Word…”and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1
Yup, you’re right! Jesus is the answer for the world today.
Merry Christmas to all!!
1. To send out greeting cards and keep in touch? “Do not forsake the fellowship with others.” Hebrews 10:25
2. To Party, Party, Party and eat and drink some more? “There is nothing better for a man than to eat, drink, and tell himself that his labor is good.” Ecclesiastes.
3. To take a day off (or more) from work? “So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God” Hebrews 4
4. To celebrate the winter solstice? “The heavens declare the glory of God” Psalm 19
5. To give food, clothes, and toys to the needy? “if I give all my possessions to the poor, but do not have love, it profits me nothing” I Corinthians 13
6. To celebrate the birth of Jesus? “I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” Luke 2
You pick.
But I’ll give you a hint….all the answers are in the Word…”and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1
Yup, you’re right! Jesus is the answer for the world today.
Merry Christmas to all!!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
"Cold" Shoeing :)
“Cold” can be a relative term. More times then not I dread going out to shoe when the temperature is “cold”. I mean I usually set limits, but even they vary. Generally, if it isn’t above 20 degrees I say I won’t go shoe. Yet if the sun is shining and the wind isn’t blowing and there is a dry spot with no snow, I have found myself out under a horse at 15 degrees. And when the temperature gets to 20 I have my sweatshirt off!
Don’t get me wrong; I still dread getting started. Unloading a metal anvil stand, a 90-pound block of steel, a metal hoof stand, along with placing steel handled tools into a shoeing box pulls whatever natural body heat completely away from fingers. I’m usually dressed in a cap with earmuffs, a wild rag tied around my neck already covered with a turtleneck, a long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, and frequently, an outer jacket. Not to mention the long johns under the jeans adorned with a pair of stiff shoeing chaps.
Working the nippers and rasp is fairly doable wearing gloves, but nailing is a different story. Usually, by the time I am ready to nail my body heat has come up and circulation to the extremities allows for bare hands to handle steel nails. The trick is to remember to blow on the nails as you put them into your mouth so as not to have the metal freeze to your lips!!
I have found the shoeing procedure that warms a person up the quickest is rasping the outside of the hoof wall (i.e. flares, old clinches, etc) in the forward position. I know this sounds unsophisticated, but after figuring this out I’ll get to that part of the work as quickly as possible and then before you know it the outer jacket is off, the earmuffs come off and then the wild rag. I typically, offer these to the horse handler, because as I warm up they are complaining about the cold….and I’ve learned to make it a priority to keep my handler happy!!
So what do I look for when determining what 20 degree conditions aren’t too cold to shoe?
1. Sunshine
2. No wind
3. Dry ground
4. And of course a heated barn
The best part of being cold is the feeling of getting warm. The welcoming, comfy feeling of warming up is near impossible in the absence of being cold.
Don’t get me wrong; I still dread getting started. Unloading a metal anvil stand, a 90-pound block of steel, a metal hoof stand, along with placing steel handled tools into a shoeing box pulls whatever natural body heat completely away from fingers. I’m usually dressed in a cap with earmuffs, a wild rag tied around my neck already covered with a turtleneck, a long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, and frequently, an outer jacket. Not to mention the long johns under the jeans adorned with a pair of stiff shoeing chaps.
Working the nippers and rasp is fairly doable wearing gloves, but nailing is a different story. Usually, by the time I am ready to nail my body heat has come up and circulation to the extremities allows for bare hands to handle steel nails. The trick is to remember to blow on the nails as you put them into your mouth so as not to have the metal freeze to your lips!!
I have found the shoeing procedure that warms a person up the quickest is rasping the outside of the hoof wall (i.e. flares, old clinches, etc) in the forward position. I know this sounds unsophisticated, but after figuring this out I’ll get to that part of the work as quickly as possible and then before you know it the outer jacket is off, the earmuffs come off and then the wild rag. I typically, offer these to the horse handler, because as I warm up they are complaining about the cold….and I’ve learned to make it a priority to keep my handler happy!!
So what do I look for when determining what 20 degree conditions aren’t too cold to shoe?
1. Sunshine
2. No wind
3. Dry ground
4. And of course a heated barn
The best part of being cold is the feeling of getting warm. The welcoming, comfy feeling of warming up is near impossible in the absence of being cold.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Hoof Growth
Hoof growth often becomes a common topic while I am working under a horse. How fast? How much? And especially coming into winter, many people ask if it is true that hoof growth slows during the winter months. Personally, I think there are other factors involved that make it appear as though the hoof is growing slower.
But first let me mention a few ideas concerning hoof growth in general. A typical hoof will grow about an inch every 3 – 4 months. (That’s typically a new hoof per year) Of course, if a horse is barefoot and on a hard surface this amount of growth is normally not observed because it is wearing off as it grows. “They” say the more a horse is exercised the faster the hoof will tend to grow. This theory is based on the idea that the frog is put into play and pumps blood and increases the growth. Over the years I have observed an increase in hoof growth in the fall. My theory is that the horse is growing a winter coat and since the hair and hoof seem to be related in nutrition (i.e. what is good for the hair coat is good for the hoof), whatever tells the horse to grow more hair in preparation for winter is, at the same time, growing more hoof. I would be interested to hear if others think this is true and if in the warmer climates the hoof tends to have no significant hoof growth change at any time.
As far as people thinking the horse hoof grows slower in the winter, I think, it is a little bit of a misconception. Possibly: 1) the horse is not being used as much, 2) the shoes are pulled and the ground is hard thus wearing the hoof as it grows, and 3) the last time the horse was trimmed in the fall there was an excess amount of growth to compare to when trimming the horse the next time during the winter.
Keep in mind, I am just a dumb shoer, most of my blogs consist of thoughts I’ve had over the 25+ years of working with my head below my butt…and now for my theory about Global Warming…….
But first let me mention a few ideas concerning hoof growth in general. A typical hoof will grow about an inch every 3 – 4 months. (That’s typically a new hoof per year) Of course, if a horse is barefoot and on a hard surface this amount of growth is normally not observed because it is wearing off as it grows. “They” say the more a horse is exercised the faster the hoof will tend to grow. This theory is based on the idea that the frog is put into play and pumps blood and increases the growth. Over the years I have observed an increase in hoof growth in the fall. My theory is that the horse is growing a winter coat and since the hair and hoof seem to be related in nutrition (i.e. what is good for the hair coat is good for the hoof), whatever tells the horse to grow more hair in preparation for winter is, at the same time, growing more hoof. I would be interested to hear if others think this is true and if in the warmer climates the hoof tends to have no significant hoof growth change at any time.
As far as people thinking the horse hoof grows slower in the winter, I think, it is a little bit of a misconception. Possibly: 1) the horse is not being used as much, 2) the shoes are pulled and the ground is hard thus wearing the hoof as it grows, and 3) the last time the horse was trimmed in the fall there was an excess amount of growth to compare to when trimming the horse the next time during the winter.
Keep in mind, I am just a dumb shoer, most of my blogs consist of thoughts I’ve had over the 25+ years of working with my head below my butt…and now for my theory about Global Warming…….
Monday, September 7, 2009
The "N" word in horse lameness
Well, as per usual spending much time being creative at the computer during the summer months has proved next to impossible. Here is a little thought on an age old hoof lameness.
Over the years the “N”–word has been changed-up a little, almost like the number of methods available to shoe for this lameness. There has always been an array of techniques with more added as the pathology is re-visited. I am talking about navicular, which now tends to be termed navicular-syndrome, heel pain, or anything but straight navicular. Which is all fine and dandy. My main concern is the method of shoeing or trimming to aid in the comfort or healing of the horse.
The other day I had a client who’s vet injected his horse in the navicular area and said she would have her shoer come do some corrective shoeing on the horse. I was going to be there to trim another horse and told the owner I could probably do whatever she recommended. Well, when I got there he said the vet just said to do what I normally do for a navicular horse…. In my lifetime of shoeing there has been no one “normal” way to shoe a horse with navicular. I have reversed a shoe, raised heels with pads and/or swelled heels, applied bar shoes, rolled toes, squared toes, rocker toes, EDSS, and combinations of any of the above. Usually the method applied was at the discretion of the vet.
In this particular case I was at a little bit of a loss. Since I am relatively new to the area with no real repute with any particular vet, I was put in a hard place. But when I did my questioning and the few procedures I know to check for severity and found very little lameness I used the KISS method. And kept it plain and simple. Though I really like the reverse shoe method I kept it all very uncomplicated and just broadened the toe and rolled it, bringing the breakover back and supported the heels with a little extra heel length. (Some would call this a natural balance shoe, others would cringe to use that term though whatever the term it is the same mechanism).
Well it made me think how many different approaches I have used over the years for navicular, navicular-syndrome, heel pain type problems. And gave me something to document on my blog.
Over the years the “N”–word has been changed-up a little, almost like the number of methods available to shoe for this lameness. There has always been an array of techniques with more added as the pathology is re-visited. I am talking about navicular, which now tends to be termed navicular-syndrome, heel pain, or anything but straight navicular. Which is all fine and dandy. My main concern is the method of shoeing or trimming to aid in the comfort or healing of the horse.
The other day I had a client who’s vet injected his horse in the navicular area and said she would have her shoer come do some corrective shoeing on the horse. I was going to be there to trim another horse and told the owner I could probably do whatever she recommended. Well, when I got there he said the vet just said to do what I normally do for a navicular horse…. In my lifetime of shoeing there has been no one “normal” way to shoe a horse with navicular. I have reversed a shoe, raised heels with pads and/or swelled heels, applied bar shoes, rolled toes, squared toes, rocker toes, EDSS, and combinations of any of the above. Usually the method applied was at the discretion of the vet.
In this particular case I was at a little bit of a loss. Since I am relatively new to the area with no real repute with any particular vet, I was put in a hard place. But when I did my questioning and the few procedures I know to check for severity and found very little lameness I used the KISS method. And kept it plain and simple. Though I really like the reverse shoe method I kept it all very uncomplicated and just broadened the toe and rolled it, bringing the breakover back and supported the heels with a little extra heel length. (Some would call this a natural balance shoe, others would cringe to use that term though whatever the term it is the same mechanism).
Well it made me think how many different approaches I have used over the years for navicular, navicular-syndrome, heel pain type problems. And gave me something to document on my blog.
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