RED DEER – Finding a good farrier is a common frustration among horse owners who need a person with a broad knowledge of horsemanship, anatomy and shoe making.
The horse has a specialized foot design not seen in other species, so there is a lower tolerance for errors, said Mitch Taylor, director of the Kentucky Horseshoeing School.
“I really can’t make horses much better, but I can sure make them a lot worse,” said Taylor, who has more than 30 years experience as a farrier.
Speaking at a conference in Red Deer, he said the farrier is like a horse mechanic who must understand body conformation, lower leg and foot anatomy, hoof growth and limb mechanics, including an understanding of gait. A farrier should also be expert at foot trimming as well as fitting and making shoes.
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Horseshoes provide protection and support. They can increase or decrease traction and affect how the horse moves. The farrier’s job is to keep the horse balanced so it can comfortably bear weight on the coffin bone inside the hoof.
The hoof is constantly growing and changes according to the weight it must bear. It needs to be trimmed so the foot bone is centred under the limb with minimal flares or sidewalls.
All structures of the hoof capsule are interconnected.
“The strength of the collective depends on the strength of the individual,” he said.
Left and right feet are different. More weight is borne on the inside of the foot. The front feet are bigger and carry more weight while the back feet are smaller with more pointed toes for driving the horse forward.
There are plenty of myths about foot care.
With proper trimming the horse is able to build proper sole mass to protect the fragile, porous coffin bone. Being porous, it can remodel itself and if the coffin bone touches the ground, founder or laminitis may occur.
Overtrimmed soles remove the strength of the arch. The sole is there for protection and is a secondary weight bearing structure that needs density.
Chronically imbalanced feet can lead to lameness. If the hoof is weak because of a fracture or abcess in the heel, other areas have to take on more weight and the shape shifts.
“As they change shape, they get farther and farther out of balance and out of the normal shape and lose proper function,” Taylor said.
A properly functioning foot should dissipate the shock of movement and provide traction for acceleration and slowing down. The farrier needs to understand this and should attend the horse on a regular basis and make sure the foot remains strong with proper fitting shoes and well timed trimming.
“Anybody’s work will look shabby after five to seven weeks,” he said.
The hoof can overgrow the shoe within weeks. The hoof grows long and forward, which causes the hoof wall to take on a greater load because it is no longer supported by the internal attachment of the sole.
“It starts to flare, toes start to dish and heels start to collapse in.”
Trainers have told him to remove the toe area and leave the heels, but the reality is the entire foot needs attention for proper balance.
Farriers can use commercially made shoes but should be capable of making and fitting a shoe to the individual horse including shoes made for therapeutic use to support the bone and hoof capsule.
The pleasure fit shoe should allow some room for growth.
The hunter fit, used for polo or barrel racers, for example, fits more tightly so the feet need to be trimmed and shod more often.
When putting on a shoe, nail use should be minimal and at the front half of the foot to avoid damage.
Gluing shoes is possible if nails cannot be used. These can stay on about six weeks but should not be used on a steady basis because it could bind up the heel and affect how shock is dissipated.
“You have to use everything with a little bit of common sense,” Taylor said.
Shoe removal seems fast and easy but damage to the foot may occur if it is done incorrectly. Always start at the heels and pull forward. Nails in the shoes could break the wall of the hoof if not removed properly.
