Tips on shoeing

[owens <owensall@sierranet.net>]

Just a tongue on cheek (sort of) list for picking a farrier:
YOU NEED TO CHANGE FARRIERS WHEN:
1.  After buying a horse with large round feet, that has never had
shoes, and riding him for about a month, you decide to get him his first
set of shoes. You assume that he'll wear about a 1 or even a size 2
shoe. Before you know it, your shoer proudly shows you his work.  You
look down to see four cute, little, oval feet, with hoof walls neatly
rasped all the way up to the coronary band.  You note that the horse has
an obviously smaller foot than he started with and you question what
size shoe did he use?  He promptly tells you that he was able to get him
into an OTT! Of course, he left no room for expansion or any extra shoe
at the heel, so they won't come off in any rocky terrain.  You notice
that the excess frog and sole have been neatly removed, picture perfect.
Funny thing, the horse never quite moves right after the shoeing.  He
moved right along before that, wonder what's the matter?
IF YOU DIDN'T FIGURE IT OUT, AND CALL THE SAME SHOER BACK:
He does much the same shoe job, only this time when he's shaping the
shoe, you ask him what size he is using(because you noticed that when he
held the shoe up to the foot, the shoe was obviously smaller than the
foot.  He proudly states that he can get him into a DOUBLE OTT this
time, as he is an arab and has very thick walls!  He assures you that
there is nothing wrong with rasping the hoof wall off to fit the shoe,
his daddy's been doing it that way for years.  You note that the horse
seems to be developing Long-Toe-Low-Heel syndrome, and ask what the
farrier can do to fix that.  He replies that all horses look that way,
it's really not a problem.
YOU KICK HIM OFF THE PROPERTY!
And find a shoer who will work with you, put a larger shoe rather than a
smaller, knows four-point, leaves plenty of room for expansion, leaves
the hoof walls alone, and doesn't take off any more sole and frog than
absolutely necessary!

Katee