Update on the horse from my last post in August. ....wearing normal shoes the last several rounds.
Rock hard soles ... This little trick will allow a clean smooth trim.
How to use SoleGuard (Vettec pour in pads) and avoid getting the horse sore from sole pressure.
ACRYLIC is used to repair missing hoof wall and to glue on shoes w/out nails. Here is a how to video.... for minor hoof wall repair.
THANK YOU ..!! ..to everyone who is following this page ... it’s a way for me to keep a record of the path I have taken in this business. Happy Easter everyone!
CLIPS.... A new way to pull clips ... my first attempt at this. Using material from the hoof side of the shoe to avoid divots on the ground surface side on reining plates.
Great weekend at the Florida Horse Park ... the girls are growing in their skills ... both very relaxed these days about showing... Garnet grins the entire time she’s in the arena! Thanks so much to Dana Clark for such a great mare for Garnet to show! “Pretty” is amazing!!
“Grooms Hand” is a new product that is working great! I’m always trying to encourage my customers to treat thrush between my visits ... here is an easy way to do it!!
Keratex (Hoof Putty) ...
This is a great product to use in the open spaces between the shoe and the hoof.
From time to time I do more than shoe horses... blessed to do this w my 10 yr old daughter Grace.
It's been raining in Ocala for 3 weeks straight... slopping through the mud first thing in the morning is still OK by me!
How to apply the "Flip Flop"
The overwhelming response to my post Monday about this shoeing set up has been crazy. Almost a million people reached and over 5k shares. There were a number of requests so here's a how to ... it's pretty basic.
Rick Burten from Illinois wrote this excellent comment a couple days ago. I think his comments sum up the Flip Flop. ...
"These pads have been around for at least 30 years but other than within the Standardbred racing industry, have been a pretty well kept secret. Why? because of the existance in other disciplines of the daddydiditthataway syndrome and because many farriers suffer fragile ego-itis and didn't want to be laughed at or scorned by others in the profession for using them. Truth is, those that were doing the laughing deserved to be laughed at because they were and even today, still are, rather hide-bound. Suddenly, they are becoming de rigueur and folks are jumping on the band wagon. One caveat: They never were and are not now, a panacea for every ill of the caudal third of the hoof. They can't and won't 'cure' navicular disease, may or may not aid in relieving so called Navicular Syndrome, better referred to as Caudal Hoof Pain Syndrome, and may be lighter on your pocketbook than on your horse's hooves. That said, they do have a place along the hoof care continuum. It has been asked how to clean out debris from under them. Since they are flexible(hence the name flip-flop), you can get under them with a flat bladed instrument(I found an old hacksaw blade to be rather effective) and you can flush under them with a hose and some pressure.Be advised, no clean out method will be 100% effective every time/all the time. Before using them, the trimming and shoeing protocol along with the horse's use and conformation should be evaluated and tweaked as necessary. If you don't get the trim correct, then even pads with a Papal blessing will not be able to do the job they are designed to do. Same is true
Here is a short video showing how I use Vettec Sole Guard to build a bumper and full heel support.
Here is this little guy out having fun!
