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Spring Hoof CareWinter draws to an end and our thoughts turn to that first glorious ride of the season. There are many chores to complete in advance of the new grass. Fences and pastures have to be mended and tended. Water lines and troughs need to be checked to be sure they survived the winter's ravages and it is never too soon to be lining up new hay for the barn. About that new grass . you might wish to check out these articles on Grass Founder at the following sites: http://www.horsecity.com/stories/071403/he...ounder_HB.shtml www.horsecity.com/stories/072103/hea_founder2_HB.shtml www.geocities.com/idahoperuvianclub/grass_founder.htm These and many other helpful articles can be found online using "grass founder" for your search terms. Now would be a good time to draw up your plan for this year's hoof care program. If you are planning to attend riding events or shows, a schedule and calendar will help you lay out a tentative schedule of farrier appointments. Once you have this in hand, give your farrier a call and discuss your plans with him or her. Working with your farrier in the formation of your hoof care program allows for the formation of a strategy convenient to all. A review of last year's shoeing records will refresh your memory of the hoof settings you used then and whether or not they achieved the anticipated results. This way you can avoid wasting time and money repeating a set-up that did not work. If hoof supplements and topical applications are part of your program, buying them now before any seasonal price increase may offer a substantial savings over the course of a summer. You will have to make a decision as to whether or not to shoe your horse. Barefoot is a horse's natural state. If this works for you and your horse then don't shoe the horse simply because everyone else shoes theirs. This would be a waste of time and money as well as providing no additional benefits to the horse. If you decide to go with horseshoes, it is imperative that you have your horse's feet in their best possible condition prior to the appointment when the shoes will be applied. This makes the previous trim extremely important. If you have been diligent throughout the winter months and kept your horse on a regular trimming schedule, your horse's feet should be in fine shape when it comes time to nail on the first horseshoes of the year. Your farrier will encounter few if any problems because any chips or cracks will have been addressed as they appeared, leaving the hoof better prepared to accept the horseshoe. Skipping or postponing the last trimming before shoeing the horse is not a good idea. An overly long hoof usually becomes misshapen, increasing the possibility of chips and/or working cracks in the hoof wall that makes it difficult to keep a shoe on the foot. Addressing these problems when they first appear gives your farrier the opportunity to correct the situation and prevent further deterioration of the hoof. Your horse's feet should be in the best possible condition when it comes time for nailing on horseshoes. Anything less increases the chances of the shoe coming off prematurely. Checking last year's shoeing record helps in another decision that you have to make. Are you satisfied with your farrier? Did your farrier show up on time? At all? Call if they were going to be late? Treat you and your horse with respect? Listen to you? Consult with you about how to trim your horse? Was your farrier able to handle all of your hoof care needs to your satisfaction? If the mere thought of this puts a knot in the pit of your stomach, then it is time to make some adjustments. You need to find someone else to work with this year in managing your hoof care program. The two basic choices you have are to hire a farrier or do the work yourself. Hire a farrier and the least that will be expected of you is to provide a well-trained horse and a safe working environment. Most farriers are more than willing to help an owner increase their understanding of proper hoof care. At the same time, a farrier should be willing to listen to an owner's concerns, suggestions or questions relating to their horse. After all, it is the owner who sees the horse every day and it is the owner who will have the most up-to-date information concerning its condition. You train your horse to accept having its feet trimmed. This is quite an accomplishment. You take away its main line of defense and ask it to stand quietly while someone other than you pares, nips and rasps on its feet. So how do you train your farrier to behave as you expect to be treated? You start by not being the one who is late, forgets appointments or never has the horse ready when the farrier arrives. The shoeing area is clean, dry and free of distractions. In other words, you do all those things that everyone says will make your farrier happy. Once you have done your best to provide the farrier with all he or she could ask for, then it is up to the farrier to provide a professional service. The most consistent complaints I've heard concerning farriers are that they are always late, never show up on time, fail to keep appointments, won't return calls or are unwilling to listen to the owner. They won't explain what they are doing or why they are trimming a horse's feet in a certain way. They show up intoxicated and are disrespectful and rude. And this is before they even touch the horse! Disciplining a horse is the job of the owner. Striking a horse with a tool of any kind is unacceptable behavior and is cause for immediate dismissal. So why are so many people still using farriers who are the cause of these complaints? Because people still hire them. Why? Sometimes a horse owner is just unable to locate someone else better suited for the job. Sometimes a long list of complaints is followed by, "at least he doesn't lame my horse." He may not lame your horse, but what is he doing to you? He's not making your life any easier or improving your quality of life. Farriers that behave in an unprofessional manner are able to do so because no one forces them to change. Licensing or certifying someone who wants to trim horses is not going to solve the problem. One of the most amazing things to me is that the complaints against farriers are the pretty much the same the whole world over. A farrier cannot exist without horse owners. Horse owners have the horses and the money the farrier needs to survive. It may not seem like it to someone living in an area with limited farrier services, but the farrier needs you more than you need him. The average horse owner can and in my opinion, probably should learn how to take care of their horse's feet. A horse owner can be their own farrier . but it is neigh on impossible for the farrier to make a living trimming his own horses. For all the mystery concerning how to trim a horse, look at some of the people doing it now. Like most things in life, all it takes is learning how. The vast majority of horses require nothing more than a flat and level trim balanced to the conformation of the hoof and the horse. For anything else, you would seek the advice of a professional farrier . which is what you would do anyway, if Mr. No-Show were still trimming your horse. Taking control of your hoof care program puts you back in the saddle and in command over this part of your horse's life. Bad behavior is not tolerated in horses . and it shouldn't be in horseshoers either. Here's to clear trails . and warmer weather. Buz Riley - 2004 © Back To Buz Riley's Articles Home Page |
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