Look Before You Leap — And Before You Shoe A Horse
James Gilchrist, a veteran farrier who shoes in the Wellington, Fla., area and at the Palm Beach Equine Clinic, is a strong proponent of evaluating a horse before beginning his hoof-care work.
“In our practice, we always watch these horses work under saddle,” he says. “A lot of them will move totally differently when they have a rider on their back than they do just being trotted in hand down the aisle. If you just watch them walk down the aisle before you shoe them, you’ll miss a lot.”
Gilchrist also says he used hoof testers on almost every horse he shoes — even those he knows well.
“The competition schedule they keep is so intense that a lot of times they’ll get a little sore in the heels or across their frogs. The horse may be sound and moving good, but a lot of times you can head off a problem or talk to a vet about it.
“We always evaluate the old shoes before they come off for wear. Maybe they’re wearing outside or a little on the inside. A lot of times if they’re getting sore in their backs you’ll see them wearing their hind toes a little bit more than what they normally would.”
form is to function
I have seen two dressage horses (both Hannoveraner) shod by Gilchrist and shod by a local farrier. Gilchrist's approach made a positive difference. As someone showing a non-warmblood barefoot horse in some of the Wellington dressage challenge series (lower levels) we walk and jog the horse when trimming, as that marginal improvement in movement is the difference between a 6 and a 7 and we're just not going to be competitive without 7s in gaits and impulsion. Showing is too expensive not to go for the extra advantage of a well balanced hoof.
In 28 years I've only watched a horse walk a few times and that was to impress the owner. I do listen to the rider if there is a problem with the horse's movement, but it would take too much time and effort to watch every horse move or walk them each time before shoeing. There is an old saying that fits here, "You can shoe a good horse bad and he will still perform, but you can never shoe a bad horse well and make them perform." As Joe Kriz used to say, "You either got it or you ain't got it!"
None of the farriers I have come across would "waste" their precious time watching a horse being ridden (or even walked in hand). Neither are they keen (able?) to share information with the owner. Which is one of the reasons why going barefoot has been such a positive experience for my horse and myself: my podiatrist provides a thorough written evaluation of each hoof at every trim, rating every aspect of it and giving verbal advice accordingly. She has not wanted to see my horse under the saddle, but probably would be happy to do so if I asked. Anyhow, my horse has been much happier since the metal came off (replaced first by non-metal shoes, now by boots on the front feet when the terrain/duration of hack requires it).
from my experience most farriers don t take the time to even watch a horse walk down an aisleway to assess one let alone watch it ride.
3/4 of problems start long before the foot is involved...diet/environment, old injuries, etc. Proper feed and turnout directly affects the hoof/horse on a daily basis not just every 4-6 weeks. Getting a hoof/horse healthy doesn't have to include metal! If you have a lot of thrush on your book, toe first landings, sore backs, bad attitudes, get diet/environment, heel infections healed up first....don't mask the problem. The owners/managers have a huge impact on how successful your business will be.
I am seeing more and more people really getting interested in what than can do to help their horse.Massageing seems to be getting popular to relieve muscle tension.
VIEW CART
