Rider Influence on Hoof Shape and Soundness
Of the many factors that influence hoof shape and distortion, one of those is how the horse loads the foot. The hoof is what we refer to as viscoelastic, meaning …
Marketing, Its Not Just For New Farriers
For many farriers when you mention marketing they think of advertising. A little over a decade ago as DFS was being established, it was commonly thought and taught by many …
Road to the Journeyman Part 2
After putting off my CJF test for several years, I finally began the test earlier this year. You can find part one of this post about beginning the process here. …
Shoeing Philosophy – Basics First
“Fundamentals win ball games.” This was a phrase that was drilled into us growing up. It does not just apply to sports however. Too often in many parts of life …
Shoe Type & Selection – Barshoes
In our last post we talked about three main classifications of shoes by looking at open heeled shoes. This month we are looking at the purpose of bar shoes and …
Shoe Type & Selection
When it comes to selecting the appropriate shoe for your horse there are literally hundreds if not thousands of options in different types, styles, and brands when it comes to …
Road to The Journeyman Part 1
Last month I finally began the process of getting my CJF. The test for the Journeyman is comprised of three parts, each scored to an exacting standard. A written test, …
Shape of the Horse’s Foot
Last week we posted a photo to our Facebook page asking owners if they could identify which shoe goes on which foot (right front, left hind, etc). For some, this …
Hoof Care While Showing – Show Organizers
This blog post and the next will focus on hoof care as it relates to showing horses. Today, we will be addressing show organizers and next month we will focus …
Giving Back
At Dixie’s Farrier Service, we are committed to living out our core values. In doing so, we are driven to give back to our community, both the horse world as …
What is Good Work?
We all want our horse’s hooves taken good care of, but what makes it a good job? While the question of exactly what is correct for each horse is far …
Hoof Care in the Winter
As the weather is cooling off and shows and trail rides are winding down for the year, we have to consider what care is needed for horses’ hooves. For most …
Boundaries as an Entrepreneur
As we look back on the anniversary of the founding of Dixie’s Farrier Service, the past 10 years have gone by extremely fast. With that in mind, it is easy …
Expanding the Company Considerations
Over the past couple of months, the dream of a multi-farrier practice has started looking more like a reality with the schedule full several weeks out and days pushing the …
When To Say No…
As farriers, we have a difficult and dangerous job – on a good day. Ideally, horses will be trained to stand for the farrier and vet and won’t cause any …