How do you know if you have a good farrier?

[Kenzo]

How do you know if your farrier is a good one?

When I say this, what exactly should you be looking for in a correctly shod foot?....apart from the obvious...shoes seem to stay on well, look neatly done, never seem to be foot sore or lame (not that its always the farriers fault) etc.

Basically I'd like to know from an experts view what exactly I should be looking for when my farrier has put some new shoes on, the angle of the foot and all the technical details if someone can explaine it all.

My horse is 4 and is on his 5th pair of shoes now, therefore I want to make sure that he is shod correctly and will go out of my way to find the best farrier for him because how he is shod now is very important and getting it wrong now will certainly have a knock on effect to his foot/leg confirmation which will in time lead to further problems in the limbs and with his movement.

I just want to know that its not a case of them banging some shoes on, everything seems to look ok and jobs a good un etc rather than them taking a good look at the shape of his foot, the balance and confirmation etc

Any advice would be gratefully received.

 

[random_rider]

I dont know (id have thought all the things you said, but dont know abotu techinical stuff

), but i have to say your horse in your sig is stunning!!!

 

[VictoriaEDT]

I guess make sure they are not shod too long/ heels are supported/ feet look as symmetrical as poss
And it is important that your farrier is open to suggestions and willing to try different things

 

[Kenzo]

Orr thank you, he's my little babes, I'm always worrying (well just making sure really)about everthing to make sure he gets the best I can provide him with,

My focus at the moment is feet, so just trying to make sure that his feet are taken care of well...I do my bit (diet/nutrician/good foot care etc) just want to make sure my farrier is doing his bit also ...hence the post

 

[VictoriaEDT]

put some pics up of his feet and we will help if we can. Take the pics at eye level so will involve you lying on the yard on your chest!
Bootiful pics by the way!

 

[josephine]

I would say that reputation and word of mouth are the most likely way of finding somebody suitable. I have an excellent farrier who takes utmost care. He will be shoeing my baby so last time he came he took the time to pick up her feet and just let her get used to him. He has looked after my mare before, during and after her ligament problems and pregnancy and I cannot fault him. He regularly attends courses on latest technology re laminitis treatment, etc.

 

[saskia295]

[ QUOTE ]
getting it wrong now will certainly have a knock on effect to his foot/leg confirmation which will in time lead to further problems in the limbs and with his movement.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with this, but only to a point I'm afraid! I am in the same boat as you in that I have a younster (he's just 5) and I always worry about his feet. As your horse is 4, he is almost fully grown (unless he's a huge WB or something?) so his confirmation/limbs etc will be pretty much set already.

It's as a 2/3 year old that the farrier can try to 'make things a bit better' in that respect (so I thought anyway, apologies if I'm wrong).

My boy has slightly splayed (sp?!) feet behind and the farrier has done what he can to correct this, but as I got him as a rising 4 year old, there was only so much the farrier could do.

I love my farrier, he's really good as well as being quite soft on the eye

 

[Nailed]

The foot should hit the floor as level as possible. If the horses feet are strong and of good quality there will be no gaps between the hoof wall and the shoe.

The angle of the foot should be much the same as the angle of the pastern.. The heels of the shoe should be slightly past the end of the bars to combate pressure and to support the heels.

There should be a clear frog clearence with heels which end in good angled heels.

The clenches should be about a third of the way up the foot, preferably in a straight line and each clench should be 1 and a half times as long as it is wide. The clenches should be pushed up and in to the hoof wall and once the foot is 'finished off' the clenches should be smooth,

The angle of the clips should be the same as the angl of the hoof wall. The heels, if protruding, should be rasped this is also known as being 'safed off'

Nails should fit nicely to the shoe, the heads should be protruding by a couple of mills.

In reference to your lamness comment.. read my sig...


Horses hind feet should naturally point outwards so i wouldnt worry to much about this!

Any more questions let me know!

Lou x

 

[Kenzo]

Yes I'll take some snaps this evening if I can...having said that it may be too dull and wet but I'll see if I can get some before Saturday as my farrier is coming to shoe him on Sat morning, so I'll have some of his freshly shod feet also, which may be useful.

Another question whilst on the subject of feet (sorry this is getting long

) which is also something else that concerns me which I will discuss with my farrier, is that he's always had good feet (as in from June/July 2007) to this last month with good strong hooves, he's regularly shod (and before he had shoes he was regularly trimmed) no cracks etc. He's on good grazing, always has general vit/min supplement and seaweed so apart from not being on a specific supplement for his feet, he's in great condition and has a good healthy diet but this last month his feet are starting to crumble where the nails are and breaking away...hence why I have rang the farrier to come out asap, he was actually shod about 4 weeks ago and to be fair I always have the farrier out before most people on the yard (some leave it till the shoes are hanging off, over grown feet, worn out shoes etc) so I am particular about his feet .... could it be weather? does the horn shrink and expand with different weather conditions?

Is there anything I can put on or add to his diet to make sure they grow strong, most farriers say putting oils/hardners or anything on the walls of the hoof don't actually do anything, only the diet/breed/individual horse effects the hoof quality and growth....do you agree with this or can you recommend a product. Or do could it be from a weakness in the wall that has since grown down hence why its weaker where the nails are?

I bought him as a 2yr old in May 2007 and his feet were in my view not in good keep, very over grown, chipped but in fairness the horn seemed good and healthy although there was some ridging around the top could this of since grown down...as in where the nails are now?
He was not up to weight and perhaps not given the best nutritional start in life which will of no doubt effected his feet.

My other horses have always had good feet, never had any problems with cracks or breaking away etc so now I'm panicking seeing this crumbling where the nails are, obviously you expect this kind of damage if shoes have been left on too long, poor diet etc but in this case its not.

Forgot to mention he's WB/TB...if the breeding helps with any suggestions.

Thank you Nailed, yes that is the kind of info I was after ...actually have a good eye for it is something else but will have a go

 

[LankyDoodle]

Always known ours - Martin Buckland - is good; but when he made sure he was there when we had to have emergency vet when mare had lami recently, even though he didn't need to do anything; when he got very upset that she had to be pts, we knew we had a fantastic farrier that we're never parting with!

 

[LankyDoodle]

Sorry, that was a slight tangent really... he shoes ours wonderfully. Our vet came out the other day for problems with G, looked at his feet and said 'wow, this is good shoeing. who does this?'. The vet has horses and is newish to the area, looking for a good farrier. I think she found him!

 

[saskia295]

[ QUOTE ]
Is there anything I can put on or add to his diet to make sure they grow strong,

[/ QUOTE ]

I use Formula 4 Feet for my boy, which was recommended to me by a good few people on here. I have to say, it's fantastic and has given him healthy strong growth in the hoof. It's also got egeneral vits and mins so covers all bases. Love it

 

[SecretSquirrell379]

I've used lots of different supplements as my girls feet are not the best. There is no hard and fast rule with them, it just depends on what works for your horse.

I am using Newmarket Hoof Supplement with Kevin Bacons Hoof Moist and it seems to be workin well. This is my farrier!!!!!
Not my horse I hasten to add!!!!

 

[LankyDoodle]

I also use F4F and think it's really helped G. I do also use a hoof moisturiser, and while I don't believe for one moment that it actually gives him healthier feet from the inside out, it certainly does stop them being so brittle at the toe between shoeings (he has been known to crack around the clenches). Also, the flakiness round his corinary band has more or less gone

 

[LankyDoodle]

Tricksy

 

[Kenzo]

Hope that smoke is coming from the shoe and not his ar*se lol!

Right then Kevin Bacon and F4F stuff....now I just need to find somewhere that sells it

Thank you everyone for your tips!