the Horseshoeing puzzle, why you are at risk
Posted by Morihei | 5 Mar, 2007Wow ! Let it all be !
Here is where you're going to find out why you are 98% chance or better of falling victim of a lame horse. Simply put, Farriers go to schools to learn their trade-Horses come up lame. Let me repeat that - The schools teach the farriers and the farriers work on horses and horses come up lame.
Seeing the connection between lameness and shoeing yet? I'm a farrier that went to the mastery program at one of the worlds best horseshoeing schools. I graduated at the top of the class - at about 9 weeks into my education the owner of the School approached me and pulled me aside just to tell me i was one of the best students he had come through there in over two years. Interestingly enough when i graduated and went to work for myself i still felt as though there was something missing with my education. A piece of the puzzle was still lost - i could just feel it.
Well i discovered it. A breakthrough method that to this date has a 16 year 100% track record - "NOT ONE SINGLE LAME HORSE". This blog is being put together to let people know what the truth about shoeing correctly really is.
Most horses are pigeon toed. About 98% or more . Left untreated pigeon toed horses become lame very often sometimes permanenely lame. The reason is the foot is not breaking over where it should. this condition twists joints and binds joints in ways which the horse just cannot tolerate - the result - blown tendons and ligaments/ bowed tendons and sometimes permanent lameness. Basically your worst nightmare.
To compound matters the schools teach the method of correction of pigeon toed horses to farriers that actually makes matters worse for the horse. WORSE !
Textbooks and schools teach to lower the inside hoof wall making it shorter than the outside hoof wall thereby "Forcing" the foot into a straight ahead position. OUCH - sorry but that will ruin your horse. What that method does is introduce bind and twist into the joints of the horse then we expect to ride the horse for hours on end. Can you imagine ? well let's just hope for your sake your horse is one of the ones that makes it through that ordeal without coming up lame. But the truth is if nothing is done "Correctly" about these issues you are at risk and it's a serious risk.
there are a host of other issues we'll cover here all adding up to having your horse traveling in the most efficient manner possible for him or her. There is a nite and day difference to a horse moving "AS it should" and one that is simply just NOT. It only takes one lameness to put that - possibly "Your" horse down!
Sorry to be so up front and blunt about this but honestly this happens all to often to unsuspecting horse owners and handlers and all the while they were thinking they were getting the best shoeing available.
I personally feel people need to be shaken up and woken up about this seriousness of shoeing , i don't really know how to go about that other than to just put it in your face where it will have effect.
I've personally witnessed too many times clients coming up to me while i'm working and asking me to take a look at their horse - and when they bring it from around the corner i can't believe my eyes how the horse is moving so poorly.
Don't take for granted your horse is moving as it should.
Horses can "Feel" the subtle differences going on in their feet. Often when you think the horse is doing fine it's really not. it happens all the time - pop! something goes out and you'll have a lame horse on your hands. And sometimes a permanent lameness. I know you can't afford that. You owe it to your horse to find out the truth.
Start a dialogue here , i'm working on the information to put into your hands - the method is rather complex and in some cases ( the most severe ) a special shoe is needed for about a year before new foot is grown . It's all just alittle difficult to put into just print. So there will be a DVD available as well as a soft cover book showing this method. This way you can guarantee for yourself your horse will perform at it's best.
One way right now you can tell if your horse is being shod correctly or not is to pick up it's foot and look at the shoe. ( you'll need to be about 5 weeks into his shoeing to notice ) - look at the toe of the shoe - does the wear pattern on the shoe go straight accross the toe area or does the wear pattern go diagonal ( offset ). if the wear pattern is not directly dead center you're ( your horse ) is headed for trouble. You need to trust me on this one.
We'll be discussing more of what's happening to horses feet in next issues of this blog. Return and please post your comments.
john silveira
http://Farrieritis.Care4Horses.com