Gruenthal, Sask. – Casey’s new shoes were the centre of attention recently at a farrier demonstration in Gruenthal.
Adam Degenstein, winner of the 2007 National Farriers Competition, used the tall registered Paint horse to demonstrate how to solve chronic hoof problems.
Casey has a toed out left foot and because this affects its overall gait, it is also causing its right heel to collapse.
Local farriers have tried to help the horse but with varying degrees of success.
“He’s not the way he used to be,” said Erin McCormick, Casey’s owner and a therapeutic riding instructor, during a Jan. 19 demonstration organized by the Farriers Association of Canada. “He’s been quite a challenge for a lot of farriers.”
Read Also
Land crash warning rejected
A technical analyst believes that Saskatchewan land values could be due for a correction, but land owners and FCC say supply/demand fundamentals drive land prices – not mathematical models
Degenstein was the main attraction at the demonstration day. A member of the five man Canadian Farriers Team and winner of the 2007 Canadian Horse-Shoeing Championships, he has been a farrier since he was 14 and is also a blacksmith.
When he’s not shoeing horses he spends much of his free time using his forge to make ornaments and various tools, including knives and farrier equipment.
“I read a lot of historical books about Greece and Rome, and really liked the armour and stuff, so I thought it would be really fun to get into,” he said. “I also liked working with horses.”
For his demonstration in Gruenthal, Degenstein started by asking McCormick to put Casey into a circular stride around the barn.
He then measured the horse’s feet and told his audience what they should look for when measuring and shoeing a horse.
“Basically what I try and do with every shoe I make is make it as perfect as I can.”
Degenstein then went to work making horse-shoes using a gas powered forge and a hammer and anvil to pound the metal into shape. After the shoes were finished, he began shoeing Casey, taking care to avoid the meat of the foot.
Local farrier David Ginter said it’s always good to watch other farriers at work because they might do something he can learn from.
“Making sure that hoof wall is the same all the way around, that could be something I’d watch for.”
Although Ginter uses pre-made shoes, which he then modifies, watching Degenstein made him wonder if he should brush up on his own shoe making skills.
Although Degenstein impressed him, Ginter didn’t think the demonstration would revolutionize the way he shod horses.
“You’re not going to change a whole lot right away, but the more people you see, the more you can take away.”
