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Cold Shoeing

Ricky

Yorkshire

Ricky

Laminitis

Q: My pony has come down with a bad case of laminitis for the first time and the farrier has asked me to get some xrays of the feet before he trims her. Is it usual for farriers to ask for xrays and can you tell me what use they will be to him? I thought xrays were only for broken bones!

Sarah, Hawkes Bay

Answer: Sorry to hear about the laminitis. This can be a painful and debilitating condition which affects the feet. More commonly associated with front feet only, laminitis can affect any or all of the feet at one time. I would guess that the farrier doesn’t suspect any broken bones but is asking for xrays to see what’s going on inside the hoof capsule.

It’s vital for the hooves to be balanced and dressed to reduce the amount of damage that can occur. During the initial stages of the condition, the risk of the pedal bone in the hoof moving within the hoof capsule should always be of concern. As a result of the compromised structures within the hoof during an episode of laminitis, the pedal bone sometimes rotates within the foot and in more serious cases, can also sink downwards towards the sole.

The mechanical effects of correct and appropriate trimming for the condition can have a significant impact on the severity of rotation of the pedal bone and therefore the amount of pain experienced by the pony.

If your farrier is asking for xrays then that’s a good sign for starters. It’s likely he’ll want to assess the position of the pedal bone relative to the hoof wall, solar surface and the point of the frog in a hope to trim the foot to help realign the angles relative to the position of the bone. This will be likely be done with consultation and input from the vet.

Most often than not in these cases, the trimming that is required when rotation has occurred involves the lowering of the heels and dressing of the dorsal (front) wall along with many of the elements of a regular trim for this pony. The amount of trimming will be indicated by what is shown by the xrays and the interpretation of what is ideal.

The vet will usually have placed markers on certain parts of the foot before xray to make it easier to assess the true point of frog, the angle of the outer wall and also the height of the coronary band so they can assess if the pedal bone has moved. These markers also make it easier to compare subsequent xrays at a later date.

Xray showing pedal bone rotation

In an ideal world, the farrier will work alongside the vet to ascertain the trim that is required from the xrays and following the trim, fresh xrays taken to check if suitable angles have been achieved to help reduce the effects of the condition and make the pony more comfortable in the long-term.

It’s important to call the vet as soon as possible with any suspected case of laminitis. The earlier treatment is started, the better the prognosis.

Good luck, David Hankin Dip.WCF

This question and answer first appeared in NZ Horse & Pony magazine in April 2011

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Michael Puhl Pads

The Michael Puhl pads and hoof packing material is getting more popular with farriers here in New Zealand. Particularly at this time of year when the ground is harder and any problems that have been hiding away for the right time to present themselves finally decide the time is now to rear their ugly heads.

Michael Puhl PM flat hoof pad

The recessed frog area in the pad allows for the farrier to fill with PM packing material to provide improved frog contact with the ground. The soft Michael Puhl pads packing material is particularly popular and the feedback I’m getting from farriers is it’s more shock absorbing than just about all other materials that they’ve tried.

Horses struggling on the hard ground at the moment can really benefit from these pads and packing material.

The pads are available in flat (one size), and wedged (small and large)

What’s also handy is the fact that the soft packing material (which is a form of dental impression material) is so easy to mix up and apply – all done by hand without the need for latex gloves, mixing guns or other gear. The material stays in place and remains relatively soft for the duration of the periods in between shoeings.

Michael Puhl flat pads

The Michael Puhl pads are ideal for

shock absorbing
navicular (and pre-navic) syndrome
contracted/collapsed heels
heel pain

Available in New Zealand from me at NZ Farriers Limited and shipping worldwide

Farriers and their reliability

When I first started my own shoeing round in the mid-90′s back in Blighty, every one of my clients were obviously, new to me.

I picked up quite a few clients who had been using farriers previously who they had labelled as “unreliable”.

Some of the farriers who had been grouped into the “he doesn’t turn up” category by horse owners were exceptionally skilled farriers amongst the best craftsman in the area. So for me as a newbie, it was a gift at the time to be able to pick up clients with relative ease and to keep a percentage of these coming back simply by turning up on time and keeping the appointments we’d made.

It was hard not to form an opinion in my mind about the unreliable farriers in the area and being a farrier working on his own, there’s often time in the day to churn things over in your mind. And day after day, I had new clients telling me about how their last guy made an appointment and turned up three days late, or didn’t show up at all or didn’t call her back. The opinion of horse owners was definitely hammered home.

So I just deemed these other farriers to be poor time managers, perhaps a little disorganised, maybe careless and a bit daft (missing out on the work).

I still think turning up on time and being reliable is the way forward for farriers. I’ve always thought being reliable must be much less stressful for farriers. The phone calls/phone messages and abuse from a large number of disgruntled clients must get to you if it happens every day.

But looking back, I now see another angle. I was rushing around trying to look after clients and their horses, working all hours and sacrificing other things to try and do the right thing and build a good reputation.

Some of the farriers labelled as unreliable were, as I’ve previously said, very highly skilled guys and looking back now, probably had a huge amount of work (possibly too much), could pick and choose their jobs and if a client went elsewhere, could replace it almost instantly with one of the daily phone calls from potential new clients. But it could be that they were aware of this and whilst doing plenty of work, they also knew when they’d had enough and to knock off early or take a day off. With a few years under their belt, they probably had realised that horse owners are sometimes not very appreciative and don’t hesitate to swap and change farriers when it suits them. So why should they (the farriers) put themselves out, miss a meal or family time for a horse owner?

Every farrier has or has had, a certain percentage of clients who they’d be happy not to go back to for whatever reason. And possibly another group of clients they’re indifferent to and wouldn’t be upset if they lost them. Either of these types of clients must be easier not to turn up for and potentially lose.

So, why not just call to say you’re running late or to say to the client we don’t want to do their horses?

Any farrier who has told a client they don’t want to do their horses again might have experienced a barrage of verbal abuse. In my experience, however you do it, horse owners don’t like it when a farrier refuses to go back or say they don’t want the job. It could be a rejection thing, I don’t know. Honesty isn’t always the best approach when farriers want to dispose of a client.

In a similar way to ending relationships of the heart, farriers who let the client think it’s their idea to get somebody else to do their horses in future might have an easier ride out of the relationship. A little unreliability here, a missed appointment there and the client might decide to go elsewhere so rather the farrier being a complete ratbag (or worse), he’s just a  bit hopeless.

I might do a post on unreliable clients one day too. There’s been plenty of them over the years

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Reining Horse farrier around Palm Beach

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Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Crack Stabilization & Inflamed Hoof Wall

Hey There,
Today I visited a set of horses that were severely neglected.
The owner was a know-it-all horse owner that would have nothing of the bad news I had to deliver about every single one of her horses. (Bad chips, founder just to name a few) but there was one horse in particular that was an entirely new set of problems.

First of all, this horse was a complete arse hole. It kicked at me at lease 15 times, one of those horses you shouldnt continue trying to do, until the owner works with it. but for the sake of the horse, my heart is bigger than my brain, i continued to try and trim it.
ANYWAYS, The fronts both have massive, (ive seen a lot of cracks, but this one was unbelievable) and every time that horse steps, it widens out to probably 1 1/2″. When that hoof expanded, I could see most of the internal components of the hoof! Most of the white line had been rotted away, and I probably could have put my finger in and scraped his coffin bone. I honestly do not know, how that horse was standing.
So i trimmed it, balanced it and did the normal run through. The lady would have nothing to do with my idea of shoeing to stablilize the crack.
But may agree to a (voluntary, non paid ) treatment, that I would offer for the sake of the horse.
I have done crack repairs, but nothing this extensive. Has anyone here got any experience or tips for wiring the walls together with 12 gauge? And what would you use for filling the crack? (Besides a drainage tube?)

The other thing is, her other mare, had triangular front feet, and her toe was probably six inches straight out in front of it. So I trimmed the bottom, removed a good 3 inches of toe (and this is still 3 inches away from the white line, at minimum), started rasping the toe on the stand, and all of a sudden im staring at bright red horn!
It looked like there was blood right behind the next few centimeters of wall, but sure enough, there wasnt.
I have seen this in bruised jumpers, but this was unlike any bruise Ive ever seen.
The horn tubules looked like they were full of blood!
Anyways, I left the toe long because the owner was barking at me, but her feet look like triangles because that to sticks so far forward and the rest of her hoof is half-decent.
I am quite sure this mare foundered, but the owner again, keeps telling me she didnt.
Has anyone else had experience with this?

And dont say that I simply trimmed it too short, because that was certainly not the case.

Thanks in advance!

Have a great day!

Dylan

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Thrush in NZ Horses

Q: I have a mare who is on three to four months’ box rest for an injury, and she is now suffering from thrush. I try to keep her bedding as clean and dry as I can, but it’s not easy. Do you have any suggestions for treatment? Also, she is currently boxed on sawdust – would switching to shavings or straw bedding help?
Tara, Franklin District

A: Sorry to hear that Tara, it can so often be the case that one problem can lead to another.

We do see thrush in NZ horses that live in paddocks but in countries where horses are stabled for much of the day (such as the UK for example) the problem is even more common.

In stabled horses, it is the wet bedding that is the significant culprit. That is, the ammonia in the urine attacks the healthy frog when the horse is stood in a bed that is wet for prolonged periods. This causes the deterioration and rotting of the frog that we commonly associate with thrush.

We find that certain types of bedding cause more of a problem than others. For example, sawdust, shavings and shredded paper seem to affect the frog more than a straw bed. Cleanliness is vital for both prevention and treatment of thrush – taking out the wet as often as possible will help. Two or three times a day should be enough to keep you busy!

Kevin Bacon's Hoof Solution for thrush

There are some topical applications that can be applied to the frogs which can help for thrush in NZ horses. I recommend Kevin Bacon’s Hoof Solution which is available from farriers and saddleries all over NZ.

David Hankin Dip.WCF

This is an edited extract from an article which first appeared in NZ Horse & Pony magazine, September 2011

Esco Buff to lecture in Prescott, Michigan on May 19, 2012

Date – May 19, 2012

Place – Michigan Horseshoers Association, Prescott, Michigan

Title – Powerpoint presentation and live demonstration on “How to Successfully Treat a Laminitic/Foundered Horse.”

Clinician – Esco Buff, PhD, APF, CF

Sponsored by – Purdybilt by UPSCO

For more information or to sign up contact – Jeff Allen at (989) – 942 – 1523.

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