Posts tagged “barefoot”
Hoof Angles – Part 2
In Hoof Angles – Part 1 we touched on the basic parameters of movement that veterinarians and farriers attempt to alter through trimming and shoeing. In this installment, we’ll examine a fundamental misconception about cause and effect as it relates to equine anatomy: the notion that the shape of the hoof causes the horse to […]
Hoof Angles – Part 1
NOTE: This particular subject is of great interest to me because its exploration leads the logical person to question the very foundations of modern farriery. Foolishly, I began the writing process thinking I could say what needed to be said in a single post. But after I started putting my thoughts down, it quickly became […]
Hoof Care Clinics in May
This is one of the real joys of my life – sharing knowledge with others. After some prodding from various clients, coupled with a student from the far east coast of Canada coming to study with me, I’m happy to announce that I’ll be offering two clinics in May. And it’s useful to know that […]
An Important Note
You may have noticed I’ve added an item at the top of the Sidebar entitled Sign Up!, with a link below it that says “Stay informed and contribute to our knowledge.” That link will take you to a very simple, but very important, form I’d encourage every visitor to fill out. Not only will it […]
Off His Rocker(s)
When the owner led the horse out of the stall, my heart sank. This poor gelding was wearing a type of shoe known as a rocker, banana, or convex shoe, and although I’d read about them before, I’d never actually seen them “in action.” I wish I could have maintained that ignorance, because what a mess! […]
The (High?) Cost of Hoof Care
I was giving a lecture on the economics of hoof care to a class of university students when one of them asked me how much a particular pair of “specialized” shoes cost. Consulting the farrier supply catalog in my hand, I replied, “They’re $12 per pair.” “No they’re not!” she retorted. “My farrier says they’re […]
The Land of Enchantment
Last weekend’s trip to Santa Fe proved to be an interesting one. I met some very nice people and some very nice horses. I also worked on some rather unusual horses with respect to conformation and movement, which I may comment about in the future. Most of the horses I saw, like many I see […]
Santa Fe Bound!
I’m headed out to Santa Fe, NM for a few days to do some one-on-one trimming training and to begin the process of transitioning a number of horses to being without shoes. I anticipate an interesting weekend in one of my favorite parts of the country! These are always very rewarding experiences because they allow […]
Mistaken Identity
Over the past several years, I’ve seen a considerable number of lame horses that have been diagnosed as having one problem or another but in reality have a very different one. And a visit a few weeks ago was no exception. I went out to trim a horse who’d been diagnosed with sidebone – the […]
A Closer Look at Breakover
If you’re around the horse world long enough, you’re bound to hear people talking about breakover. What, you may ask, is breakover? Well, there are two definitions. The first, as defined by Dr. Hilary Clayton in The Dynamic Horse, is – Terminal part of stance phase during which the heels of the hoof rotate around […]