Kirk Underschultz Farrier Services

05/14/2024

I may not have the technical terms correct, but look at this piece of fused glass! Hand done, one of a kind, accurately and impressively personalized from a photo of my wife's horse! I commissioned this piece from one of my clients, Lexie Meyers, and it is now hanging on our living room wall, next to several other treasured pieces. Here is a link to her page, where you can see more of her work. https://www.facebook.com/alexandra.myers.92?mibextid=ZbWKwL
Think of horse show awards, or Christmas gifts! If you order something, plan on picking it up in person. A trip to her barn is worth the drive just to see the hand made windows in her barn doors! Thank you so much Lexie!!!

01/19/2024

I have a long time client moving close to St Clairsville OH. Good folks and good horses. Can anyone recommend a farrier in that area?

10/13/2023

I walked into the barn, ready to trim a mini. I believe that I was snookered!

09/14/2023

Interesting perspective.

Ok H/J industry …we need to pay attention… the NFL is calling for artificial turf to be removed in all stadiums …WHY? Because injuries on AT are 65% higher and more catastrophic than seen on GRASS!

We put these artificial surfaces in because we are not willing to do the work to keep grass or in our case - drag daily or even more often - our natural sand rings. Vets, farriers and the equine insurance industry have all stated that these artificial footings are causing a rise in micro tears within the hoof capsule, side bone injuries, suspensory issues and shoulder/back and stifle injuries.

A horse’s hoof is meant to SCOOP dirt and fling it so it gives ….these new ring additives do not allow this to happen so the force of landing and cantering across these footings is then moved into the horse - ever notice there are NO divots? Or not as much dirt to clean off your horses belly?

Also … because we think these footings are superior we do not drag as often nor water enough - so the footing gets thick, gummy and gooey - you can feel the sludgy texture when you walk across the schooling area …

We have seen racetracks starting to study the increase in fractures and career ending catastrophic injuries in race horses on these same artificial products

We have seen increases in cases of bacterial infections such as scratches - does this fabric additive hold bacteria??

Did you know that if you sell your equine property your new fangled ring footing is considered hazardous waste? It cannot be disposed or removed without special handling as other equine properties disappear into development some have been sued by the new owner when it costs thousands to clear this material away

We have seen more tragic injuries from even simple falls because of horses tripping in the sludge or the impact of a fall not being as absorbed by a naturally giving material

Something we need to pay attention to - yet - we keep seeing more and more of it even though a lot of horseman and well qualified people are seeing huge issues …WHY?

We are fooling ourselves into thinking any footing can be low maintenance - footing is crucial and whether it’s protecting and seeding your grass field and rolling out divots or dragging your 131 screenings while keeping it watered properly … even the new footings require manure to be removed and must be watered and dragged properly to be cared for

This is just my opinion and I am sure many will disagree with me …but…. I think we should all pay attention

07/28/2023

Join us Sept 23 near Lancaster Ohio for Equine Anatomy 101. We will dissect a cadaver horse leg, mid cannon bone down to the hoof. Accompanied with continual discussion, we will locate the tendons, ligaments and bones in the lower leg. As intricate as the horse’s leg is, it is nothing compared to what is packaged within the hoof itself. As horse people we are often handling and touching the hoof wall and sole.
We will carefully peel off that wall and sole to discover the jigsaw puzzle held within! This will be like seeing a radiograph of the foot in both 3-D and color! This day will greatly enhance your knowledge and understanding of locomotion and soundness as well as many common lamenesses. Attendance will be limited to a small group. For exact location, early bird pricing and to sign up for this exciting day, please contact Laura Beaver on her Equine Wellness page at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/929490224522452/?ref=share

05/13/2023

Barefoot or shod, the biggest problem I see with our horses, regardless of breed, age, environment or occupation, are feet that have been allowed to run forward and so do not support the leg. If the foot is too far ahead of the cannon bone, for both front and hind feet, the leverage of breakover, where the toe pushs off of the ground, is greatly increased. This added stress at breakover causes the toe to flare, the heels to crush and the sole to stretch and thin. This added stress at breakover causes increased wear on joints/tendons/ligaments.

Look thru several years of my posts on this page and you will see that I refer to this problem often. Today, with the accompanying photos, I will explain this same old problem in a different way.

Let's start with the hind feet and a long red line. Observing your horse from the side, draw a line parallel to the slope of the coronary band and extend it to touch the front leg. On the bay horse that line intersects the front leg above the knee. This is a hind foot that is too far in front of the cannon bone. Horses like this wear out their hocks and their coffin joints and move heavy on the forehand. On the buckskin horse that long red line intersects the front leg well below the knee. Horses like this take both leads easily and naturally round their back, flex at the poll and work off of their hind end.

Now, front feet. Again look from the side, preferably with your horse on a clean, hard surface. One yellow mark at the heel of the foot, one yellow mark at the toe, with a red mark half way between the two. That red mark represents the center of articulation. For 100 % accuracy, radiographs are needed, but using these external guidelines gets us about 95 % accuracy. Now extend the red mark up and above the foot. Notice on the bay horse how far that red line is ahead of the cannon bone. This configuration causes increased knee action with the toe stabbing into the ground. The heel of the foot is ahead of the fetlock joint so the heels become crushed and contracted. Feet like this tend to have palmer heel pain, often misdiagnosed as navicular. Horses with feet like this have trouble lifting their front end and so hit the ground hard. They tend to hang on the riders hands and are heavy on the forehand. Now look at the buckskin front feet. The same three lines below the foot, but look how close the red line above the foot is to the cannon bone. The heels are underneath the fetlock rather than ahead of it, and the heels will be open and pain free. This configuration allows a horse to lift his front end and reach with his shoulder. The hind end automatically steps under and carries the horse forward. Rarely does a horse like this stumble or kick up dirt with his toes.

Occasionally the bad example shown here can be attributed to poor conformation, but in my experience, 85 to 90 % of the time the difference between the two horses shown here is posture, not conformation. 85 to 90 % of the time, 3 to 4 trimmings or shoeings can turn the bad example into the good example. If the problem truly is conformation, trimming alone will not help, but shoeing certainly will.

04/09/2023

Here is the second video of Sahara walking a week or so after I worked on her, and with no sedatives. The following is a link to my original post. https://www.facebook.com/100048666558413/posts/787848786180666/

04/09/2023

It turns out that photos and videos cannot both be in the same post, and only 1 video may be attached per post. Here the first video I referred to in my post about Sahara and her magnificent abscess. Here is a link to that post. https://www.facebook.com/100048666558413/posts/787848786180666/

04/09/2023

Last week Ashley Morse posted a dramatic abscess photo on her business page and lots of folks asked for more information. As the farrier who did the work, here is my perspective of the situation.

Sahara is an 11 year old Tennessee Walking mare. January 7 of 2023 her right hind leg was sliced up by high tensile wire. Photo 1. At or about that time, Dr. Yardley, the attending vet, opened up a small abscess in her RH foot, as well as treating the lacerated leg. Photo 2. The mare was sent to Ashley Morse, owner of Equine Performance Solutions, for rehabilitation.

April 3, 2023, I was asked to look at Sahara because 3 months after the original injury she was "abnormally unsound ". Photo 3 is the horse that I met. Note the stance. She constantly and consistently stood with the RH propped on the toe, essentially non-weight bearing. When walking she would barely put that foot down, balancing on the toe so that the heel never touched the ground.

Now, I want to put a little disclaimer here, since on Ashley's original post there was some concerns expressed about how much sole had been ruthlessly whacked off. None of us went into this planning on carveing up her foot to look like a Jack-o-lantern. The remainder of this post is a view of what goes through my head as I analyze my horses. I shall try to explain how and why my decisions were made. Editing photos and composing this post will take 4 or 5 times as long as it did to trim Sahara!

I was asked to take a look at her to see if I could help. Seeing the long, flared, overgrown front feet my immediate response was "Absolutely I can help her!"
The better the front feet are balanced to match her conformation, the less stress there is on the entire hind end. Less stress typically means more healing. I trimmed the front feet. No photos because it was simply a routine trim.

Look at Photo 3. For 3 months the LH foot has carried at least 80 percent of her rear weight and movement, so it was worn down enough that I felt no need to trim it. Note how the RH is propped on the toe, bearing just enough weight for balance. Photo 4 is a close up of the RH foot standing flat on a rubber mat. The toe, red arrow on the right, is distorted and stretched forward. My initial thought was that the distortion was caused from the pressure of being propped on the toe for an extended period of time. But then, look where the red arrow points to at the heel. Classic laminitis growth pattern. That also could account for the toe distortion. Regardless of the cause, or combination of causes, the distortion must be removed.

There is a strong temptation to also remove much of the excessive heel growth and reestablish a normal hoof angle, but on this horse, at this time, that would be a mistake. I don't know why, but this horse was telling me that she needed to keep that heel elevated. I listen to my horses because they know much more about how they are feeling than I do!

As I began trimming toe, I immediately heard that the hoof was hollow, but with the history of an abscess and laminitis, plus the distress that the foot was obviously causing, I had to continue. (As a strong parallel to this post, watch for a future post about treating a "normal" abscess!) Working on a foot like this, i am so focused that I do not think of photos, nor can I afford the time photos take. With a case like this, speed is of the essence. I continued to open the cavity you see in Photo 5. Thank goodness Ashley and Anthony were on the ball with photos and videos. To the best of my knowledge, all accompanying photos were taken by them.

The key to opening an abscess of any size is to open the hole large enough for drainage and medication, yet leave enough for structural integrity. In the video showing her hoof being trimmed, you can see me reach and feel to determine the state of attachment, using my finger to decide if more sole needs to be removed or if it was safe to stop.

Also seen in both Photo 5 and the video, I did remove some of the excessive heel growth. However, I listened to the horse and left her with an abnormally high hoof angle. After trimming back the toe, I rounded her toe to facilitate breakover. It is very important to understand; this trimming protocol is only appropriate for right now! As both leg and foot heal over time, this foot will need to be retrimmed to a different length and angle. How much time? I don't know. 2 weeks? 2 months? Listen to the horse. Sahara will tell us both when to trim next and how she needs to be trimmed.

One other thing of great importance. I am trimming this foot for function, with absolutely no thought or concern for pretty. In the close-up, Photo 5, notice the sharp edges and the unlevel nipper marks. This mare is sedated for the safety of all of us. The last thing we want is for her to struggle and additionally tear up an already damaged leg and foot. Rasping this foot smooth would take valuable time and increase the risk of something going wrong. Also, rasping produces small shreds and particles of hoof dust that would fall into the hole, contaminating the open wound. I will worry about pretty when the leg has healed enough that I can trim her without sedation.

With the trim completed, we flushed the cavity with an iodine wash, then packed it with gauze pads saturated with the liquid iodine, shown in Photo 6. You can see some excess iodine running down the hoof stand.

Photo 7 shows the foot wrapped first in vet wrap and then with elastoplast. With a hoof and leg this heavily traumatized, plan on several months of medicating and wrapping. This is where teamwork is so critical. It doesn't matter how well the vet and farrier do their jobs, if we are not supported by the owner or barn staff. Long term caring with successful results for a horse like this requires great dedication and literally hundreds of hours of barn time. Without the correct aftercare, this horse will be lost.

The last step in this trimming procedure is Photo 8, putting the wrapped foot into a SoftRide boot. I was very pleased to see how much better the mare walked back to her stall compared to how she had earlier walked out. However, she was still under the effects of sedation, so we were not seeing a true and complete picture of our results. Also, be aware that for a myriad of hoof and leg problems, the trimming, worse yet because of additional time, the shoeing procedure results in so much additional stress to joints, tendons and ligaments that are already compromised, that the horse is actually more sore for a day or two. Then the healing kicks in. This video of Sahara walking was taken several days after I worked on her. NOW I know that we really were able to help this mare!

I hope this answers the many questions you folks had from Ashley's original post. If not, please ask. I will do my best to explain.

It turns out that videos and photos cannot be used in the same post. Here is a link to the video of the sole being opened up. https://www.facebook.com/100048666558413/posts/787853039513574/

Here is a link to the video of Sahara walking several days after I worked on her. https://www.facebook.com/100048666558413/posts/787854209513457/

04/07/2023

How We See, What We See

How we see, and what we see, depends on where we come from, what our previous experience was, and what our education is. All of this affects our perspective. For example, a local Amish farrier, John Beechy, and I share a client. I trim the barefoot horses; he does the shod horses. The owner asked me to meet at John's shop so the three of us could collaborate on a horse she had concerns about. Turns out, she had agreed to drive her horse 100 miles in three months. Her perspective - Is my horse up to it/what do I need to feed/will my horse go lame/do my farriers think this is ok? My perspective - What an awesome goal! My four horses combined don't go a hundred miles in a year! The Amish perspective - John looked a little concerned and drew me off to the side. “Do I understand her correctly? That's only one mile a day!” Three different people; three different backgrounds; three different perspectives. None of us were wrong.

Part of my job as a farrier is to ask my owners lots of questions. Often owners tell me they know nothing trimming or shoeing, and they drop the ball in my lap. While their statement may be true, owners know their horses intimately, daily, all year long. I need to ask the right questions to draw the needed information out. Owners should be directing lots of questions at their farriers, vets and trainers. When we all share our perspectives, we find ourselves set up for success, and our horses are much better for it.

Let's begin with a comparison of conformation and posture. Conformation is bone structure; how the bones meet and interface at each joint. We think of conformation in terms of legs, but it is much more than that. Look at a side view of the entire horse. The top line, the shape of the rump, the slope of the shoulder, how the tail sets on, how the neck ties in, are all conformation. With few exceptions, farriers cannot “change” conformation.

Posture is how a horse stands. For a moment, let's look at our own posture. If we are exhausted, I mean flat worn out, we tend to hang our heads. Our shoulders slump, we move slowly and often drag our feet. The same is true if we are mentally depressed. Our horses, and their posture, react the same way.

Farriers have a huge impact on the posture of our horses. Again, let's look at ourselves. Put on a flat pair of shoes intended for walking, or a pair of shoes with pointy toes and 4 inch heels. Both styles are designed to affect our posture; how we stand and how we walk. Choose the first and after walking 1 mile, we are still comfortable, still smiling and still having fun. Choose the latter, and in a short period of time the feet hurt. Women are tough and suck it up, so the pain soon moves up into the lower back, and from there up between the shoulder blades. Think how differently you NOW move and stand. Does all that pain make you feel just a little grumpy? The same is true for our horses.

Let's look at the other extreme. Put on a pair of swim fins, or a pair of Ronald McDonald shoes. Now we have problems picking up our feet and taking a step forward. In horse terms, “breakover “ has been greatly affected, and we soon feel that as pain in our ankles, knees and hips. The same is true of our horses. With both extremes, high heels or long clown toes, our balance is immediately and negatively affected. Try walking in deep footing or over rough ground and you will feel what your horse feels!

In terms of posture, high heels tip us forward, causing us to arch our back, moving our shoulders back and tipping our head forward. It doesn't take long before we hurt! Wearing long toes and we lean forward at the waist, throwing our shoulders back and lifting our chin high. Again, we will soon hurt.

Long toes or high heels, our horses are affected the same way as we are, both in posture and in pain. Compare Photos 1 and 2. In Photo 1, taken before the feet were trimmed, the yellow line is the slope of the pasturn. The blue line is centered on the cannon bone and intersects the ground well behind heels of the foot, giving little support to the leg and upper body. Note how the entire leg is leaning forward.

Photo 2 is after trimming. Immediately the leg is much more upright. The blue line intersects the ground much closer to the heel of the foot and the slope of the hoof, the yellow line, almost matches the slope of the pasturn. All photos in this article were taken by CCourtney Trailrider, and she is also the farrier.

This horse happens to be barefoot, but the principles are identical for horses with shoes. Also, I am not advocating that the freshly trimmed feet in Photo 2 are correct. They are not, but it is a huge improvement over what we see in Photo 1, before trimming! It consistently takes 3 or 4 trimming or shoeing cycles to change a wonky foot into a well balanced foot. But look at the difference just one trimming can do!

Now let's look at the entire profile of the horse, again, both before trimming and after. Compare the top line in the two photos. Note how the horse stands camped under behind and with a hollowed out back in Photo 3, before trimming. After trimming, Photo 4, to rebalance the feet, the horse stands much wider behind with the hind legs squarely underneath the hips, and with a much flatter top line.

When a horse is brought to me with wonky, mismatched, unbalanced and asymmetrical feet, I consistently find compromised posture with sore, achy legs and a sore back, typically just behind where the saddle sits, the lumbar area. With or without shoes, trimming the feet to achieve better anatomical balance produces immediate improvement in posture. In the week following the hoof rebalance, horses move better, and move more, as pain in their joints and muscles diminishes. The horse in the accompanying photos is better with this initial trim, but still is not “right". Barefoot or shod, it takes 3 to 4 trim cycles to set a horse up correctly. After that, you just maintain!

02/25/2023

I thought this was a fascinating view. Then I thought - the taller the horse, or the older and less athletic the rider, the greater the rotational torque applied. No wonder our horses have spinal issues!

See what happens to the saddle and the horses back when we mount from the ground.

02/05/2023

My wife says she can't take me anywhere in public and I find it difficult to come up with a good argument to her statement. We have decided that I am too approachable and too honest. So last year, as I strolled past the Zoetis booth at the annual Hoof Summit in Cincinnati and was asked if I used one of the Zoetis products called Dormosedan Gel, I smiled, said no, and then gave a long winded explanation why, essentially that it was indiscriminately and excessively used by many farriers. The lady who made the mistake of asking was Jennifer Norman, Senior Manager of Equine Marketing. She was clearly disturbed by my response, but listened closely, and we discussed the issue for quite some time.

Fast forward to the January 2023 Hoof Summit and my recent post about Chris Cox, https://www.facebook.com/100048666558413/posts/736201498012062/,
who demonstrated several ways of defusing a disgruntled horse, and who was sponsored by none other than Zoetis! At my first opportunity I headed to the Zoetis booth to thank them for the Chris Cox presentation. Jennifer was there, and this time was pleased to hear my strong positive response! She also shared with me that she had discovered many farriers purchased Dormosedan by the case! And that is why Chris Cox.

Since returning home from the farriers convention I have done some research on Zoetis. They are a huge world wide corporation making virtually all types of medications and wormers for all domesticated animals. When asked, my vets have very positive responses about both the company and their products. Here is their mission statement, copied and pasted. "Horses always come first. Because of this, our primary criteria for success is what we can do to provide the right care for horses, instead of what would help horses do more for us." Here is their description and recommended use for Dormosedan, again, copied and pasted. "The only equine oral sedative of its kind that horse owners can administer themselves with a prescription from their veterinarian. DORMOSEDAN GEL® (detomidine hydrochloride) is designed to help improve safety during non-painful horse care procedures such as farrier work, bandaging, body clipping, first-time turnout of fractious horses, and more."

For this jaded farrier, when an individual or a business steps up and does what is right, they need to be commended. Zoetis could have given us farriers a lecture on how and when to make greater use of the Gel, and how to get it under the table. Instead, they took the high road. They showed us how to AVOID using their product! My hat is off to both Jennifer Norman and to Zoetis. These are people I want to promote. These are people I want to do business with. This is a company I want to invest in.

Jennifer and Zoetis, thank you coming to the Hoof Summit and supporting us farriers. Thank you for making us, our horses and our owners safe!

02/01/2023

Most of you folks know who this gentleman is. Last week he did a presentation for us farriers at the AFJ Hoof Summit in Cincinnati. I dont often go out of my way to lodge a complaint and I don't often go out of my way to pat someone on the back. This gentleman has earned a pat on the back. People like Chris Cox are why I continue to go to the Hoof Summit and other forms of continuing education. The following is my note to Chris. Please feel free to share because he surely deserves the recognition! And watch for my upcoming post about Zoetis.

Mr Cox, last week you went to Cincinnati, Ohio to speak at our Farriers Convention. You did a phenomenal job!
Most of the farriers I spoke with expected that your talk would a waste of their time, because they already knew how to handle horses. Talking to those same farriers a day or two after your presentation, almost all had revised their opinion! Almost all knew a couple of other farriers who should have been present and listening, because they sure did need to improve their horsemanship skills! If you choose to come talk to us again, and I surely hope that you will as our need is great, I think you will find a larger and more respectful audience.
Speaking now for myself, a crusty old farrier with 43 years in the business, hindsight shows me that it was somewhere around my 20th or 25th year before I could safely and competently handle any horse that came my way. I see so many young farriers struggling just as I did. I was impressed that you developed an entirely new presentation, just for us farriers, who are not your normal audience! You took the time to see things from our point of view, right down to having a horse in a typical crosstie or wash rack setting. Tight, cramped, claustrophobic and with only one way to escape with any degree of safety if pandemonium were to suddenly occur. You taught us how to set that horse up for success, starting with our approach from 20 feet away. That initial approach is so critical! It sets the tone for the rest of the trimming and shoeing procedure! With a young, untrained horse with no social skills, we are setting that horse up for the rest of its life! Thank you for pointing all of this out.
You went beyond calming and training our client horses. You explained how to train our clients themselves by setting standards and holding to them. That is such an important concept and key to operating a successful business of any kind!
Again, speaking for myself, I know and practice almost all of what you presented, but the 10 or 15 percent that was new to me made my trip to Cincinnati well spent time and money. As I have explained to many young farriers, hearing what I already know, whether it was you or a dozen other lecturers that I listened to, brings old knowledge to the forefront of my mind where I can once again analyze it, consciously practice it and continue to hone that information. That makes me a sharper, more astute farrier when I return home; a more confident and competent farrier than I was, even with 43 years of experience behind me.
Thank you for coming to Cincinnati; thank you for making me a better and safer farrier. It was an honor sit and listen to you.
Sincerely,
Kirk Underschultz, CJF
AFA #471

01/10/2023

This is a very good explanation of a problem that I see almost daily. Thanks for sharing Bryan!

Researchers found a strong association between hind hoof balance and posture that could affect overall musculoskeletal health.

10/26/2022

I will be sharing the stage with three other speakers who will share some amazing knowledge and insights. Click on this link to discover who these folks are!

https://www.facebook.com/healthyhorseandridersymposiums

“NO HOOF, NO HORSE!”

Join us November 6th at Masterfare Equestrian Center for “ground up” learning experience!
Let’s start with hoof anatomy and physiology basics, learn how it impacts movement and leg health, and explore how riders are affected as well!

Featured speaker:
Kirk Underschultz Farrier Services, CJF - will discuss basics and beyond in relation to hoof care and shoeing.
Kirk has been a farrier for 43 years. He taught at Meredith Manor for six years while shoeing on the side to establish his own business. In the mid-90s Kirk was asked to develop and establish a shoeing program for Hocking College. He has worked on most horse breeds and occupations, eventually focusing on those with lameness issues.

We will start at 10 am and have a brief lunch in between speakers.
Registration is $10 to cover the cost lunch and freebies.
Register at:
tinyurl.com/HealthyHorseandRiderReg

10/08/2022

Our next hoof trimming clinic is Saturday, Nov 5. A married couple was planning to attend and no longer can, so we have 2 spots open. If you are interested in joining us, please contact Laura Beaver at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/929490224522452/?ref=share

10/07/2022

We're excited to announce our next Symposium focused on the hoof!
Join us November 6th at Masterfare Equestrian Center!
Speakers will include Dr. Drew Durig from Midwest Equine and Kirk Underschultz of Kirk Underschultz Farrier Services as well as Dr. Michelle Bucci from Turning Point Integrative Veterinary Care and Anna Cluxton from Essentially Balanced Massage

We'll be learning "from the ground up" and how hoof health impacts leg, joint, and back; and how riders can impact that as well as have their own back problems!
Register at: tinyurl.com/HealthyHorseandRiderReg