KD's Certified Horseshoeing

04/29/2025

The history of the rope halter is a tale of gullibility.

We were gullible to the marketing gimmicks of clinicians then, and we’re gullible to the fear-mongering now.

We really need to start trusting ourselves and our horses more, and the words of others less.

The original knots on rope halters were not placed intentionally to affect the nerves, they were just there to create the shape of the halter.

The additional ‘nerve knots’ that were added don’t even work as marketed.

A dissection photo is only so helpful in informing us…

Seeing the effect in 3-D on a live horse is paramount.

The ‘IF’ label in the pictures is the infraorbital foramen, where the infraorbital nerve emerges.

This shows how we can map that area, and that, with this particular fit, it’s bridging over that sensitive area.

There’s a big difference between a drawing that places the knot directly over the structure, and actually mapping it in person and seeing how difficult it is to pressure this area during handling.

Most knots don’t even set over the major nerve areas, they bridge over them, and in application, it’s nearly impossible to get the knots to engage on the face unless we’re deliberately sawing the noseband back-and-forth.

The reason rope halters are more effective is simply because of their increased PSI, which is why we should use them with care. (For tying, I always suggest a wrap technique or tie ring until the horse is a confirmed tier.)

But it is precisely this thinner, lighter construction that makes a lot of horses prefer a rope halter.

The problem with the modern horseman is often, we have more theoretical knowledge than we do experience, and we’re trying to use that to guide us, and we’re trying to use that to judge others.

The fearmongering, shaming, and virtue-signaling around rope halters is not it.

Don’t get me wrong, some of it is well-intended, but we have to do our own homework, be our own scientists, and believe what our own horses are telling us.

There’s so much variation between halter types and horse anatomy and horse preference that we really need to fit and determine suitability on a case by case basis.

I like the rear knots to fit in the groove under the poll/C1, with the throatlatch branches behind the jaw/mandible to redistribute pressure off the poll, and the front knots sitting above and/or below the infraorbital nerve.

Many manufacturers make the cheekpieces too short, causing the knots to impinge on the facial crest and the facial nerves.

With a good fit, the knots generally don’t have any action on the face, unless there’s a lot of pulling from the side… for instance, when lunging, where the nosepiece and knots can slide, which is why I often use the ‘cowboy cavesson’ conversion inspired by Josh Nichol Relational Horsemanship to address that, as well as to correct any inverse rotation it causes in the poll.

I was pretty opposed to the 4-knot style, believing it to be too harsh, until I ended up having to use one in a pinch, and noticed the horses preferred it. Less sliding of the nosepiece, and it worked better for the conversion, as well.

Knowledge must always be informed by experience.

04/17/2025

A CALL FOR BETTER HORSEMANSHIP

At some point, all horse owners need the services of professionals who are not trainers to ensure the welfare of their horses. We all need the help of professionals like veterinarians, bodyworkers, dentists, farriers, saddle fitters, transporters, etc to help keep our horses in tip-top health and soundness.

Many horses struggle to cope and keep their cool with the intervention of these professionals. The anxiety often makes our horses uncooperative, and at worst, it can make them dangerous. It is our job as horse owners to train and prepare our horses for a visit from the vet, dentist, or farrier to make their work as easy as possible. It is not the job of a professional to train our horses for us.

In fact, on occasion, when a farrier, dentist, or other professional felt the need to deal with a difficult horse under my care, I intervened and took the horse aside to better prepare it to make the professional's work easier. I am not okay with somebody else doing my job for me.

On the other hand, I also believe it is the responsibility of veterinarians, bodyworkers, saddle fitters, etc to be good at handling horses. I believe that being good at their job should not only involve knowledge and skill in their chosen therapy/practice, but also involve being patient, having good feel and timing, compassion, and reading the horse they are working with. They should not impose anxiety and stress because of a lack of handling skills.

The horse world has a diverse range of owners. Some spend a lot of time and effort preparing their horses to be great when the dentist arrives or when the transport person loads their horse or when the vet tries to give their horse an injection. However, sadly I have also met many owners who expect the farrier, dentist, or transporter to deal with their difficult horse.

On the flip side of that coin, I have experienced many farriers, vets, dentists, etc that I would recommend unreservedly for both their professional skill and their ability to help a horse feel less troubled.

Unfortunately, I have met many vets, dentists, transporters, and bodyworkers who added to a horse’s problems simply because of their lack of horsemanship. These people are on my “No way would I use your services” list.

Sometimes a professional will come to a horsemanship clinic. Usually, this is because they are horse riders and want to learn more about horsemanship. I see this a lot with some bodyworkers and some barefoot trimmers. But rarely a veterinarian, dentist, professional groomer, transporter, etc comes to a clinic because they want to learn to be better horse people to help them in their work.

I would truly like to see both horse owners and professional tradespeople step up and provide the best in horsemanship when servicing the needs of their horses.

01/26/2025

The classic summer mix of rain, warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine can quickly cause a pasture flurry in the matter of just a few days! So, it is very important after such spells, that we take extra care and vigilance on our horses who are more vulnerable to high sugar diets ☀️

Did you know that the actual time of day can have an effect on pasture sugar levels?

As light intensity increases, so does a plants photosynthetic rate, which produces sugars, right up until several hours after sunset. It often isn't until the depths of the night that the plant has processed its photosynthetic goods, and returned to its baseline level, ready for the next day of sunlight. This means that the early morning period can be the most favourable time for low sugar grazing.

If you have concerns about your ponies consumption, sugar levels or nutrition, you can reach out to our team at [email protected]

11/05/2024

As professionals I think we need to do better.
And I’m not talking about the work so since the farrier is admitting the first photo is terrible and why.

I’m talking about education,honesty and integrity.
If a horse is so bad for standing that you can’t do a good job then don’t do it. Tell the owners they need to train the horse to stand and have manners. That poor shoe job WILL have negative effects. They could have did a barefoot trim if they needed the paycheck that bad.
What’s even worse is they will get sick of this clients horse and get pushed off on another unsuspecting farrier. Eventually someone will get hurt.
Do the RIGHT thing and have an HONEST CONVERSATION with your client. What is expected of the horse and how to get them there.

I'm goin to be honest. I'm the one who shod both of this two horses. Completely different results. And do you know why? The one to the left didn't stand still for a single second. I'm amazed i even got the shoes on. But I did. On Internet it's very easy to sit behind the screen and criticise harshly without knowing the history behind a photo. Owners can easily put out a photo on a hoof and people will say to the owner to change farrier and demand money back. Without having basic facts that the farrier who tried shoeing the horse risked his/her life to even give it a try. Be humble. Think twice. Find out the real story behind a photo. Because one photo does not tell the whole story.

09/01/2024

07/08/2024

This is such a common problem these days.

I get a lot of inquiries from people looking for a new hoof care provider, but their horses do not stand well for the farrier, so unfortunately I am not able to help them. I have too many of my own aches and pains to struggle with horses that pull legs away repeatedly, dance around, or kick.

Seriously. This is basic ground manners. All horses should be trained to stand still for at least 15-20 minutes and hold legs up for at least 3-5 minutes at a time without fuss. (I do make exceptions for painful horses - as much as my body can handle!)

It is not the farrier's job to train your new/young/rescue horse. If you are unable to train the horse yourself, hire a trainer.

I think this is one of the greatest gifts we can give horses to ensure they remain wanted and cared for -- good ground manners, and that includes farrier manners. Make it your goal for your horse to be your farrier's and vet's favorite client. If you take the time to train your horse this skill, it will generalize into all other areas and your horse will be better behaved and more enjoyable to be around in every way.

If you are constantly having a hard time finding a good hoof care provider, or repeatedly "they just stopped returning calls", or wonder why the farriers with the best reputation "aren't taking new clients" when you call........ ask yourself if this could be part of the reason.

Additionally, I cannot possibly do my best work on a moving target. If you horse isn't standing well, he's not getting the best trim.

PLEASE. TRAIN YOUR HORSE. It isn't just for us, it is for them.

06/24/2024

06/19/2024

06/04/2024

If your farrier brags about trimming a horse in 10-15 min’s FIRE YOUR FARRIER!!!
If your farrier trims 3-4 horses in 30-45 min’s FIRE YOUR FARRIER!!!

Back over 15 years ago when I first started as a farrier,if prospective clients complained about their previous farrier(s) almost always it was the client that was the problem projecting in the farrier. I very rarely believed them. If I did take them on it was with a strong warning given that if they didn’t comply to some requirements they’d have to find someone else.

I had taken a short leave from my work. When I came back a few years ago. Sometime before the pandemic,everything had changed.
Pretty near every client had complaints about all their previous farriers. I started off warning them I don’t buy into that since I never had and list my requirements.

They all oddly were over eager to comply to any kind of requirement and not even the slightest deterred. Every client I have had since then has been extremely loyal. They stick to 6 week schedules. They work with their horses to stand and listen to whatever advice will help. Most tip ridiculously well and I’m not cheap. Tips that could bout near trim another horse. The problem is no longer the clients. I hate to admit some I have always been a defender of all other workers in my trade but it’s true. The farriers are the problem,not the clients.

The other thing I keep hearing over and over and over is how their previous farriers would trim a horse in 10-15 min’s or how their whole herd was trimmed in the time I trimmed one horse. They also say though that the other farriers only nipped the hoof around from the bottom and took a swipe or two around the outside edge on the stand. No cleaning out the hoof. No rasping and filing off flares. No balancing the hoof. No corrective work. Their horses hooves were always chipping,horses themselves tripping.

The sad thing is they aren’t the professional so they didn’t know better and these farriers are charging $45 plus for barely touching a hoof.

Let’s break down a 15 min trim.
15 divided by 4 is 3.75
That’s a little over 3 and a half minutes per hoof. You then have to take into account having to bend over to pick up the hoof. Time spent clicking out the mud or dirt. Picking up the hoof again if the horse pulls it away or time wrestling the hoof if they can hold on. Time picking up one tool then putting it back to grab another tool. Time to put the hoof down and move the stand to the front of the horse and work on the front of the hoof. Time to swap from one rasp to another rasp. Time to file all the flares off and round the hoof well. There is no freaking way you can do all that correctly and thoroughly on a little over 3 and a half minutes.

Most of my current clients also said when I finished they didn’t know their horses hoof could look like that. They thought their horse just had weird hooves. They are literally blown away that their horse could go from the photo in the before below to the after photo. That is how ALL trims should look like when they are done!

Do you know what the hardest part of a trim is,and what makes all the difference in how a hoof functions and grows? Taking off all that flare on the outside hoof wall. The flare is when the hoof wall doesn’t form a straight line from the leg to the ground. If it angles out the hoof angle is not correct. It won’t grow correctly and they won’t be able to use their hoof properly. It can cause soreness,tripping,chipping and more. It’s also the most physically demanding per of my job. I use more muscle and effort filing flares than anything else I do and certainly makes me sweat more than any other part of the job. Yesterday I not even remotely kidding one bit soaked my entire tank top from top to bottom like a wet rag filing off flares. It’s extremely hard work but it’s NECESSARY!

When I went to school to be a farrier you know what they told us the time frames were for trims for a good seasoned farrier?
25-30 min’s MINIMUM!!!! That was if the horse stands good and overall doesn’t have too many corrective issues or not excessively long. But if they do or they don’t stand perfect then it could take 45 min’s to an hour. Since when is a 15 min trim bragging rights??????
That’s basically saying you’re lazy and could care less about your job. There I said it and this industry needs to hear it because it’s the truth. I’m sure some farriers also treat their clients differently depending on whether they show their horses where everyone will see the work they have done or the client is a trial rider where few will ever see their work thinking it doesn’t matter.

But people do see the work.
You know how I get my work? I NEVER advertise. I look for more work. I often turn down work. It is all REFERALS. Why? Because someone else that saw their horse and often on a trial ride and saw the difference between my clients horse hooves and their own horses hooves and wanted their horses hooves to look my clients horses hooves.

It also ends up that at first clients want to be loyal and don’t say who their previous farrier was and I don’t ask because it doesn’t matter to me. When they see the difference in the hoof though and the effort it took to get it there inevitably at some point a name usually slips out of who their lrvwesviois farriers were because they’re understandably upset. Sad to say it isn’t one or two farriers that have been named. Multiple popular,heavily used farriers have been named.

Just because someone is popular or used heavily in the horse industry as a farrier doesn’t make them a good farrier.

And no I’m not saying fire your farrier to get more clients. As I mentioned I don’t advertise. I don’t need more clients. I’m saying it to better the industry. To get you better work for your horses.
I’m saying it because I don’t claim to be the best,I just give my best yet I don’t even have farriers I can refer anyone to when I can’t take them on as a client.
I don’t have anyone that I trust to ask to fill my spot of if I go on vacation. I have to move the whole schedule around to make it work because farriers aren’t doing their stinkin job.

If you’re too lazy toe roll why on earth are you locking one of the most physically demanding jobs there is. I don’t know of it is an aesthetic thing. I don’t know if it’s because they find out they can make $150 plus in less than an hour by being lazy. If that’s the case that is STEALING!!!! Let me say that again. That is STEALING!!!!! Repeatedly getting paid for work you never finish because it is IMPOSSIBLE to finish a job in 15 mins is STEALING from a client.

Clients are you really willing to let someone make $150-$165 an hour to barely make a difference with your horses hoof,for an incomplete job. Who makes $150-$165 an hour? You just your butt at work all day for your farrier to steal your money.
FIRE THEM! of everybody holds them to a higher standard they have to perform at a higher standard.

If you don’t fire them at least demand the WHOLE job. Watch some farrier videos on YouTube. Or on this page. Look thru the pictures. Learn what a good should look like. Learn the basics and MAKE your farrier do their job. Make them file the flares off. Make them round the hoof well. Make them CARE about your horse. If you don’t do it for you,do it for your horse. Your horse deserves better.