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American Farriers Journal

September/October 2012 AFJ

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September/October 2012

Volume: 38
Edition: 6

American Farriers Journal is the “hands-on” magazine for professional farriers, equine veterinarians and horse care product and service buyers.

  • Table Of Contents

    Table Of Contents

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    Shoeing for a Living

    Living Life in the Slow Lane, but Shoeing on a Fast Track

    Amish farrier Eli Beiler excels at getting the most out of high-performance Standardbreds
    By Red Renchin posted on September 1, 2012 | Posted in Forging, Shoeing
    Eli Beiler at work on the feet of a Standardbred near his Gap, Pa., home. Beiler has been shoeing horses since 1974. While the Amish are known for their adherence to old ways, Beiler does use some modern materials and tools in his shoeing.
    Read More

    Farriers' Roundtable

    September 1, 2012 | Posted in Diseases
    I have encountered quite a bit of seedy toe recently. Is it always best to shoe the foot after debriding it? What if the horse has usually gone barefoot?
    Read More
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    How Efficient is Your Shoeing Rig?

    Improving workflow and organization with your shoeing body or trailer can result in longevity and financial benefits for your hoof-care practice.
    By Lisa Kemp posted on September 1, 2012 | Posted in Equipment
    The layout of your rig and accessibility of your supplies and equipment contribute to your overall productivity. Being efficient in your rig's design and use does more than save you time in your day and make things easier on your body.
    Read More
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    No More Sore Backs!

    Here’s a quick and easy solution to the tedious chore of having to constantly lift a heavy anvil in and out of a shoeing rig
    By Frank Lessiter posted on September 1, 2012 | Posted in Equipment
    Investing in a pullout Extendo Bed makes it easy for Dirickson to have all hoof-care supplies in easy reach. When it came time to change shoeing rigs a few years back, Brad Dirickson was not in the mood to spend a large amount of money.
    Read More

    The Consequences of Bad Shoeing

    Hoof-care errors often result in losing a client, but there can also be costs to horse owners, trainers and the horse
    By Blake Brown posted on September 1, 2012 | Posted in Lamenesses
    It’s time for all of us who shoe horses to take the time to ask ourselves an important question about how we do our job.
    Read More
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    Not a Textbook Case

    After 4 and a half years, a club foot has delivered lessons in maintaining solid basics, utilizing consultations, relying on teamwork and employing creative approaches to hoof care.
    By Jeremy McGovern posted on September 1, 2012 | Posted in Therapeutic Shoeing
    In early 2008, Clinton Corners, N.Y., farrier Taylor Keenan was starting to develop a reputation in the Hudson Valley as a go-to farrier. At that time, he successfully treated a recurring quarter crack. The owner, thrilled with the outcome, recommended Keenan to a related account.
    Read More
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    Tackling a 20-Degree Coffin Bone Rotation

    Development of a specific protocol among farriers and veterinarians led to a successful rehabilitation
    By Sheri Fischer posted on September 1, 2012 | Posted in Lamenesses
    A coffin bone rotation can be a very difficult problem for the horse, farrier, vet and owner to deal with. This case history is about rehabbing Baily, a Quarter Horse with 20 degrees of coffin bone rotation.
    Read More
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    Raising your Prices as Your Hoof-Care Practice Grows

    Being able to charge more for your work is based on how you established your practice, as well as how well you’ve reinvested in it
    By Jeremy McGovern posted on September 1, 2012 | Posted in Business Practices
    The business end of working with performance horses doesn't appeal to everyone. If that is your case, but you would prefer to work within these various disciplines, Esco Buff suggests joining a multi-farrier practice. Besides avoiding the aggravations that can accompany a business, you will be closer to a guaranteed salary than if you are a business owner/operator.
    Read More
    Book Notes

    Try Three Styles of Interactive Learning to Expand your Skills

    Essential Principles Of Horseshoeing, Foundation Guide To Sound Trimming And Shoeing
    By Bob Smith and Doug Butler posted on September 1, 2012 | Posted in Business Practices
    For hundreds of years, books on horseshoeing have followed a very similar format. The books have focused exclusively on the mechanical aspect of shoeing. Some reflect the author's passion for the forge while others focus on shoeing to overcome numerous gait and lameness issues.
    Read More

    Shoeing with Conformation in Mind

    Taking note of seemingly minor points of how a horse stands and is put together makes a big difference in achieving balance
    By Blake Brown posted on September 1, 2012 | Posted in Shoeing, Trimming
    Bryan Baire, owner of Palmetto Farrier Service in York, S.C., and I met for breakfast at a little restaurant in York, a short distance from his home.
    Read More

    A Question of Balance: A Hoof-Care Constant

    Advice on this important topic, drawn from the AFJ archives
    September 1, 2012 | Posted in Anatomy, Trimming
    There may be no topic in hoof care that draws more interest — and causes more controversy that that of hoof balance. Here are a few comments, ideas and theories drawn from the archives of American Farriers Journal.
    Read More
    The Backyard Horse

    Problems Tend to Pile up on the Feet of Backyard Horses

    Informal survey of most common issues for these horses indicates that when owners fail to address one problem, it often leads to others.
    By Pat Tearney posted on September 1, 2012 | Posted in Clients, Therapeutic Shoeing
    Farriers who spend a lot of time providing hoof care of backyard horses should be forgiven if they sometimes feel as if they're being swamped by a cascading torrent of foot problems. It seems to go with the territory.
    Read More

    Recognizing and Treating Retracted Soles

    Hard-to-spot condition can result in thin soles and pain
    By Esco Buff posted on September 1, 2012 | Posted in Lamenesses, Therapeutic Shoeing
    Retracted sole refers to a condition that several equine professionals have observed, but that has not yet been defined or described in any equine medical dictionary. There are only a few published or electronic references to retracted soles and to my knowledge, my work is the only source for pictures and radiographs.
    Read More

    Cool Shoes For Ice And Snow

    These winter shoes from Washington farrier Bill Miller’s historical collection demonstrate several older ways of dealing with snow and ice
    By Frank Lessiter posted on September 1, 2012 | Posted in Disciplines & Breeds
    When horses were relied on extensively for taking the family to town and transporting goods, shoeing horses for snowy and icy conditions was an absolute necessity. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, numerous shoes were designed to prevent horses from slipping on ice-covered roads in the days before cars and trucks took over most of the nation's transportation duties.
    Read More

    Changes are Coming to the Hoof Care Industry: Are you Getting Ready?

    Veteran farrier Gerard Laverty outlines some of the challenges he thinks farriers will face in the not-too-distant future.
    By Pat Tearney posted on September 1, 2012 | Posted in Business Practices, Education
    Gerard Laverty, who teaches farriery at Kwantlen Polytechnical University in Surrey, British Columbia, says the recent economic downtown is the first one he's seen that will have a major effect on the horse and hoof-care business since he came to North American from his native Northern Ireland in 1981.
    Read More
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    Spotlight on Hoof Care

    Beane Wins Fourth Consecutive Calgary Title

    English farrier is crowned champion at the 33rd annual World Championship Blacksmiths’ Competition
    September 1, 2012 | Posted in Forging
    WCBC Champion Steven Beane, right, claims his fourth straight title and receives a $10,000 check from Remco van der Linden on behalf of Mustad. Steven Beane of Northallerton, Yorkshire, England, is only the third man to claim four straight wins at the World Championship Blacksmiths' Competition (WCBC) held during the Calgary Stampede.
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    Research Journal

    By Albert Kane posted on September 1, 2012 | Posted in Lamenesses
    A case-controlled study was conducted to assess the significance of fragmentation of the distal border of the navicular bone, the shape of the palmar cortex and proximal and distal extensions of the palmar surface.
    Read More

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