December 2015

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

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Table Of Contents

Table Of Contents

Briefings

November 30, 2015 | Posted in Business Practices, Trimming

If measuring the foot for and building a shoe, Jacob Butler says consistency is the key in building your system. That system comes as a result of experience.
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Do You See What I See

By Jeremy McGovern posted on November 30, 2015

I’m not an artist, but I know a few painters — and not the house variety. When looking at a work of art, I can appreciate the ability that goes into creating a piece, but artists have a deeper appreciation of it. They have the different knowledge of what goes into a work and have a deeper understanding of the skills necessary to create it. They see what I don’t. It is a perception developed from sight and experience.
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Are You Practicing Legally?

Arkansas farrier and lawmaker helped to change the veterinary practice act after he discovered horseshoeing ban

By Jeff Cota posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Business Practices, Education

Are you practicing farriery lawfully in your state?
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Shoeing for a Living

Footcare by Committee

A gathering of farriers in western Pennsylvania provides opportunity to discuss each other’s approach to hoof care

By Jeremy McGovern posted on November 30, 2015

What’s a typical day for a farrier? Well, define “typical.” How often does one set out to trim and shoe horses without a curve ball coming out of nowhere that disrupts that day’s plans? Is that no longer a normal day?
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Shoeing for Stifle Conditions

Accurate vet diagnosis and correct farriery principles can help ease pelvic limb lameness

By Stuart Muir posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Anatomy, Education, Lamenesses, Therapeutic Shoeing

The stifle joint is one of the largest, complex hinge joints in the equine skeletal system. The role of the stifle joint ranges from locomotion, through to a fundamental role in the reciprocal apparatus in the pelvic limb.
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Thoughts on Defining the “Good” Foot

Approaching the concept of a “normal” foot led to an exercise in thinking about the elusive “good” foot

By Jeff Ridley posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Education, Shoeing

When given the opportunity to write about shoeing a normal foot, my first move was to discuss the topic with a well-respected colleague, who quickly asked me “Jeffrey, what is a normal foot?” Naturally, I began to reflect on my daily work, thinking that most of my feet were fairly “normal.” But then I thought about the question more and came to the realization that almost all of my so-called “normal” horses present me with some type of a conformational or structural challenge that I am constantly striving to improve.
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Booknotes: Recollections From 202 Years Of Family Shoeing

Sparks From The Smiddy, The Life Of A World Champion Farrier By David Wilson as told to Andrew Arbuckle

By Frank Lessiter posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Education, Forging

More than 25 years ago, during a visit with David Wilson in Scotland, he took me to see the blacksmith shop and attached house that six generations of his family had called home. Located in the sleepy little hamlet of Kilmany, the homestead is just a few kilometers from the world-famous old St. Andrews Links where golf got its start in 1552.
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It All Started Because Someone Wanted To Show Off A Shoeing Truck

And 38 years later, Danny Ward’s Eastern Farrier Conference is still spreading the word on hoof-care education

By Pat Tearney posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Education, Forging, Therapeutic Shoeing

Former students, fellow farriers, suppliers and friends of Danny Ward made their annual pilgrimage Nov. 6 and 7 to Martinsville, Va., for the annual Eastern Farrier Conference, hosted by Ward and the North Carolina Horseshoers Association (NCHA). It was the 38th consecutive year that the gathering has been held at Ward’s horseshoeing school in the Virginia Piedmont country.
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Farrier Q&A: November 2015

When you get ready to trim and place the next set of shoes on a horse, how much do you rely on reading the actual amount of wear on the existing shoes? What do you look for and how do you use this info in deciding how best to shoe the horse?

November 30, 2015 | Posted in Disciplines & Breeds, Equipment, Shoeing

Most of the horses I am involved with for shoeing are in some sort of rehabilitation for hoof pathology and lameness. We utilize the wear patterns and amount of wear the shoes encounter to prescribe future shoeing needs.
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Preventing And Addressing Hoof Flares

Identifying and correctly managing deformations are critical to keeping horses sound

By Audrey Pavia posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Education, Diseases, Lamenesses, Trimming

Hoof flare is one of the most common issues facing farriers today. Yet as often as it’s seen, hoof flare is also potentially crippling to the horse. Recognizing hoof flare and treating it can be crucial to keeping your clients’ horses healthy and sound.
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A Hands-On Approach To Sharpening Your Hoof Knife

A multi-step process may be old school, but results in a sharpened knife

By Chris Gregory posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Equipment

I am always amazed by this great trade of ours. No matter how long you apply yourself to the art of farriery or how much you study the science and theory behind equine footcare, there will always be something to learn. There are so many skill sets that have to be mastered to just become adequate that it can seem a daunting task for the beginner. For the experienced farrier, every time you learn or master something new, this maxim keeps the job fresh and fun.
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Nothing Goes to Waste in This Farrier’s Shop

For this instructor, the most important lesson in his shop is to think outside the box when at the forge

By Jeremy McGovern posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Forging

Growing up in a family that bred Quarter Horses, there was no doubt that Sonny Pistilli was going to make a career in the equine industry. It was through the need to tack on a shoe that he became a farrier. In 1965, his farrier couldn't make it out to put a shoe back on a prized show horse. The judge disqualified the horse for only wearing three shoes. He began riding with his mentor, the legendary Seamus Brady, to learn the basics in case he found himself in a pinch again. After 5 months, he was hooked on the trade.
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All The King's Horses

Tennessee farrier up to the challenge for Graceland’s toughest case

By Jeff Cota posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Anatomy, Diseases, Lamenesses, Therapeutic Shoeing

The jet black Tennessee Walker with a white blaze walks gingerly into the old white barn in obvious pain and discomfort.
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Pricing for Success

California farrier offers valuable tips for how you should be charging your clients

By Jeff Cota posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Business Practices

What can you charge? It’s a question that farriers commonly ask and one that Adam Wynbrandt hears often. His response?
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Are You Choosing The Right Nail?

A wider selection means better options for your shoeing job

November 30, 2015 | Posted in Disciplines & Breeds, Shoeing

Farriers never have had as many horseshoe nails to choose from than what’s available today.
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Quick Tips for Improving Your Bottom Line

British farrier David Nicholls shares his thoughts on making the business side of farriery more pleasant

By Jeremy McGovern posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Business Practices

David Nicholls clearly understands the need for farriers to operate their businesses as businesses. The West Sussex, England, farrier has keen insight not only from being a practitioner for more than 45 years, but from his overall business experience. He’s worked outside of farriery in varied capacities and within farriery, he’s worked in both single- and multi-farrier practices. But for him, there is one reason why he was qualified to lecture other farriers on the subject of business at the 2015 International Hoof-Care Summit.

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Improve Eyesight and Prevent Slippage with Specialty Specs

Clic reading glasses keep specs in place with an adjustable wrap-around neckband and magnetic breakaway bridge

By Ian Gronau posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Safety & Healthcare

As many farriers age, it is better for the horse to forgo vanity and admit when assistance is needed. Reading glasses purchased off the shelf require a minimal investment for those who spend time looking at material close-up, like a foot. When it comes to selecting a pair, an ordinary drugstore set with or without an eyeglass strap/lanyard seems like the apex of design, but a few farriers have found something better.
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How Practical Are Venograms?

Early damage assessment is vital for acquiring best results

By Jeff Cota posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Anatomy, Education, Diseases, Lamenesses, Therapeutic Shoeing

One early November evening, a German physics professor was in his Bavarian lab experimenting with gases in a glass tube when the tube began glowing after a high electric voltage was passed through it.
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Balancing The Foot With The Golden Ratio

Minnesota farrier develops protocol to aid understanding of the hoof

By Jeff Cota posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Anatomy, Shoeing

One day while shoeing a large warmblood, something caught Scott Lampert’s attention. “There were two fractures in the bars, just little fractures, little lines,” the Lake Elmo, Minn., farrier told attendees at the late July trimming, forging and anatomy clinic hosted by farrier Eddie Strommen in Evanston, Wis. “I thought, ‘Interesting, the horse made those, I didn’t. I wonder if I could use those to balance his foot.’”
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Farrier Urges American Horse Council To Back Footcare Standards

It would entail development of a program to include education, training and eventual licensing of all farriers

By Frank Lessiter posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Business Practices, Education

For more than 4 decades, Walt Taylor has favored the licensing of farriers. But for years the founder and long-term president of the American Farrier’s Association (AFA) accepted the wishes of the AFA membership to develop an in-house certification program as an alternative to licensing.
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Shop Talk: AAPF Establishes International Subsidiary

By Jeff Cota posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Business Practices

The American Association of Professional Farriers (AAPF) is extending its reach in the industry by creating a new subsidiary — the International Association of Professional Farriers (IAPF).
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Spotlight on Hoof Care: Consider The Entire Horse For Better Shoeing

Clinic draws from nutrition and whole-horse examinations to find solutions for laminitic horses

By Jaime Elftman posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Education

There is more to farriery than just looking at the horse’s hoof. To treat horses properly, it’s necessary to look at the whole horse and consider its gait, conformation and body weight and how those factors affect the hooves and how the trimming and shoes that are applied can affect the rest of the horse.
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Research Journal

The information, ideas and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the United States Department of Agriculture.

By Albert Kane posted on November 30, 2015

This investigation examined hoof tissues from horses affected by pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID or Cushing’s disease) with the hypothesis that pathologic changes consistent with laminitis would be found whether or not the animals showed clinical signs of laminitis. Tissues from 26 horses were examined including PPID affected horses with and without laminitis and controls. The length, width and appearance of primary and secondary epidermal lamellae were compared between the affected and the control horses.
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Featured Articles

Featured Articles

Balancing The Foot With The Golden Ratio

Minnesota farrier develops protocol to aid understanding of the hoof

By Jeff Cota posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Anatomy, Shoeing

One day while shoeing a large warmblood, something caught Scott Lampert’s attention. “There were two fractures in the bars, just little fractures, little lines,” the Lake Elmo, Minn., farrier told attendees at the late July trimming, forging and anatomy clinic hosted by farrier Eddie Strommen in Evanston, Wis. “I thought, ‘Interesting, the horse made those, I didn’t. I wonder if I could use those to balance his foot.’”
Read More

All The King's Horses

Tennessee farrier up to the challenge for Graceland’s toughest case

By Jeff Cota posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Anatomy, Diseases, Lamenesses, Therapeutic Shoeing

The jet black Tennessee Walker with a white blaze walks gingerly into the old white barn in obvious pain and discomfort.
Read More

Shoeing for a Living

Footcare by Committee

A gathering of farriers in western Pennsylvania provides opportunity to discuss each other’s approach to hoof care

By Jeremy McGovern posted on November 30, 2015

What’s a typical day for a farrier? Well, define “typical.” How often does one set out to trim and shoe horses without a curve ball coming out of nowhere that disrupts that day’s plans? Is that no longer a normal day?
Read More
Digital Edition

Digital Edition

For Digital Subscribers: Login To Your Digital Flipbook Of The December 2015 Issue

November 30, 2015

Now view magazine-like digital flipbooks on your desktop and tablet. Starting in 2015 issues, included for FREE with your Digital or Premium subscription, view the magazine on your laptop, tablet, and mobile device. You need to be logged in to view.
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Online Extras
Online Extras
Online Extras: December 2015 Issue

November 30, 2015

Web-exclusive content for this issue includes:

Former Arkansas lawmaker offers advice for those wishing to change the veterinary practice act in their state.

Todd Allen provides further hoof-care insight.

Watch a video about Scott Lampert's Proportional Balance Protocol.

Read responses to the December Hoof-Care Email Q&A that didn't make it into print.

Watch a video of Sonny Pistilli showing a modified tool he uses for marking Nail Holes.

Read an old article of the late farrier Lim Couch's memories of Shoeing for Elvis.

Steve Kraus provides guidance for selecting which nail to use in your work.

Watch a video of equine veterinarian Amy Rucker describing how venograms can guide shoe selection in laminitic horses.

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Web-Exclusive Feature

Former Arkansas Lawmaker And Farrier Offers Advice To Change The Law

By Jeff Cota posted on November 30, 2015 | Posted in Business Practices

Arkansas is one of nine states that specifically exempt farriery or horseshoeing. The others are Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Vermont. If you decide that you wish to challenge the veterinary practice act (VPA) in your state, House has some advice for you.
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Knowledge Is Power, So Power Me Up!

By Todd G Allen posted on August 3, 2010 | Posted in Education

I have been a farrier for 30+ years and have been an active member of one or more farrier association for 27 years.
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Farrier Quick Takes

[Video] The Proportional Balance Protocol

November 30, 2015 | Posted in Anatomy, Shoeing, Trimming

Lake Elmo, Minn., Scott Lampert explains how he developed the Proportional Balance Protocol to better understand the hoof while trimming and shoeing.
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Q&A

Information Gleaned from Wear Patterns

Q: When you get ready to trim and place the next set of shoes on a horse, how much do you rely on reading the actual amount of wear on the existing shoes? What do you look for and how do you use this information in deciding how best to shoe the horse?

November 30, 2015 | Posted in Equipment, Shoeing

When you get ready to trim and place the next set of shoes on a horse, how much do you rely on reading the actual amount of wear on the existing shoes? What do you look for and how do you use this information in deciding how best to shoe the horse?
Read More

Farrier Quick Takes

[Video] Tool For Marking Nail Holes

November 30, 2015 | Posted in Equipment

Pennsylvania farrier Sonny Pistilli shoes a modified tool he uses for marking his nail holes.
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How To Match Nails To Your Horseshoes

Considering these points when selecting which nail to use will result in making a better choice

By Jeremy McGovern posted on April 1, 2015 | Posted in Equipment

No one in their right mind would suggest that the anatomy of the horseshoe nail is as complex as the horse. Nonetheless, Steve Kraus says it is important for farriers to understand the parts of the nail to make decisions in why to use a particular type. The Delta Mustad Hoofcare Center clinician delivered a swift review of horseshoe nails at the 2015 International Hoof-Care Summit.
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