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Steve Kraus

Steve Kraus

Steve Kraus, CJF, is Cornell University’s head of farrier services and senior lecturer for large animal surgery. He has been a farrier for more than 45 years.
Articles

ARTICLES

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How Do You Choose the Appropriate Horseshoe?

Work, intensity, duration, terrain and horse are the five considerations farriers should consider when selecting footgear for a horse
By Steve Kraus posted on January 6, 2021 | Posted in Business Practices, Disciplines & Breeds, Education, Equipment, Shoeing
Horseshoe production has developed to a high level of quality and variety that’s unparalleled since the 1900s. The many companies that have emerged in the last 35 years, as well as the ease of manufacturing and importing shoes from all over the world, have enabled farriers to have unprecedented choices in our modern age.
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Illustration of "Burden Machine" horseshoe manufacturing machine. Photo: Farm Collector Magazine, FarmCollector.com

How the Horse Shaped Horseshoes

From transportation to the show ring, the changing role of the horse and industry influenced the production of horseshoes
By Steve Kraus posted on September 13, 2020 | Posted in Business Practices, Education, Equipment, Shoeing, Products
American Farriers Journal has been a valuable tool to farriers for over 4 decades. In each issue of the magazine this year is featured an article looking back at a moment during that time frame. As we reflect on this history, I find myself thinking about the history of another, essential farrier tool: the horseshoe.
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Chalklines Help Determine Trim

See how the golden ratio helps farrier Steve Kraus of Cornell University teach students how to develop their eye for trimming
By Steve Kraus posted on December 23, 2018 | Posted in Trimming
How do you assess the horse before you trim it? How are you evaluating your work while with the horse? Are you spending time with each horse to do this? There are many different ways to assess the horse and check our work with it. The key is to dedicate the time to do this and to have a standard.
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From the AFJ Archives: April 2018

July/August 1983
By Steve Kraus posted on April 7, 2018 | Posted in Anatomy, Business Practices, Disciplines & Breeds, Education, Equipment, Forging, Shoeing
1983 ARTICLE OVERVIEW Steve Kraus, head of Farrier Services and senior lecturer at Cornell University, originally wrote this article for the 1983 July/August issue of American Farriers Journal. As a private practice farrier in Trumansburg, N.Y., Kraus originally approached this subject with the intent to clarify the purpose of Scotch bottom shoes and share his method of creating this complicated type of shoe.
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Is The Saddle The Problem?

Understanding general principles can help farriers confirm or eliminate causes of lameness
By Steve Kraus posted on October 30, 2015 | Posted in Clients, Education, Lamenesses
As farriers, we are aware that poor fitting horseshoes can cause discomfort and lameness in horses. Unfortunately, many farriers do not realize that poor fitting saddles can cause lameness, gait faults, shoeing problems and even personality problems.
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Treating Hoof Infections With Maggots

Following a consultation with a veterinarian, this farrier uses maggot therapy for tough case
By Steve Kraus posted on March 1, 2015 | Posted in Diseases
Maggot debridement therapy (MDT) to heal infected wounds has been used for centuries with humans. In the 1920s, Johns Hopkins University became the first place documented in the United States to use maggot therapy in a clinical situation.
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Continuing Education Is A Farrier’s Lifeline

By Steve Kraus posted on August 1, 2014 | Posted in Education
The definition of continuing education is as it reads - there's no mystery there. Farriery is a lifelong endeavor, but sadly there are many farriers who believe that once they can trim or nail a shoe on a horse, they are done learning. Nothing could be further from the truth. Trimming a hoof, shaping a shoe and nailing it on are just the beginning. Only then are you ready to really start learning.
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Red Flags for Farriers

Are you Driving Proper Nails?

If you’re shoeing horses that are coming up lame, look for signs that your hammering is missing the mark
By Steve Kraus posted on March 1, 2014 | Posted in Shoeing
While shoeing, nail placement can mean the difference between a well-shod horse and one that's lame.
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Farrier Education: Heartland Horseshoeing School

Farrier Education: Heartland Horseshoeing School

Farriery requires knowledge and skills to provide proper equine hoof care. In this series, sponsored by VICTORY, American Farriers Journal visits Heartland Horseshoeing School in Lamar, Mo. In this edition, Chris Gregory discussed his journey to becoming an educator, his focus in teaching farrier students and the state of farrier education.

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