Frequently, I’m asked to work on horses that have been rescued from either an abusive situation or from a clueless horse owner (which can be one and the same).

Two of my large barns routinely call to warn me that they’ve gotten a new horse whose feet are in really bad shape.

But rather than fear these calls, I look forward to them. Cases like this let me try new techniques, new shoeing modalities and — for the most part — work on the case any way that I see fit. I’ve had great success with these cases.

The downside is that you can develop a reputation as a miracle worker that can over-inflate your ego, making you feel invincible. The great thing about lame horses is that just when you start to get a little too big for your britches, there will be one horse that quickly kicks you back to reality. Thankfully, this horse wasn’t one of them.

Meeting Musik

When my friend Lisa called to let me know about her latest project, a horse named Musik, I was prepared for a long, uphill battle. Musik’s previous owners spend most of their time in Florida, and would regularly hire a farm manager to watch over everything while they were away.

For 15 years, no real problems had ever occurred. This time, however, the person they hired…