“Doug, I attended your Horse Expo seminar this past March in Lincoln and really enjoyed your lecture.  I never thought that I would have to bring out notes from what you talked about in such a short amount of time, but we ended up having a horse go lame on us this spring.  We saw some signs around Thanksgiving but the horse seemed to get worse recently.

“After some tests and x-ray’s, the vet diagnosed him with Navicular Disease.  The x-ray showed some history of deterioration and such, but the concern that I have is even though the x-ray indicates a historical problem we haven’t noticed it until recently.  We bought the horse a year ago and rode him quite a bit with no issues.  This brings me to the comment you made about those who may shave off too much of the heel.  We have had the hoofs trimmed twice.  I’m suspecting the trimming job.  Can you tell me what to look for again when looking at the heel?  We do have him on Bute which seems to help, and I think when he was shod he was better.”

Answer:  When shoeing for navicular disease, the most important thing is the alignment of the axis of the pastern with the axis of the distal phalanx or coffin bone.  The front of the upper one-third of the hoof should be parallel to the front of the pastern when viewed from the side.  Sometimes it is necessary to use a wedge pad in addition to the shoe to achieve this.  When these are in alignment, you will have the least amount of stress on the navicular bone.  For more information, see pages 558-566 in The Principles of Horseshoeing (P3).

On April 10th, I did a full-day large group clinic for the New Jersey Equine Veterinary Clinic — among the topics I presented was one on the “Barefoot Experiment,” and the response from veterinarians and farriers alike was very positive!  Of the several farriers who visited with me after the clinic about experiences they’ve had rehabilitating lame horses from these incorrect procedures, one farrier in particular said he had conducted a year-long experiment with two of his own horses.  Please see his “Comments ” added to this blog post.

The best way to tell the position of the Distal Phalanx, or P3, is to have a lateral/medial radiograph of the hoof.  Usually, the foot will have to be placed on a block to get the x-ray beam parallel to the base of the bone.

Without an x-ray, you can look at the slope of the upper one third of the hoof wall, just below the coronet.  If the wall is tightly adhered to P3, this will give you an accurate angle for the hoof wall and bone.  Ideally the angle of the base of the coffin bone is 5-10˚with the ground.  Ideally the angle of the dorsal front surface of P3 is parallel to the slope of the pastern.

You can also run your finger down the front of the pastern.  If your finger slides easily over the coronary band, the bone is in a normal position.  If your finger stops or falls into a crevice at the hair line, the bone has sunk within the hoof capsule.  Another indication that the bone has sunk, is the dropping of the sole.  If the sole is flat, that indicates the bone has sunk down due to a weakened or destroyed laminar attachment.  This is the case in foundered feet.

The best way to understand what is inside the horse’s hoof is to study the anatomy of the equine foot.  A good resource is The Principles of Horseshoeing (P3).  Until you have studied enough to know the foot backwards and forwards and can visualize what is located within the hoof, you should be dealing only with sound backyard horses and referring other cases needing more expertise to a qualified farrier.

It is interesting to see the students’ progress at our school.  At first, some are hesitant to even begin trimming the hoof.  With the sequential learning we provide at Butler Professional Farrier School, they each gain confidence as they learn to visualize the interior of the horse’s foot.  We just graduated eight students this week, and the work they did in their final exams showed their understanding of equine foot anatomy.

Hoof wall thicknesses vary. There is a very small margin for error. The farrier must pay close attention to selecting and driving each nail.  Not all nails are manufactured perfectly, and misshapen nails might not drive straight.

However, nail quicking isn’t the only kind of quicking that can affect a horse – he can also be quicked and become lame if his sole is trimmed too close.  There’s a great tendency for inexperienced farriers (and owners) to think that you get more of your money’s worth by trimming more so you don’t have to trim so often.  This  may also happen to a pet horse or harness racehorse when people think a shorter foot helps the horse move faster.  Doing this doesn’t leave enough protection for the horse’s foot – he may break over easier, but he won’t move as well.

The thinned sole does not offer enough protection for the hoof’s more sensitive inner structures, and lameness is the result.  The worst problem of quicking from trimming too short is abscessing, whether from an infected deep cut or from a bruise.  A quicked horse can bruise the sensitive solar corium or the bone, especially in a rocky area, because his protection from the sole is greatly decreased.  The resulting abscess is usually infected with “Clostridia” bacteria, which produce gas that puts pressure on sensitive areas.

Treating a quicked horse depends on the extent of the injury.  If it’s severe, call your veterinarian.  For minor wounds, treat conservatively.  If he’s bleeding, use a disinfectant and cover it with duct tape and a clean towel, gauze or a disposable diaper to keep more infection from getting in.  When it begins to heal, cover it with a pad.

If you cover a bleeding wound without treating it, it will often abscess.  If it does abscess, it’s important to have a professional open up an abscess to drain.  Then you can use Epsom salts paste or a 20% ichthammol black salve to draw the infection and swelling out of a minor abscess.

A pad is probably the best remedy to protect the tender foot until the horse grows more sole for protection.  But take the pads off as soon as you can so the horse doesn’t get dependent upon them.  You can give him Bute for a few days so he is comfortable enough to eat and move around, but the concern then is that because he doesn’t hurt as much, he may cause more damage to the thin sole.

You can also put turpentine or Venice turpentine on the normal or quicked sole to toughen it, but be careful not to spill it on skin because it will burn.

I believe the NC Tool hoof knife is the best value for the money.  They come sharp and are easy to keep sharp.  And they are relatively inexpensive to replace.  I think the best hoof knives in the market are Ringel knives.  I use them in my work, for they are made of high quality steel.  They are concave ground and will last for many years.  You have to sharpen them less than most knives.  They are solidly built and don’t come loose from the handles.  I like the custom made bone handles the best.  To save your knife, use a loop knife on the frog only.  You can use half-round nippers for dry frogs and soles to preserve your sharp knife.  I sharpen my knife occasionally with a chain saw file and dress them daily with a diamond hone.

This question and its answer depends upon your experience, length of time in practice, how many clients you currently have, status of your local economy, competition, etc.   Do you provide perceivable value for your clients?  How will you communicate this change — will you call and tell them, send them a letter,  postcard or email, or do you have a creative method of your own?  Even your choice of communication can make a difference.

Many factors enter into the decision and your accompanying plan.

The end of a fiscal year is a good time to announce price increases for the new year.  Another good time is when you become extremely busy, such as in the springtime or beginning of summer.

In your communication with your clients, clearly explain your intentions.   Enumerate the values you provide.  When distance is involved to reach your clients, perhaps an increase in your travel charge is one way to help defray expenses that eat into your profit.

See our next blog for additional ways to provide value to your customers and their equine partners.

Good luck!

Answer: You are not required to read all the pages before you arrive.

You’ll find after enrolling and completing the application process that a copy of P3 will be sent to you, and you are at liberty to use your copy to read and study as you wish. There is a homework assignment on five chapters to turn in the first day of class. Many students have studied considerable parts of the book before coming, and doing that does help you “hit the ground running” when you get here.

Ask yourself, “Would I rather study with instructors who wrote the book or an instructor who just read the book [and perhaps only part of it]?” At Butler Professional Farrier School, we teach you specific ways to apply “P3″ to YOUR needs.

You have complete information under one cover, written in an easy-to-read and understand style. Difficult words are defined for you, and there is a glossary of horse terms. It summarizes early blacksmithing and horseshoeing books. It is indexed, encyclopedic and systematic to help you find what you need. This highly illustrated book is where you learn about horses — not just horse’s feet. It explains the why as well as the how to do horseshoeing and to make a living doing it.

Our system enables you to subconsciously learn correct principles you will apply throughout your professional farrier career. You will not be required to read chapters, as you would in a college course, before the lecture. Rather you’ll be introduced to the subject matter first, and you’ll find your homework then relates to topics you’re already familiar with and have even applied immediately after the lecture time in a hands-on setting with live horses.

Our students report their satisfaction with our method of teaching. They like knowing what they can expect each day. Success, of course, depends on how much individual students put into the learning process.

Interestingly, Business Coach, Alan Weiss, states, “If you read just 25 pages of a 700-page book and simply read it five days a week, you will finish it in about 6 weeks”! So, for those of you who apply early, you will have plenty of time to read the whole book if you want to before you arrive!

We’ve even had people, who bought P3 when it was first published, report they’ve read the whole book as much as three times.

Answer: A hoof that is proportional to the horse’s body size allows for ideal distribution of body weight over the foot’s laminar surface. (Laminar surface refers to the area where the sensitive laminae, attached to the coffin bone, interlocks with the horny laminae at the hoof wall.) When the foot is proportional to body size, it prevents over-compression of the sensitive and bony structures and allows the hoof to expand normally under movement.

Hoof size is influenced by heredity, management and nutrition. Horses fed an optimum diet have an 80% increase in hoof-sole-border area size compared to those fed a limited diet.

Not all feet are created the same — thus horse foot care must be based on each individual horse’s foot conformation and anatomy. One size does not fit all.

A young horse does not usually have to be shod unless it’s necessary to maintain the foot in a healthy, balanced state. Soundness is the key.  If the wear of the hoof capsule is greater than its growth,  it should be shod.

The average hoof growth rate is three-eighths of an inch (about one centimeter) per month.  However,  some variables may affect this.  For example, the rate of growth is faster in summer months than in winter.  Horses receiving proper nutrition will have faster-growing hooves than do horses eating inappropriate diets.  Exercised horses have more rapid hoof growth than do horses that are idle.  Hooves grow faster in young horses than in mature animals.

Unless a young foal needs corrective trimming and even shoeing in the case of Developmental Orthopedic Disease (club feet or underrun heels),  shoeing will not be necessary until you begin training the young horse.  Your farrier will appreciate if you’ve worked with the foal from an early age to respond to picking up his feet.  Plan to do this at weaning time if you haven’t done it earlier.

Question: My mare is Twelve going on Thirteen. I have had her for two years and have always had problems with holding and trimming her rear feet. In an article I read recently on restraint training it is stated that if a horse is old or has problems with arthritis they should not have their legs tied up. It also says that older horses with problems are more likely uncomfortable than untrained.

• How can I assess if she is uncomfortable or just being a right old witch?
• Would you consider my mare too old for restraint training? To my knowledge she has no joint problems.
• If you do consider her too old, is there another technique you could recommend?

Answer: Normally we like to train a horse to stand for shoeing, but those older horses with arthritis should be treated differently.  Contact your veterinarian and have him or her give your horse something that would take away the pain and help the horse to stand still while the farrier works on it.

Best wishes.

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Doug Butler, PhD, CJF, FWCF, Co-Author of Principles of Horseshoeing (P3) Speaker, Clinician, Coach

www.dougbutler.com | www.farrierfocus.com | www.butlerprofessionalfarrierschool.com

Doug Butler Enterprises, Inc. helps our equine partners with common sense solutions for soundness

308-665-1510 | 495 Table Rd., Crawford, NE  69339

Fax: 308-665-1520 | 800-728-3826 (press 1 for orders)

QUESTION: Dear Sir or Madam, I am looking for feedback on the standard protocol for farriers regarding cleaning up after shoeing and running magnets for horseshoe nail tips at busy boarding stables.

• Is it generally the responsibility of the farrier to clean up after shoeing and run their magnets for nail scraps or does this fall on the shoulders of the boarders or the stable owners staff and trainers?
• If it is the responsibility of the farrier to pick up nail scraps, then what is the most effective way that you have found to get the farriers who visit the stable to clean up after themselves?
• Is it unsafe to tie a horse in an area where there are horseshoe nail scraps?
• Is it unsafe to leave horseshoe nail scraps on the ground at a busy boarding stable?

I apologize for the absurdity of some of these questions, however, I am having to contend with this issue and would appreciate any feedback you might have. Thank you.

ANSWER: Yours are not absurd questions.  It is only reasonable to expect a farrier to clean up after himself.  A broom and a scoop shovel can easily be carried in a farrier’s rig.  Hand-held magnets are available now from roofing supply and hardware stores.  It’s NOT asking too much for the farrier to do — that’s part of the job!  About your question of how to get the farrier to do it, EXPECT it and tell him only once!  It is unsafe and is unsightly and not for you to do.  One stable owner I’m acquainted with insists that the farrier clean up after himself, and if he doesn’t she doesn’t invite him back.  It’s simply common courtesy to clean up after your work.

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