One for the barefooters... to make you smile

ester

ester

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Yesterday I let a farrier do Frank's feet :eek3:

Under strict instruction which went something like
Me 'Don't touch this bit, or this bit, or this bit' (frog, sole, bars, heels ;) )
Farrier 'may I rasp this bit?'
Me ' yes you may!, it's ok if you stuff up I told Mum it would be obvious ;) .

His rasp handling puts me to shame but his mustang roll needs work ;)

Fairly big deal me leaving the hooves I have had sole responsibility for the last 2.5 years to someone else :eek3:, me a control freak? Never! :p. Unfortunately me moving the other side of the country has rather forced me to suck it up and thanks to my farrier who let me watch over him and took it all in good humour, followed by a good hoof natter :), although he did say he more threatened the hooves with a rasp rather than did anything - his growth has finally slowed 3.5 months after his work did.

I also let mum do her first clip, the control freak in me is screaming quite loudly :D.
 
PoppyAnderson said:
I hate anyone going near my horses feet too. It's almost as bad as letting a new hairdresser come at you with a pair of scissors!
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Oh god, I had my hair cut last week in preparation for the move too! And physio, and lots of stuff like that, I hate finding new people!

He mostly manages himself but not his toes in front, I think he got the less is more message through (tbf he is fairly pro barefoot and has learnt a lot more about it than he did when we went down the path 4 years ago), it will do him good to have Frank on his books ;) and after nosing at them 5 weeks ago when he first went home he did observe how much better they work for roadwork :D
If it goes wrong have trimmer on speed dial ;) but having discussed it with her and Mum's rather frantic family issues atm it's easier to have someone else on board, and 5 weeks will suit F better than 6. Quite frankly if his feet are so easy I can do them farrier ought to be able to with a little guidance, and his favourite flapjack will be withdrawn if not :p.
 
I used to have proper nightmares that a farrier had visited when I was out and nipper end off all the walls and scalped the frogs! I'm cured now though!
 
What made you go farrier route rather than barefoot trimmer route ... or indeed carry on doing it yourself? Pat on the back as well for letting go of that control a little teeny weeny bit :) I must admit I've never paid much attention to the farrier with my horse but now he is barefoot and I'm using a trimmer I am practically sitting on her shoulder watching everything she does, pointing and asking and discussing which is the bit I like the most :)
 
Lucky you to find that easy going a farrier - most of the ones I have ever met (in 50+ years!!) have egos too big to allow them to be dictated to by a mere owner. The last one threw his toys out big time when I said I would prefer a podiatrist (aka trimmer but I wanted to impress him with technical terms lol)
 
Because the pony has moved back to Mum's in Somerset and I have to move to North Cambridgeshire for a job :(, he is 23 is hacking only and it isn't fair to keep moving him around. We have had a fab 3 years together in Wiltshire but he moved back because the vet suggested he would be better on the flat, it is flatter on the somerset levels ;). I am going to miss the ****** dreadfully quite frankly.

He is well transitioned now, not complicated to do after the list of don'ts - he really just needs his toes taking back and the farrier doing them means that my Mum only has to arrange to be there for one visit every 5 weeks (and a 5 week schedule will suit him anyway, I usually tidy up after 3), and will be much cheaper :p so after some worrying and discussion I agreed we would give it a try on the basis that it will be clear if it goes wrong and trimmer will come back and do him then if we need to.
If you'd told me 4 years ago I'd know enough to be doing my own I would have thought you bonkers so keep sitting on her shoulder ;).
 
ester said:
Fairly big deal me leaving the hooves I have had sole responsibility for the last 2.5 years to someone else.
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:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Well done. The farrier was at the yard yesterday. I very nearly almost let him near her. Then I thought, no. I'll keep doing it my way. She's sound. More sound than she's been in a very, very long time (always a little unsound on the roads). And besides, he doesn't believe the Mustang Roll helps at all.
 
JillA said:
Lucky you to find that easy going a farrier - most of the ones I have ever met (in 50+ years!!) have egos too big to allow them to be dictated to by a mere owner. The last one threw his toys out big time when I said I would prefer a podiatrist (aka trimmer but I wanted to impress him with technical terms lol)
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He's an ok egg ;), known him 7/8 years now I should think,. He's also come on a lot in that time and I don't think would get the underrun heel issue we ended up with in shoes before anymore. He wanted to carry on shoeing a bit longer but he is fairly open minded and likes to come at if from a sciency practical perspective. Def not too much ego hanging around :).

When shoes came off 4 years ago he suggested we got someone else on board as he didn't know enough about it and was interested as we transitioned as to what we were doing and how it was going, which is why he couldn't resist a nosey when he was shoeing when Frank went back 5ish weeks ago ;). He will happily talk feet all day :D.
 
HeresHoping said:
:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Well done. The farrier was at the yard yesterday. I very nearly almost let him near her. Then I thought, no. I'll keep doing it my way. She's sound. More sound than she's been in a very, very long time (always a little unsound on the roads). And besides, he doesn't believe the Mustang Roll helps at all.
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You have to call it a bevel ;), they prefer them :D
 
I hear you - i was constantly asking my farrier what was what on my horses feet! luckily he didnt mind ...

Even more lucky now im a trimmer - i just sit and ponder my own horses hooves to myself ... getting on the floor and looking at different angles ... trying different techniques and tools ... I always explain if my trim is different to what they are used to seeing (this can happen for many resons)

And i love sending them progress photos ... i think they think i do this for their benefit but really its just because im a massive hoof geek!

Love telling clients exactly what i see in their horses feet and the possibly reasons why things have happend etc. And actually i feel it empowers owners to understand and look after the feet more.

Any way! great story from the OP :)
 
wild at hoof said:
ps a bevel and mustang roll are 2 different things ;)
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yup I know, farrier knows, hence him not being great at the latter ;) and a bevel being somewhat more 'natural' to him. I am not yet at the point where I show him how to do one proper-like though :D, although it would give him a good chuckle at my one-handed rasping!

Those feet have taught me lots, and the whole thing was mostly ycbm's fault in the first place (he was lame, negative palmar angle, probably collateral ligament damage given movement).
 
Sounds like a good farrier! Hope frank enjoys his new pedicurist.

The trimming conversation with our family farrier is a closed book. I don't bother anymore. He still trims the ponies I have ok. But when he retires I will get the trimmer that has seen the big beastie to do them too.
 
JillA said:
Can you explain the difference for me please? I know they look different but what difference do they make
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A bevel takes the outer wall up at a angle ... so at the quarters about 30degrees and at the toe about 45.
The outer wall is not designed to be weight bearing and when it is it is usually the cause of flares and chips.

A mustang roll in essence is simply smoothing this bevel out so that there is no square edges... again to stop chipping. It replicates the 'worn in' look that naked hooves get naturally from moving over different terrain.

Unfortunately as most horses don't get this different stimulus we have to add it with the trim.

You don't have to have a mustang roll but I think it looks tidier AND believe it prevents chips / assists breakover

JP
 
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