Rafter M Horseshoeing

12/09/2023

11/16/2023

10/21/2023

🍁When farriers carve pumpkins 🍁
Photo and work of Schneider

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10/08/2023

04/08/2023

03/01/2023

Positive thoughts, friends!

02/02/2023

❇️OLLIES HOOFS❇️
the symptom that fuels my learning and sharing about whole horse wellness.

🔘In 2016 when I took ownership of Ollie-the SCREAMING symptom of “lameness” was laminitis.

🔘Ollies hoofs taught me 3 main lessons:
1️⃣HOOF=FOUNDATION
No hoof, no horse. It’s the foundation of equine health.
2️⃣LAMINITIS=HOOF INFLAMMATION and chronic cases can result in coffin bone loss which affects potential sole depth
3️⃣SOLE DEPTH is required for callus building comfort and depends on coffin bone concavity

👆🏼I didn’t learn ALL of this while he was still with us unfortunately BUT I am lucky enough to keep learning from him NOW and share my discoveries with others.

🔘After a few bouts of laminitis and efforts to prevent it-I acquired hoof X-rays that reassured the sole depth was dangerously thin.

🔘We worked very diligently on his nutritional needs, environmental conditions and hoof care with all the people who knew and loved Ollie to provide “all he needed” to grow that sole!

🔘Over time, his sole depth actually got thinner(see X-rays)which led me to learn one of his most valuable teachings…

✳️LAMINITIS isn’t always grass or metabolic related.
I had ALL the tests ran over and over.
I restricted his grass almost 💯 to just “safe” grazing hours of the day.
I provided him with 24/7 hay access in a herd living on a track.

❇️Then came extensive diagnostics from head to tail to try and find out where this inflammatory problem was originating and what/if I could help him.

🔘After X-rays and ultrasounds, we discovered a deteriorating meniscus of his right hind.
We injected every supporting joint more than once to bring relief to no avail.

🔘I knew that Ollie had been involved in a trailer accident as a 3 year old(15 when he came to me and 20 when I lost him)and sustained injuries from it but never knew the extent….until I found him falling.

🔘He was sleep deprived and falling flat on his right side-every time sending an inflammatory response through his body that would settle down to his hoofs. (Discovered via surveillance cameras)

✳️I’m pretty convinced Ollie had been experiencing this cycle for most of his life-I just took the time to peel the layers back and find out why.

💚My beloved hoof care provider was able to obtain Ollie’s feet when he passed so the we could keep learning.

❇️The coffin bone has no concavity and had quite a bit of bone loss around the edges.

💚This means:
•he would never have been able to grow that sole depth to be comfortable.
•I did all I literally could for him and allowed him to pass with dignity and go on to educate, future vets, fellow pros, new students and be my driving force to never stop.

💚Never stop helping people help horses.

01/30/2023

12/04/2022

⚡️⚡️Friendly PSA⚡️⚡️

Don’t forget to get your mare under lights by December 1st if you plan on breeding her March or earlier. December 15th is the date if you plan on breeding Mid-April or earlier! Put your early foaling mare under lights too so they will be ready to breed back.

If you have any questions on the right program give us a call at 620-846-2239. We are gearing up for another busy equine breeding season and would love to be a part of your program!

11/23/2022

10 handy facts about lameness

1. A forelimb lameness is identified by looking for the head nod. The head will go up when the lame limb hits the ground and down when the sound limb hits the ground. It is easier to notice the 'head nod', therefore when the head nods, it is the opposite leg that is lame.

2. Check for heat and a pulse. Inflammation brings blood to the area.

3. A horse with arthritic wear and tear (common in older horses), will often get better as he goes, which is known as 'warming out of it'. The lameness will usually be less obvious after a few minutes. Additionally he will often be worse on hard ground (tarmac) in comparison to the ménage. This is due to more concussion on his joints.

4. A horse with soft tissue damage will often get worse as he goes and is often lamer on a soft surface (ménage), as the tissue such as an affected tendon or ligament is being stretched more than it would be on a hard surface with no give.

5. A horse with bilateral forelimb lameness will be harder to detect as the head nod will now be apparent when both limbs hit the ground. However he will show a shorter cranial phase (his forelimbs will not come out very far from underneath him resulting in a 'choppy' gait).

6. If you are struggling to detect lameness get the Slo-Pro app for your mobile phone and record your horse. This will slow everything down until you train your eye into detecting lameness.

7. A hind limb lameness is more difficult to detect. If you watch the horse trotting away from you, the lame leg usually has more movement at the hip. It helps to attach white sticky tape to both hip bones to make this more obvious to the eye.

8. Putting a horse on a circle (lungeing), often shows up a forelimb and hindlimb lameness more easily.

9. If the horse looks lame on one limb, but has a stronger pulse in the opposite limb, it is usually because the sound limb has taken more weight to allow pressure relief of the affected limb.

10. A horse can look completely sound without a rider, and then almost three legged once someone is on board. Therefore if your getting a feeling that something just isn't quite right, do not just jog him up on the straight or on the lunge and assume all is well.

** Shoeing/trimming intervals should be kept as short as possible. Studies have shown that as the toe grows, the foot 'shoots' forward (long toes, low heel), putting excess strain on the flexor tendons. If your horse always looks slightly 'off' just prior to shoeing, then this is a very probable cause and it may be worth shortening your shoeing cycle.

As a horse owner, developing an eye for lameness is one of the greatest skills you can learn. This will not only allow you to have your horse treated more quickly, but will hopefully nip smaller issues in the bud before they escalate into far bigger ones.

E. J Westwood.

09/13/2022

Sadly, some people really believe this!

03/04/2022

Well - this is interesting

Are virtual fence collars stressful to cattle?

Electric fence (2 strand) VS Virtual fence (collars)

Researchers found no difference in stress hormones or behavior.

Variables Measured
- Stress Hormones
- F***l corticosterone (moderate-term stress)
- Hair cortisol (longer-term stress)

Behavior (pedometer)
- Number of steps
- Standing time
- Lying bouts

Find the research here https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab235.001

Funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Oklahoma State Beef Cattle Research
Oklahoma Water Resources Center
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6
Oklahoma State University Department of Plant & Soil Sciences
OKState Animal & Food Sciences
Biosystems Engineering at Oklahoma State University

01/22/2022

Wit and wisdom from the one and only, Baxter Black! For More Stories: www.BaxterBlack.com

12/24/2021

The measure of a man
is not his muscles or money
The true strength of a man
is most evident when
his soul shines and
no one is looking 💓
~ Michael Traveler, author/poet
Photo by David R. Stoecklein
http://stoeckleinphotography.com/

12/08/2021

From our 2022 Calendar.

12/03/2021

11/23/2021

😉

11/02/2021

09/12/2021

EXCITING NEWS about the KPRA Drive to Zero Finals!! Following the Saturday night rodeo, Shenadoah will perform live! Concert cost is included with the price of admission to the rodeo. Tickets can be purchased through the Dodge City Roundup.

07/30/2021

04/18/2021

Must remember this :-)

03/01/2021

Save the date for next Saturday! Will rope outside-weather permitting! 🤠

02/11/2021

The stress of the weather can be felt in every ranching home across the country. Those little babies coming into this cold world are the future of our income, our programs, our livelihood. Countless hours of lost sleep, cold nights and thousands of prayers. wrote the feelings of so many of us perfectly. We are praying at the Griswold’s for our program and for yours.

Repost from
•
Dear God, we pray for our farmers and ranchers.

We pray they get to frozen baby calves just in the nick of time.

We pray they have just a little more stamina to stay awake just a little longer, to save just one more little animal being born.

We pray these frigid temperatures don’t break their spirit.

We pray the waterers stay running.

We pray the barn doors don’t freeze shut.

We pray the tractor will start just one more time.

We pray truck heaters and floorboards will be enough to save frozen critters.

We pray the dryer keeps running for all the snow soaked clothes.

Dear God, protect our ranchers as they head out into treacherous elements.

May their coveralls keep them warm, their barns stay lit and their toasty porches have room for all the tiny animals coming into this world.

Dear God, help those momma cows hold onto those babies as long as they can.

Guide those mommas into barns, help them find cover and lead them out of the ice and towards the dry straw.

Dear God, protect our farmers and ranchers.

Dear God, protect our animals.

**Thinking of my family in Kansas this evening and the countless others dealing with horrible conditions**