Re: perplexing question (long)

["Dyane Smith" <sunibey@sisqtel.net>]

Maggie,
I really sympathize with your situation.  I have generally good shoeing with
all my horses.  I think over hundreds of shoeings, only one horse has ever
been trimmed short, and no one has ever swelled up.
I would think that you could try this:
1) call the vet and ask him to tell Nelson personally what he (the vet)
said, observed and what he based his opinion on.  After all, Nelson would
have liked to have been told personally, so, MAYBE, would the vet like to
hear what is being said and defend it.
2) if the vet will talk to you and does say that what you heard is correct,
then follow up with a call to your local vet school to see if you can get an
opinion which would make some sense of it all.  I hate to go back to the
Boggs discussion, but the principal was that Boggs was going to sue IAHA
because, by suspended him (AFTER A HEARING, UNLIKE WHAT POOR NELSON IS
GETTING) they were depriving him of his livelihood.  I am NOT SUGGESTING a
lawsuit, but people need to have a factual basis for opinions they give,
especially when that opinion can endanger someone's livelihood.

Anyway, I would try to chase down the facts and to see whether reasonable
people (Nelson and the vet) could come to an understanding which would
benefit the horses and their professional reputations.

Just my 2 cents.  Good Luck!
Dyane
N. Ca
----- Original Message -----
From: Maggie Mieske <mmieske@netonecom.net>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Monday, October 11, 1999 8:24 AM
Subject: RC: perplexing question (long)


> Dear Ridecampers,
> I have a question to ask of you from a "client's" point of view.  I
thought
> about going to the farrier's website but thought actual clients might give
> me a more objective point of view.  Nelson trimmed some horses for a lady
> last week... (7, I think).  They were all unbalanced and some had lameness
> issues.  One had been kicked and was swollen with a bandage on her leg.
> This is the problem...the vet came out to do a lameness evaluation or
> something like that (X-rays, etc.) on one of the mares.  The client had
> noticed that "some", not all of the horses had swelling in their legs.
The
> vet pronounced that the farrier (Nelson) had trimmed them too short.  Did
> not investigate any other possibilities. Now, Nelson trims 100s of horses
> and 1000s over the years.  None of them have ever swollen up from being
> trimmed...ouchy, yes.  Sore yes (sometimes a horse who is unbalanced and
is
> trimmed to be balanced may start using new muscles and experience some
> soreness for a few days until those muscles are strengthened).  But never
> SWOLLEN.  Obviously we are upset with the situation...this lady has the
> potential to really hurt our business.  I recall that she told us she just
> had chokecherry trees bulldozed from her pasture about a week ago (like
1-2
> days before her horses were trimmed).  I think this sounds like the
problem
> we had when our horses swelled from that bale of hay full of pepper grass.
> I know chokecherries can be or are poisonous.  I think it is sounds like
an
> allergic reaction of some sort.  I watched Nelson do these horses and
> except for some removing some bad flares he did not take them short at
> all...he is careful to allow a series of trimmings when trying to get
> excess hoof off of long ones.  The life needs to be allowed time to be
> driven back.  Anyway, I am just wondering if any of you have ever had
> horses swell (as in fetlock to hock) from just being trimmed and NOT what
> you would have considered a hack job.)?  We are really distressed that the
> vet did not investigate other possibilities.  This same vet has told our
> clients that what we told them is laminae separation (not necessarily
> founder) is just a thick white line.  I don't know what to do about the
> situation.  Worst of all, we have all this information second hand from
> another client whom the one called to complain...she has not called us
> herself yet.  The person she called defended Nelson and his abilities.
Any
> personal experiences that might help us approach this objectively are
> appreciated.  You may reply privately so as not to clutter ridecamp unless
> anyone else is interested.  Thanks folks!
> Maggie
> Michigan
>
>
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Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
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