Spavin – one of the most common pathologies
Bone spavin, sometimes simply referred to as spavin, is an osteoarthritic condition or degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the distal hock joints.
Farriers
Benefits of Joining an Association
Taking a day (or week) off means messing up the schedule and losing income, education is also not free, there is the cost of the event, the cost of travel, and if it is a multi-day event, the cost of accommodations. This year alone I will spend close to $15,000 and 300 working hours on education. The question becomes, is it worth it? I would answer that with a resounding yes.
HISA Rules for Shoeing
Recently new rules for how Thoroughbred race horses are shod have been released causing an uproar in the racing and shoeing communities. The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), operating under the authority of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), brought out several new rules related to racing, including limiting what horseshoes are allowed to be …
Therapeutic Endorsement
This November I attempted and passed the Therapeutic Endorsement at the American Farriers Association (AFA) annual convention. The TE is one of three possible endorsements or add ons to the Journeyman (CJF).
Farrier Industry Price Increases
We have seen prices rise anywhere from 10%-300% in the past year to year and a half. Some of the shoes I like to use have been on backorder for 6 months, the glue that we use had to change how it is packaged because the company couldn’t source the normal containers, steel that we hand make shoes from has more than doubled in price and is increasingly difficult to find.
The Principles and Practice of Horse-shoeing
Our next book for review is another older book, this one from the late 1920’s. The Principles and Practice of Horse-shoeing by Charles Holmes FWCF is on the reading list for the Worshipful Company of Farriers AWCF exam, it should of course be noted however that this is a historic book and the science of …
Practical Farriery Book Review
The first book we will look at in our review series is Practical Farriery by C. Richardson FWCF. First published in 1950 in London this book was originally written with a young farrier or apprentice in mind. At just about 70 pages long in the 1968 edition I have, it is a relatively short book …
Upcoming on the Blog: Reviews of Farrier Books
Have a farrier book you want Cody to review? Comment below and let us know!
Choosing a Farrier Rig
This spring we were able to purchase a new trailer from Stonewell Bodies in New York. There are many different variations of farrier rigs to choose from, so what considerations go into choosing what to buy or build? It seems the list of considerations is nearly limitless, with certain basic types of rigs being more …
Diamond Hoof Knife Review
Recently we won a Diamond hoof knife in a drawing held by Farrier Product Distribution. Since it is not one that we typically use, we figured it would be a good first product review. The knife that was sent to us was the right hand drop blade hoof knife (DROPR). Observations as the knife was …
Low Foot Case Study
While it would be nice if every horse had perfect feet, we all know that is not the case. Unfortunately, there are many issues with horses’ hooves and conformation, one of them being upright or club feet. There are times these two terms are used interchangeably; however, they describe very different conditions. We will explore …
Getting Paid to Learn
While most of our blog posts are geared towards horse owners this one is primarily, though not entirely, meant for my fellow farriers. When we hire a professional to do a job, we generally expect them to be an expert in their field. For instance, if I take my truck to the mechanic, I expect …
Small Business Budgeting
Running a small business is a lot like riding horses. Simple, but not easy. Ok so actually the major concept of each of those is simple but when you look at the details neither is simple or easy. One part of running a small business that eludes many, including farriers, is budgeting. Talking to other …
Staying Comfortable
There are many different aspects of this trade that we have to work on as farriers. Business skills including accounting, marketing, communication, customer service, inventory management, etc. Anatomy and pathology, forging skills, trimming techniques, nailing, finishing, and horsemanship. Each farrier has a different set of skills and level of skill in each of these …