Farriers.. feet people...

jhoward

Demon exorcist...
Joined
17 July 2007
Messages
16,438
Location
Devon
Visit site
can you take a look and tell me what you think... horse was shod on wed. there is a reason im asking but just want people to tell me what they think of the feet/shoes and overal thoughts.

pics are in no order and same foot may be repeated.

bicton028-1.jpg


bicton035.jpg


bicton034.jpg


bicton033-1.jpg


bicton040.jpg


bicton037.jpg


bicton039.jpg


bicton038.jpg


bicton036.jpg
 
Farrier should be shot for that. :eek: Where do you want me to start? Heels of the shoe too close/over shod on first pic, shoe not square to foot on second and the others have been nailed on to the foot, I'll give you that, and are facing the right way, but that's about it... as far as I'm aware, the shoe should be made to fit the foot, not the other way around.
 
I am no expert, but I would say the shoes are a little short, and a little too wide.....There may be a reason why the farrier has done it that way, so I wouldnt comment on whether it was wrong or right!!!

Edited to add, my farrier had this little 'tool' with him last time, that moulded to the hoof just below the coronet band, and then the shape could be checked to the hoof underneath to check that the foot was growing how it was 'meant' and not how the farrier has designed it.....it seemed a very good idea!!
 
i will reply and tell you all what its all about but i just want to see what people have to say... and fingers crossed another farrier is about to comment!
 
Personally I would say that he has just whacked any shoe on! Her foot isn't even sat on the shoe - its miles out! esp the 4th piccy. In the second piccy I would say the shoe goes higher on the left hand side than right. I wouldn't be happy!
 
I would ask for a refund and report him to the farrier society, are you in Tyne & Wear by any chance, that quality of work looks familiar

no devon,

again,... i will post more. but want general opinions... ok let me ask a question.

would any of you think that is a good job for a horse that has bad conformation is crooked and the farrier was balancing her feet. (farriers words and imo and my usal farriers opinion a load of rubbish.)

(im going to say here... i am NOT asking for opinions on me or my horse etc. i will tell all at some point, but i want clarification of a few things hence not saying to much. )
 
How interesting! Looks a bit like my farrier's work. Is this a new way of shoeing.......very low/no heels? Echo the other comments re one side of the foot having a little bit of heel and the other not so much. It looks like the horse would stand back on its heels and have a long toe, that no doubt is rasped off to make the balance look better. Why?
 
no devon,

again,... i will post more. but want general opinions... ok let me ask a question.

would any of you think that is a good job for a horse that has bad conformation is crooked and the farrier was balancing her feet.

How many different ways can I disguise the word b*ll8cks?
 
i cant see anything to major, only reason i say that is because my horses have remedial shoeing by a fantastic farrier and my horses shoes are close to the heel and they are fitted wide to give him more support down through the leg . i must say that they maybe are a little to wide but ask him why hes done it, im always asking mine, i pay enough money for them so want to know what and why hes doing it.
 
I'm a little unsure why putting a shoe on that looks crooked and uneven is going to help an already crooked and uneven horse, balance???
I'm no farrier, and I know there are plenty of reasons why they would do it (the first farrier to suggest putting a shoe on backwards to help a foot issue, was probably laughed at!!)
 
I wouldn't be happy with the shoe sitting so close to the frog but I can understand why the shoe looks large at the sides and long at the back.
 
would you mind explaining why the last bit.. thankies

Its a way of using normal shoes to give the same effect as the much more pricey 'natural balance shoe'.
I again would say that there is not much wrong except the frog could do with a little more trimming at the heel.
 
As I understand it, the shoe is flared to encourage the wall to grow down and the back is longer for heel support.
Was the toe trimmed back further than usual? .... I thought the long backs and trimmed toe were usually done in conjunction.
 
im no farrier so feel free to take no notice of what i say :D but il give it a shot, if your horse has low heels and they need supporting then that might be why the shoe goes right under the heel. my horses shoes are set wide because he twists his feet when he walks and he walks with his weight down one side of his foot which is shown by only one side of the shoe wearing so they are fitted wider to support the whole foot and leg and get him walking more evenly. i might be going off on my own little tangent here but that would be my guess.
 
my horse is shod similar but has a bit more space at his frog if it smilar to mine mine having strange confo he is shod slightley wider on the out side to help wth leg and foot support and encourage the foot to grow a litle more on the out side mine puts the outside of his foot down befor the rest so put strain on his leg do tell why he is shod like he is ???

but i woul say way to much rasping going on there wouldt be happy with that and would be happier if the toe clip sat flusher to the foot as well as nalos only sitting a 1/4 up his foot insted of a 1/3 of the way up but you farrier may have a reason for hoeing like this ??
 
Last edited:
I've been following this thread all night (haven't posted a reply cos I don't want to show my ignorance :) ). Are we going to hear the full story soon??
I only ask because it does not look dis-similar to the way my horse is shod, main difference is she gets side clips on her fronts.
I'd love to hear the full story before I head off to my bed.
 
right 1st of al thanyou for the replies, before i explaine look again based on my opinion and explanations..

pic 1. that is a hind. the show is actually pushing fairly hard against each side of the frog

bicton028-1.jpg



pic 2
this is a front, if you look to the right the shoe is shapped in a bad way. not round atall
bicton035.jpg


pic 3

not great as she moved so will ignore.

pic 4

is a front. this is the same hoof as pic 2 so the off front.
IMO the hoof wall is a far distance from the shoe edge. in real life your talking over half a cm the bulb of her heal is near touching the floor

bicton033-1.jpg


pic 5.. has a very high nail and shows general bad shoeing.. this is near front.
bicton040.jpg


pic 6 is a hind.. again hoof wall not meeting shoe.

bicton037.jpg


pic 7 is the near front.. if you look the clip is not banged back to the hoof theres a few mils gap and if you look a thte rasping job.. well
bicton039.jpg


am i wrong n any of my thoughts?

part 3 coming and the whole story coming next next lol!
 
The porblem here aside from an farriery is your pictures. If you are taking pictures of horses feet for critisism then the least you can do is take the pictures straight on and level with the ground. This applied to front, back and side views and if taking pictures of the ground surface then the foot should really be held level to the ground and the picture taken directly above it. Also you should really take pictures of the pairs as well as just single feet.

Picture one The shoe it too tight and there is no lateral support

Picture two the shoe is too small and the farrier has penciled the heels (of the shoe) to try and lengthen the metal). The shape of the shoe is awful, and the foot is not balanced.

Picture three the heels are curled in and its shod too short. The thing is this is a really dreadful picture!

Picture four seems ok. Again not level with the ground!

picture five i cannot say anything about because the angle of the shot is so bad that you cant judge the foot. There is one rather high nail there though.

Picture six shoe not long enough, no support... again horrible picture

picture seven and 8 a little too much horn has been removed for clip placement, this isnt the end of the world and does happen to the best.

picture nine. does this horse brush? the outside heel branch is longer.

I would personally shoe with more lenght and width unless the horse is a shoe puller, but even so there is no need to pencil the heels. It looks like the foot has been made to fit the shoe. When you pencil the heels the horses weight is distributed incorrectly as it cannot weight bare though its heels. Hunters used to be shod like this to stop them pulling shoes off its old fashioned.

The person holding the last foot looks like a farrier. Are those chaps i see?
 
I was replying at the same time as you obviously.

Your concerns about the amount of metal from the hoof wall to the edge of the shoe are unfounded (perhaps not in this case as it relates to overall shoe shape) but horses are often shod with metal sticking out as its for hoof support, It also encourages the hoof to expand where appropriate.
 
Interesting. I am going to have a really close look at my own horse's feet tomorrow! I have a couple of niggling doubts that this thread has brought into focus.
Re OP's horse - Is this maybe work by a 'remedial' farrier you've been referred to by your vet - is that why your own farrier is not happy?
 
right the story ..

1st of all, horse is lame on both fronts, she has not confimation faults on the frons a tiny bit cow hocked on the back, but you have to look hard to even see it.

2nd.. and dont any one jump on me, but i have removed all 4 shoes myself tonight.

the story..

horse is on part loan at equine college in the devon area, shoes done on wed, I go up to check on her, i saw instantley she was lame, inspected all 4 feet and was appaled, text a member of staff, of was on duty, she knew nothing but said would check the next day. next day horse lame.. shoes bad staff agree they will get her re shod... NO i say i want all the shoes off and no farrier to touch her until i can get my fairrer, call back to say shoes will be off.

im so cross i go to the top of the equine lot at the college and tell her my thoughts. bla bla happens.. yep farrier out shoes will be off.

i go up tonight and horse is still lame and bloody shoes are still on.. so i remove them..

offending farrier then rings me.. and starts by telling me horse has awful confo and that he has done this to blance her feet, when i start to ask about shapes of the shoes, the risen clip etc he says im not a farrier how would i know.

well i do.. 26 years with horses thats how i know... any way.. i then send the pics and ask my farrier to call to me...

he says OMG no horse doesnt have bad confo nor did feet need balancing.

it thens turns out farrier that shod has made a few horses lame, and one horse is currently on box rest with suspensorys done.. vet confirmed it was due to shoeing.

im so damn angry.. at how ive been treated, that the college ignored me, that they kept shoes on for there own benefit. dispite what i said.

im also cross with myself.. 1st time ive never been at a shoeing for one of my horses..

the shoes when off .. both pairs were different sizes and shapes.. thats ment to help a horses balance how exactley. horse was also near instantley sound aswell.. not footy or anything,,, just bloody happy to get the damn things off things off id think.
 
farrier.. ops about piccies..

no person holding hoofs is hubby in office clothes lol . mare doesnt brush, far from it.

its hard to see without before pics but horse had good feet, they now look like a 14hh ponies hoofs on a big heavy 16.2!

its the shape of the shoes when off that really made me think, as i said.. none ar ethe same shape or size.

I do fully understand that i am not a farrier, and could well of been wrong hence the thread with no clues.

I really appricate your points, thankyou.
 
i can see why you arnt happy and it probably is likely the horse was lame due to shoeing as its way of going would have been changed very quickly. you were right in wanting to get the shoes off. if the horse was left then it would probably start compensating with different parts of his body causing secondry pain and lameness like my horse has.
 
Top