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Luke Cain Awcf farrier.

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Luke Cain Awcf farrier.

Luke Cain AWCF Registered Farrier
Specialising in all aspects of farriery, barefoot trimming and remedial shoeing.
(5)

- Based in Penzance, covering the south west of Cornwall
- I offer a professional, patient and reliable service
- All aspects of shoeing and trimming undertaken including remedial work
- Experience of shoeing many different types of horses in a wide variety of
disciplines
- Any enquiries, small or large, please do not hesitate to contact me

15/08/2024

* Advancement in farriery*

Is it a benefit to the horse or the industry, maybe it could be both. Modern techniques linked with traditional fundamentals. All aiming to maintain sound horses.

16/07/2024

*Everyday blindness*

We all find it hard to notice slight changes on a daily basis. It’s easy for us to see changes in a shoeing or trimming cycle. We are seeing a steady rise in overweight fluffys, substantially high numbers suffering from laminitis or health issues directly linked to obesity.

- girths not fitting
- letting out rug straps
- lack of performance
- breathing issues
- saddles not fitting

The list of signs are endless, if you’re experiencing things like this take a step back and look at your fluffy. If you can’t see any defining anatomical landmarks, the fluffy is to fat.

Do something before it’s too late. Dont make excuses. Your fluffy needs you 🫵

08/07/2024

These little guys hate being pulled around to much, and I’m not the ideal body shape to become a contortionist. By wrapping a towel around their fetlock and holding it between my knees, allows me to nail on normally and keeps them happy.

I’ve been close to losing the odd digit in recent years. It’s not pleasant when they want to become fire breathing, farrier destroying whirlwinds, and fingers are easy prey.

Work smarter not harder
🫲🫱

02/07/2024

*Hardest part of the job*

The physicality of this profession isn’t often over shadowed by another aspect of the job, but I truly believe that the trimming of the equine hoof is the hardest part of the job. To trim every horse in accordance to their individual conformation needs and to optimise soundness and athletic ability, takes constant practice and self discipline to always want to achieve as close to perfect as possible.

All of which is usually done by eye, to teach this I’m trying to find ways of showing instead of just telling. It’s know that using a contour gauge, and taking a reading from an inch (approximately) distal to the coronary band, gives a you a shape that should be replicated on the solar surface of the hoof.

You can see from the pictures below that the trim is as close to ideal as possible, we have a good length of toe, a well replicated solar shape in relation to our dorsal hoof wall shape. All of which gives us a great starting place to maintain and support a healthy hoof capsule.

Once trimmed we apply our shoe, which if properly fitted, replicates this hoof shape. So a take away message, the horses hoof needs to find purchase, having a big round toe in a shoe when the hoof is slightly pointed, isn’t a good fit and will over time inhibit our horse’s performance and cause hoof capsule issues.

Using this contour gauge is a great visual tool for assessing our trims.

21/06/2024

* Who knows 🤷‍♂️*

Could this be a good solution for those horses in between barefoot-boots-shoes. These “ground grip pads” have been developed by The Shoeing Lab 01905-641640 To provide protection for the unshod horse.

After some hoof prep, they are glued directly to the sole of the hoof. Protecting them from stones, rough tracks and heavy wear.

These could be a great addition to our service. This particular fluffy will be my guinea pig for a few applications, once I’ve ironed out any teething issues ( if any), I will be offering them as a service.

Let me know your thoughts 👍

14/06/2024

First make and fit for Dewi today, on the trusty fat family fluffy. Going through the whole process,

- trimming
- measuring feet
- making the shoe
- fitting
- nail and finish

Dewi did the hinds I did a pair of Hunter fronts. Glad to be inside again with all the summer weather we’re having 🙄. Hope everyone has a great weekend

12/06/2024

* Crack repair *

This mare has always had a very slight superficial crack on this hoof, mainly due to the foot having excessive flare between trimming. Mostly likely due to her compensatory stance from previous hock injuries.

Today we decided she needed some extra help. She is a professional fluffy field ornament, so we went for a simple crack patch. The top of the crack was a “pinch” point, constant expansion and contraction on the hoof capsule, preventing the crack from healing and growing down.

The crack was cleaned out, locking holes drilled adjacent to crack, foot trimmed and ground bearing surface floated to reduce pressure on crack.

In more extreme cases a stabilising bar shoe could be applied to aid in healing. This mare has never been shod.

Hopefully we will see an improvement in the next cycle 🤞

06/06/2024

Wet-Dry-Wet-Dry

Thin footed horses and constantly changing weather/ground conditions can cause some serious headaches for farriers and other hoof care professionals. Extremes in both wet and dry causes sudden changes in feet, too wet causes them to become overly soft and prone to trauma, too dry causes them to tighten up and become very brittle.

This guy is no different, a long wet winter has caused them to suffer more than usual. Feet have become overly saturated and caused a breakdown in plantar structures, and now a dry spell causing them to become brittle. A concoction to provide a headache.

Before things got any worse, we applied a graduated 3D pad with digital impression material. Due to the pr*****ed frog I had to remove a substantial amount of pad material to accommodate the frog, but still leave enough to re-engage the frog and plantar structures of the hoof capsule. These pads offer a great light weight alternative to a therapeutic shoe, a heart bar shoe with a set down bar would be great in the right scenario, but for this thin footed horse a lightweight package is ideal.

In the next shoeing cycle ( 4 weeks ) I’m hoping to see an improvement in heel quality and stability in the hoof capsule 🤞

03/06/2024

We put a lot of pads on throughout the year, for various reasons. By completely encapsulating the soles, it can be a perfect environment for bacteria to thrive. Under the majority of pads we use a digital Impression material to provide extra support and prevent debris buildup. We mix in a substantial amount of copper sulphate which gives us a very clean and dry foot on our next visit. You can see the green/blue staining on this sole.

27/05/2024

We always welcome new fluffys to our books. Quite often we hear the words “ are you taking on new clients ? “, the answer is always yes … if they’re sane and have 4 feet we will trim or shoe them 😉

Even more so now, with the addition of Dewi ( chief apprentice), we can offer more availability. Barefoot trims, shoeing and remedial work 👍

22/05/2024

Tonight’s lesson, Plain stamped hind shoe (hammer finish) A very basic traditional shoe, used for driving horses. Not something I put on frequently but a great forging exercise.
All the little mistakes stand out l like a sore thumb.

18/05/2024

Back from a busy couple of days at Devon county show. We both took part in the shoemaking and shoeing competition. This was Dewi’s first go at competing and did well, made his shoes in the time allowed and fired for me. Literally a baptism of fire 😬😆. I managed to get 2nd place in the Restricted pony shoeing , which I’m really happy with. The other classes were great learning opportunities for myself, showing me what areas I need to practice on more.

Doing these competitions is a great way of learning and finding out where your shoe making is lacking. Being able to watch other guys at the top of the game is invaluable, the judges are always great at giving really helpful feedback.

Now it’s been a long time since I’ve placed at a competition, so I have no doubt I’ll be waffling on about it for the foreseeable.

Hope you all had a great weekend 👍

10/05/2024

*Finding the correct fluffy*

We as farriers are probably the most frequently seen professional you and your beloved fluffy will see. This unfortunately, has given me a huge insight into some the most catastrophic purchases I’ve seen people make. And so many of the “oh they seemed like very genuine people “.

It’s very easy to get pulled into the mind set of “Ooo isn’t that pretty” when buying a new fluffy. However you don’t know what lengths someone has gone to, to get that picture of fluffy behaving itself for a those few seconds. Know one is going to mention that they’ve just been chasing the thing around a paddock for 2 hours trying to catch it, been dragged around a school trying to lunging it. Which in turn will alleviate its cold back, arthritis and any other symptoms of personality.

I thought I would put out some words of wisdom if anyone would like to ignore them 😉

Suitable- if you’ve been having a riding lesson once a week for a year, this does not make you John Whittaker, find a fluffy that has more experience than you.

Age- if I hear “they can learn together “ one more time 🤦‍♂️. Pre school children do not need a pre school ex racer. I heard a very good saying from a friend, the first pony and the child’s age should equate to 30 years old. Yes there are exceptions to the rule, but not many.

Management- find out how much fluffy is going to bleed you dry. Make sure you have time to enjoy fluffy in the right environment. Don’t keep it near a busy road if it likes disappear from under you when a vehicle appears. Feeding, don’t feed them as much as you think you should. Save your money for the next vet bill. If they come with a supplement list longer than your weekly shopping receipt, that’s not a good sign.

Beauty is as beauty does- don’t be a snob, if you buy an ugly fluffy it’s probably because it’s the right one. If they look after you and you enjoy spending time with them, it doesn’t matter what they look like.

Handling-you are going to be spending a lot of time around fluffy, if you can’t lead it without a course of sedation or a pocket of treats, it’s not the one for you. Just because fluffy has 4 shoes on, doesn’t mean it went smoothly, some poor farrier probably had to go to DEFCON level to get it done.

* ask as many questions as possible
(Obviously if you can’t read the advert)

*turn up early, see how the horse is when being caught etc

*take someone who knows more than you
(Yes they do exist )

*get it vetted
(£500 is cheaper than £5000 a few months down the line)

*ask your farrier for some advice, they probably will have a few words of wisdom

Make wise decisions, your long suffering common sense consultant 🤙

02/05/2024

Slightly different way to end the day today. Client messaged during the week, regarding unsoundness in their horse.

This TB has been successfully barefoot for a couple of years now, with few to none issues. Unfortunately the conditions this year have been too much. A slight hoof capsule defect turned into a substantial area of impaction.

These areas of impaction cause pressure on sensitive structures causing lameness and perfect conditions for anaerobic fungal infections. Unfortunately these issues need a quick and aggressive treatment to avoid further bouts of lameness in the future.

Normally I would trim out these areas and leave them open and apply a supportive shoe. These cavities can be filled to prevent further impaction. This horses feet are particularly thin and the affected area very close to sensitive laminae.

So to allow the area to be treated efficiently and support the hoof capsule without the need to shoe him, I applied a hoof cast with Digital impression material to support the solar aspect of hoof capsule. The cast will provide support to the hoof capsule and prevent any deformation. The area will be treated with and anti fungal solution.

Going to be a while until we are back to where we need to be 🤞

25/04/2024

*Humbled *

Every now and then I’m reminded that the fluffys have their own minds and like to keep me thinking.

This mare has taught me a lot in a relatively short time. She originally came with aluminium/composite shoes. However with the horrendous weather and under foot conditions, we really struggled to keep her comfortable. Mud would pack up under the frog plate, causing her to become very uncomfortable. With frequent pulled shoes, we were constantly patching her up. She would go very lame without a shoe.

A slightly different shoeing package was applied, a traditional side clipped shoe with frog/palmar support pad. This too had a lot of hurdles, packing would shift and fill up with mud, more pulled shoes and frequent bouts of lameness.

So with a bit of head scratching and thinking a little more about prevention of excessive sole/frog pressure , the following shoeing plan was applied. An aluminium leverage reduction shoe, ground into a “rocking” shoe. To prevent any further shoe loss I’ve backed filled the shoe with an acrylic glue, this in turn also gives further rigidity to a compromised hoof capsule.

The “rocking” of the shoe allows her to move with ease due to an abdominal gait, from chronic bouts of laminitis and hoof capsule traumas. Surprisingly her frogs and soles have come on leaps and bounds. This is the 3rd application and so far everything is heading in the right direction. Ugly feet sometimes need ugly shoes.

Lots of lessons learned

19/04/2024

FRIDAYS

I try and keep a Friday to a forging day. Ordering stock, or making stock. Preparing for following week.

Today we went over the making and forging of fullered shoes. Using a tool to make the crease in flat bar. 3/4 fullered and fully fullered. All shoes in farriery exams are hand made specifically for the horse your are designated to shoe. 4 years of practice for 1 day, so setting aside days of the week to learn these skills is very important in my opinion.

After some demonstrations and lots of hieroglyphics I think Dewi’s brain has gone into melt down 😂 but he’s assured me it was as clear as mud.

Then we went on to do some Tool and fullering for competition practice 😬, definitely more time needed for that.

Hope everyone has a good weekend 🤙

18/04/2024

Each morning we stock the truck, every horse has their shoes paired up and put in. 🤦‍♂️ I know every horses shoe size, but can I remember what my long suffering wife told me 5 mins ago 🙄.

We carry a single set of every size to allow for emergencies or slight changes to shoeing.

Every fluffy has their own shoes, so we can provide the most efficient service for shoeing or barefoot…sometimes with a smile 🤷‍♂️

16/04/2024

Some of Dewi’s hand made shoes going on yesterday 👌

01/04/2024

The weather has certainly taken its toll on us all this winter, so me and the family are planning a few days away.

4th April - 9th april

Now, we all know our paddocks are resembling a scene from the Somme. So If any of your delightful fluffys decides to misplace one of their essential pieces of iron, please return said fluffy back to the bog we used to call a field, and pretend it still has the correct amount of iron.

Please do hesitate to let me know until I’m
Back, and I will provide my prompt and sometimes polite shoe replacement service.

However if your beloved fluffy requires a more polite and punctual service, please get in touch, and I will endeavour to assist.

Hopefully we can all keep our s**t together for a few days and I’ll look a little less bedraggled on my return. May the odds for ever be in your favour 🤙

18/03/2024

Dewi has just completed his first 4 weeks at college, passing with flying colours. Apprentices have to complete 7 blocks of college attendance throughout the 4 year apprenticeship, before taking their last block for end point exams.

I’m sure many of you will meet him in the coming weeks.

20/02/2024

Every now and then the topic of shoe making comes up in our industry and is it necessary anymore. I’ve seen other farriers even suggest is it still worth teaching. Machine made shoes tend to be very good nowadays, but nothing beats the look of a handmade shoe. It takes a long time to get proficient at it, but a skill that can be lost very quickly. A quick 20min this morning gave me a set of shoes for the day. I feel very strongly that it is a skill that all farriers should strive to maintain.

17/02/2024

*Wet weather = wet soggy feet*

We’ve certainly had a prolonged wet period, and it certainly doesn’t look to be drying up anytime soon. With these conditions , we’ve certainly seen our fair share of hoof related issues.

-Retracted soles
-Pr*****ed soles
-Abcesses
-Soft/thin soles
-Puncture wounds
-Pulled shoes
-Foot sore barefoot horses

All of which can be very uncomfortable for our beloved fluffys. Some can be easily sorted with the application of different shoeing packages such as pads/packing, wider web shoes.

Others can be trickier, puncture wounds and abscesses take prompt and effective treatment. Poulticing the exact site of infection and having adequate pain relief usually allows for a quick recovery.

Thin and soft barefoot horses can require daily treatment to keep them comfortable. Allowing horses to come onto dry and hard ground/bedding to encourage their feet to dry out sufficiently, and applying sole/hoof hardening treatments to be used will significantly help their comfort. Having suitable boots to walk from feild to stabling .

We should all be able to notice slight changes in our horses to pick up on soundness issues associated to sore/soft feet

-Acute sites of heat/infection
-Reluctant to walk on stoney/gravelled surfaces
-Adnormal gate/stance
-Lack of performance

Keep a close eye on those feet, use common sense. Dont look for a witch doctors remedies on some FB forum.
🤞 for some dryer weather

28/11/2023

* Asymmetry*

High/ low feet
Upright foot / flat foot
Big foot/small foot

What ever the term people are used to hearing, it is very common to get asymmetrical feet in all types of equine. There are many thoughts as to why they occur,

-Genetics, I have seen on many occasions foals and young stock having hereditary conformational traits.

- Injury, (contra-lateral weight baring ) can cause a foot to get larger on the sound limb, rest the affected limb can cause atrophy.

-Limb length, having a fractionally shorter limb can cause the hoof capsule to become more upright/boxy to compensate.

The list can go on with different theory’s but as a farrier it is our job to treat every horse as an individual. Maintaining soundness and athletic ability should be first, aesthetics second. If the horse is sound and is mature, I never look to create a pair of feet. Each foot is shod separately and in some cases 2 different sizes of shoes are applied. Ive seen aggressive trimming on horses with odd feet, only to the detriment of the horse, causing long term issues.

The pictures to follow are of a young TB mare that I’ve shod for a while. She was always struggling with lost shoes and weak feet. She’s a large horse on very little feet. It was decided that we were going to try a different approach.

With the help of the 3D half mesh pads and dental impression material , 1 being a 3 degree graduated pad ( for the flat foot) and 1 being a flat pad ( for the upright foot ).

Her feet and soundness have come on leaps and bounds. This is just one of many ways these horses can be helped.

22/11/2023

*Duplo*

A new horse presented to me today. She has suffered from significant bouts of laminitis and hoof capsule injuries. Which has left her with severe hoof capsule deformation.

The owner and horses have recently relocated from Germany, and arrived with a shoeing plan. These Duplo shoes are completely new to me, the horse has been comfortable in them for some time. So with some instruction from the client we applied them, 🤞 I can continue to keep her comfortable.

Recent X-rays are invaluable in these situations.

Duplo shoes are a composite shoe with an aluminium sub frame, providing lightweight stability and frog support.

16/11/2023

* Negative Palmar/Plantar Angle*

NPA is a term that is often heard in the farriery world, when talking about the pedal bone and how it is situated within the hoof capsule. It’s is commonly shown that the pedal bone should sit in a slightly vaulted position with a 2-5 degree angle to sole. The dorsal hoof wall running parallel with the parietal surface of the pedal bone.

If the angle is lower than this, we often see a flatter foot or a slightly domed dorsal hoof wall. Which can lead us to assume the pedal bone is at a parallel/negative angle to the sole.

There can be multiple causes for this. However in my experience it often appears in horses with poor conformation which tends to be followed by poor posture, thus resulting in excessive pressures over time, causing a breakdown in the palmar/plantar heel areas of the hoof capsules.

In recent years I’ve also seen cases directly linked with kissing spine and significant hock and pastern issues.

With the constant advances in products Available for farriers, I’ve been able to help the horses that come to me with these issues. My go to package is a half mesh pad with dental impression packing underneath. In some more extreme cases a graduated pad is needed.

These products help to provide support to the failing structures to the back half of the hoof capsule, in turn artificially raising the pedal bone to a more desirable angle. Over time giving the horse a healthy hoof capsule. In most cases improving overall posture and performance of the horse.

22/06/2023

At least 1 happy client 😂. Hope your all enjoying this terrible weather 🙄

04/05/2023

** Farriery Apprenticeship Available **

Apprentice required to join myself in a mixed farriery practice, based in south west Cornwall.

Applicants must have

- 5 GCSE’s English/maths/science grade C and above
- Motivation and enthusiasm for the industry
- Previous experience in handling horses
-polite,punctual and personable
- full and clean driving licence

The successful applicant will be supported throughout the apprenticeship with clinics, shoemaking and competitions. But will be expected to be very self motivated.

Please get in touch if interested

07506717870
[email protected]

Address

Based In Gulval
Penzance

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Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

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Videos

Little life hack for those little fluffys

These little guys hate being pulled around to much, and I’m not the ideal body shape to become a contortionist. By wrapping a towel around their fetlock and holding it between my knees, allows me to nail on normally and keeps them happy. I’ve been close to losing the odd digit in recent years. It’s not pleasant when they want to become fire breathing, farrier destroying whirlwinds, and fingers are easy prey. Work smarter not harder 🫲🫱

A bit of shoe making this morning

One of the most common excuses farriers can hear from owners is that their precious fluffy is “is just a baby” , when said delinquent fluffy is 6+. That’s why it sometimes struggles to maintain a level of obedience. Well this short video of someone’s precious fluffy is tribute to what consistent good horse husbandry can do. This is a 3 year having his first pair of shoes nailed on. Shoes are being applied due to his slight asymmetry in front causing his feet to crack up badly. Hopefully he’ll feel a lot more comfortable. Just remember people, farriers don’t make horses good to shoe, good owners make horses good to shoe 😉👍

Every shoe for every horse has something different. Whether for the horses benefit or request of the owner.

A large abscess caused by a very small puncture just behind the shoe. A large sub solar cavity of puss was drained and will now be poulticed to prevent and further infection.