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On The Road AgainYou have been preparing for this event for months. All your hard earned efforts have paid off and you are on your way. The truck is washed, waxed and tuned to perfection. The horse trailer sports new floor mats inside and a fresh paint job outside. Every item on your checklist is present and accounted for. You are ready to have some serious fun. Then it happens. Unloading your horse, you get a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach as you realize that sometime between loading-up at home and arriving at your destination, your horse has sprung a heel, lost a shoe or wrenched a nail loose. On the other hand, maybe your horse is barefoot and has managed to take a large chunk of hoof out of one of his feet when it was dancing around trying to avoid the overactive cow-dog belonging to the folks unloading next to you. Now what? You're in a strange town, out in the middle of nowhere and it's beginning to look like you are going to go home empty-handed without even having had the chance to saddle-up. There is no reason that a loose, bent or twisted horseshoe should be allowed to ruin your day. The same thing can be said for a nail that is wrenched loose on a rock or something as simple as being caught on the edge of the trailer when loading or unloading. These things happen all the time. Being prepared reduces them to mere annoyances rather than allowing them to become event-ending catastrophes. If you take care of your horse's feet yourself, then you already have the tools and the knowledge to handle most, if not all, of your hoof care problems. That just leaves remembering to make sure some of your farrier tools become part of your regular traveling kit. A barefoot horse requires fewer tools, but they too, must be in your traveling tack box for them to be of any use while you are on the road. Whether you plan to travel with your horse or not, everyone responsible for the care of a horse should acquire the basic knowledge enabling them to handle certain common hoof related problems. This may be as simple as carrying a slip-on shoe to protect and/or prevent further damage to an injured hoof while waiting your farrier's arrival or being able to remove or replace or fix a damaged hoof, shoe or nail, thus eliminating the problem altogether. Whether your horse is barefoot or wears shoes, the best source of information for emergency care should be your farrier. Don't be bashful about asking questions that will help you provide better care for your horse. A good farrier will be glad that you are taking an interest in your horse's hoof care program. The simple fact of the matter is that the better hoof care a horse receives, the easier it is for the farrier to maintain a horse's hooves. Planning how to handle different situations before they happen may help you prevent a simple chipped hoof or sprung shoe from becoming a larger problem in the long run. Let your farrier know beforehand what you would like to learn and then schedule a little extra time at your next appointment to go over your questions. I cannot begin to stress how important it is to pay particular attention to how your farrier approaches and holds your horse's feet. Your safety and that of the horse is paramount when working with a horse's feet. Be aware that twisting or bending a horseshoe places tremendous stresses on the hoof and leg structures thereby increasing the potential for there to be additional unseen injuries that require very gentle handling if you are to avoid a "harsh correction" by the horse. If your horse is barefoot, then knowing how to recognize a chip in the hoof wall that goes beyond normal wear and tear is something your farrier should be able to explain in terms easily understood. Ask for their preferences on how to handle the situation both for when you are at home as well as what you should do if you are out of town. If your horse wears horseshoes, then at the very least you should be able to remove a loose or damaged horseshoe nail and if necessary, pull a shoe that is so badly twisted or partially torn loose as to be a hazard if left alone. A loose nail may not cause any damage to the horse directly, however, once the shoe starts to move around on the hoof, there is the potential for more serious damage. It has been my experience that it is not possible to flatten a horseshoe while the shoe is attached to the horse. Walking or trotting the horse on a hard surface in order to flatten a sprung or bent horseshoe will not fix the problem. It may however, cause serious and permanent damage to the horse. The shoe has to be removed in order to be made safe to use. Anything else is wishful thinking at best. Here is an article (http://horsecare.stablemade.com/articles2/shoe_off.htm) describing in general terms the tools and techniques used in removing a horseshoe. I offer it only as a way to familiarize you with the tools and process necessary to complete the task. I strongly suggest having your farrier demonstrate the actual process for you and recommend anyone wishing to become comfortable with the task seek professional instruction. If you have confidence in your farrier's abilities, then by all means explain what you wish to learn and see if this is something he or she is willing to teach. A check of the farrier associations in your area should provide you with the names of schools or individuals qualified to provide the instruction you seek. You should always be cognizant of the law as it relates to who is allowed to do what to a horse. This merits mentioning because of the widely divergent rules associated with horse care; farrier work being heavily regulated in some places, while in others all that is required is a willing owner with a horse and someone else with a set of tools. Learning how to pull a shoe, remove and/or replace a nail is not for everyone. You really have to want to learn how to do these things and not knowing how is not the end of the world. Something everyone can do before leaving on a trip is plan ahead for any possible emergencies. Check with event managers to see if there will be veterinary and farrier services available. Call farrier associations for recommendations. If you know someone in the area, you can ask for the name of his or her farrier. Once you have a name or names, it is advisable to call ahead, introducing yourself and inquiring if the farrier would be willing to respond to a call should the need arise. This also gives you a chance to determine if the farrier is familiar with the way you have your horse trimmed. Try to talk to at least two farriers, as this will greatly improve your chances of one being available and besides, you can never know too many farriers. Failing to line up an out-of-town farrier puts you in the unenviable position of having to use whoever you can find. You should always keep a record of your hoof care program with the horse wherever it travels. This information is invaluable should you face an extended stay due to unanticipated events. Anything from a vehicle breakdown to a medical quarantine can lengthen a horse's stay and keep it from a scheduled farrier appointment. While this may not be a common occurrence, it only takes one time to prove the value of being prepared. It does not matter what method or technique your farrier uses; if they are not available, you need to be able to communicate exactly how you want your horse's feet trimmed. If your farrier does not use hoof lengths and angles for reference, then be sure and ask them to explain to you the exact terms you can use to communicate to another farrier how to keep your horse sound. This is extremely important as individual farriers use different terms to describe how they go about achieving the desired results. In some cases, the hoof may become damaged to the point that the only way to replace a shoe or trim the foot to safety, will require more than just rounding the sharp edges or flattening the shoe and nailing it back on. Once again, the more information you can give the farrier will undoubtedly provide better results. Adding a pair of slip-on boots to your first-aid kit, one sized for the fronts and one sized for the hinds, may be all it takes to remedy a situation. In more serious cases, they can provide protection to the hoof until you are able to schedule an appointment with your farrier. Be sure and have a pair of scissors or other cutting tool handy in case you need to trim the boot to fit properly. A complete set of pre-shaped shoes along with the corresponding number of nails should also be a regular part of your traveling gear. Ask your farrier to make you up a set of shoes, fronts and backs, and be sure and take them with you. Even if you have lined up an emergency farrier and they have assured you they can handle any situation, they may be unavailable when you need them and having your own shoes and nails assures that at least that will not be an impediment to getting you back in the saddle. Besides, it's not like they'll spoil if you don't use them right away. They won't go bad over time and the tools will most likely last you a lifetime of horses. A set of four flat plastic pads, along with suitable hoof packing material and a roll of duct tape, takes up very little room and can benefit the barefoot horse as well as those wearing shoes. Once again, your farrier should be able to supply you with this material, or at least give you the name of the farrier supply house in your area. The pads can be used to provide temporary protection to a hoof in case of a puncture or damage to the sole as well as be fitted to shoes if the terrain turns out to be more difficult than anticipated. Even if you never plan to pull a shoe or nail one back on, if you have the tools and supplies needed to do the job, carry them with you. There may well be a farrier in the crowd who would be happy to help you with your problem. Being prepared for unexpected hoof problems lets you spend more time enjoying your horse rather than watching from the bleachers. Everything you plan for is one less problem that will catch you by surprise. Buz Riley - 2004 © Back To Buz Riley's Articles Home Page |
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