Toes to Tails

08/15/2024

Hey Y'all, Can we talk soaking? 🪣

I consider myself pretty strong, my nippers are sharp, and my rasp is new - but I am still running into hooves I can't get through. This has been a DRY summer, so for horses not on irrigated pasture, or out in an area with morning dew, or getting some type of hoof conditioner painted on daily, their hooves are like rocks...or in some cases almost like glass and breaking.

Here are a few pictures showing how some of my awesome clients are making sure I can still do a good job for their horses. Ashaya is standing in a puddle the barn owner created, where each horse stood while waiting for their trim. Nova stood on a wet rug eating a snack for 30 minutes while awaiting my arrival. Dakoda stood on wet towels wrapped around his hooves - nice improvising. Nala stood in the overflow from her trough, and last but the most amusing, was the splash pad! Onyx is modeling how each of the 8 of them stood when they were on deck.

I don't have photos but others have tied their horses in grass with a sprinkler or hose wetting the area, some put wet boots on all four hooves, and some are diligent with daily hoof conditioner.

The summer heat and flies make things hard enough, so I REALLY appreciate my client's help with this - it makes a world of difference!❤️🙏

07/21/2024

This makes me sad. We always need to assume a horse isn't just "mean" or "bad," and look for the WHY. We talk about this a lot when I'm working with your horses - there is often a reason why your horse isn't "behaving" for their trim. Sometimes they have fear, sometimes pain, sometimes it's misunderstanding, and on some (probably more rare) occasions they are bored, tired, lazy, or naughty.

07/07/2023

Huge thanks to those of you who have found me shade, fly sprayed your horses, and even brought me beverages! The challenge of this job seems to double when it's over 80° and after almost passing out last week, I am insisting on shade and forcing hydration (so might ask to use your bathroom). Some of you may also remember my getting kicked by a horse going after a horsefly a few years back, so PLEASE have flyspray available!
Thank you - I adore you and your equines!☀️❤🌻

Let’s take a quick second to talk about the mental state of hoofcare providers right about now.

It’s hot.
It’s buggy.
In my area it’s been vacillating between sweltering hot and muggy, and torrential downpours, which means we have feet caked with mud that smells like trash and flies drawn to the horses like a bug lamp.

We have feet falling apart because of fresh green grass, metabolic horses suffering from laminitic episodes, and owners calling and texting daily with things we need to address - chipping feet, lost shoes, horses in crisis..

All while this time of year we get the most new client requests over any other time of year, many of which want us to just “squeeze in” their horse this week.

Our time and our emotional states are wearing thin.

Burn out this time of year can happen fast.

So please, please- be kind to your hoofcare provider. Remember we often have a couple hundred horses on our books, all of whom are equally important and many of whom need special care during this time of year, when we are already struggling to find time, trying to beat heat exhaustion, trying not to pass out, trying to stay hydrated, trying not to physically and mentally break down? 🙈

Just give your hoofcare provider some extra grace this time of year and don’t take them for granted. This is the hardest and busiest time of year in this job.

07/05/2023

This is such a great illustration!❤
I have quite a few clients whose horses seem to me that 'they're just not quite right.' I think some owners don't see it because they're with their horses every day and the changes came on slowly. When I only see them every 6 weeks, sometimes the changes (often just a lack of spark) really jump out at me! I'm sure some think I'm being silly or an alarmist, and some might not want to see it because they're afraid of what it might mean - but it can be managed and you might "get your old horse back." (Words used by a client whose gelding is doing fantastic on his medication and special diet.) ❤

06/23/2023

The first morning home always feels almost decadent. Today seems extra special after being back in my winter work clothes in the Westside wetness all week. This brilliant blue sky, refreshing 70°, light breeze, happy dogs, and the sound of only birds and a lawn mower in the distance is...luxurious!
☀️❤🙌🌻

02/23/2023

Thank you for this Corrie! This a good reminder to us all - hoofcare providers & owners.❤

✨Social Media️✨️

I loooove posting pretty hoof photos. I find the act and art of trimming so satisfying.

But in the real world, not every hoof is going to be looking perfect after one trim or even after a year. Forward progress is the hope always but healing takes time.

I help rehab some horses that have been in shoes for a decade or longer. Or who had their hoofcare neglected at some point in their life. Or who are recovering from an injury or laminitis episode or a long list of other issues.

If I post "after" trim photos, I often get comments about what still looks bad about the hoof.

Yea, duh! This is a process. That takes time. And with many factors completely out of the hoofcare providers hands.

I think people think the concept of "rehab" = moving from a point of injury/dysfunction to a point of complete healing and total function. That would be great but it doesn't always work that way. Bodies are complex. Healing is not linear. We have limited time and resources.

Here are some pictures of some "in progress" feet on my schedule.
Some of these horses are rehabbing well.
Some are lame and will stay that way for reasons out of my control.
Some have weird feet but are moving okay.
I have radiographs for some of these and not others.
I'm happy with the progress of some of these and not others.

Once you get under enough horses, you gain some better perspective and understanding.
As a recovering perfectionist, horses and people have taught me A LOT about what I can and cannot realistically influence.

01/22/2023

Little Miss Nova, the sweet Mustang who had a hard time with trust, but her owner never stopped trying. Look at her now - standing halterless for her trim!😮
As I drove away from this appointment with a big smile on my face, I told a friend "My body might hurt some days, I get cold & muddy in the winter and dusty & sweaty in the summer, but it's always rewarding!" ☀️❤🙌🌻

01/03/2023

Wow! Please do not put my well being in danger - be it your equines, or your friend's.

How much do u value your hoof care provider?

Last year I was recommended to someone by one of my clients. On attending the job, the horse was very unruly & kicked out at me a cple of times quite aggressively.

I told the client I had no interest in doing the horse & I left.

On talking to my client, who recommended me to her friend, I explained the situation & why I would not shoe her friends horse.

It was then that she told me the horse was known to be unruly & had kicked the last farrier breaking his arm.

I sacked my client on the spot!

The hoof care providers job can b dangerous enough with relatively good horses.

If u truly value your hoof care provider it’s important to look after them as best you can.

Whilst often you may not know the behaviour of the horse &/or owner (bad payer),maybe consider this the nxt time you recommend your hoof care provider to people.

12/05/2022

I tend to be pretty lax about rules and boundaries but I have had too many close calls, as well as a few injuries, and really need to get more serious. Thank you Sole Purpose for this wake up call.☀️❤🌻

Safety At Work🐴

When you're a farrier, you have to make up your own workplace rules. There is no standardized training manual, no HR department, and no workers comp after an accident.

And it's easy to think about some obvious safety concerns when you're first starting out, but experiences will teach you just as much about what's a good idea and a dumb idea.

Clients won't always know what's safe for you, since they don't usually know what it is like to get under a horse or what the day of a farrier looks like. And some clients won't care about what's safe -- those are the ones you need to let go.

There are a lot of posts about what owners should be doing during farrier appointments, but every farrier has their own preferences. I know farriers who don't care about X when I really do, or really care about Y when I don't. So it helps to check in with each specific farrier.

However, as the farrier, it's our job to set up our workplace "rules" or boundaries and then communicate them as needed.

I was reminded of this because I found this picture from a few years ago.

This is a slick muddy matted aisle. I was trimming a horse here in crossties. They suddenly surged forward towards the barn door, did a 180° turn while still attached to the crossties, while slipping and scrambling on this slippery mat. Before I could react, they flipped back around and were standing normally again but definitely panicked.

If I had been under this horse at the time, I could have been dragged, knocked over, or worse. They were not thinking straight and were just trying to stay upright themselves.

Our work is inherently risky. So I'm all about risk management. I listen to the horses, I pay attention to my work environment, and I change things around when needed to have a successful trim.

On the most frustrating days, that means I don't "finish" the trim. I don't know WHO planted the idea in our heads that we're not allowed to leave without finishing all 4 feet, but that will get you into trouble if it's your only priority. Don't be a martyr. Live to trim another day, the hoof will always be there next time.

11/18/2022

It's fantastic when someone so amazing writes and shares, just what you'd love to tell all of your horse peeps! This is a GREAT read!❤

Sometimes, what owners worry about when it comes to their horses' feet and what farriers worry about when it comes to the horses' feet are not the same.
I will sometimes receive texts from a concerned owner with a picture of a small chip at the end of a cycle, but another cycle they will somehow neglect to tell me that their horse was footsore over stones recently when it hadn't been before..

Some of the most common "owner concerns" I see online or in person are:

✴️Wall chipping: although chipping isn't ideal, usually it won't cause much issue for stronger walls. Often this tells me that the horse either needs a shorter trim cycle, or a change to their hoof balance.

✴️Frog shedding: In wet seasons, sometimes I see an entire frog come off in one piece. Often owners worry this means something is wrong with the frog - don't worry, this is often completely normal!

✴️"A weird growth on the top of the hoof" (aka periople): I can't tell you how many times someone has asked me what the "stuff" is underneath the hairline. Think of the periople like your nail cuticle - it protects new growth as it comes in. Sometimes, especially in dry seasons, it can grow a bit farther down the wall than we are used to. Sometimes when the weather changes between wet and dry, we can see some weird periople changes, or even "flaps." It is usually completely fine!

✴️Waterlogged heel bulbs: Heel bulbs that seem to suddenly become white are often soggy heel bulbs that have had contact with a boot of some sort. Let them dry out a bit and they will be okay!

✴️Thinking a horse "just doesn't look due": Usually when an owner thinks a horse hasn't grown, really it just means they haven't chipped.. which is a good thing! We don't want them to chip or look grossly overgrown when it's time for a trim. Our goal is to keep them in balance, not chase after distortion. Sure - there ARE cases where a horse doesn't grow much foot, but 9 times out of 10 the hoof actually IS due for a balance adjustment.

These situations usually aren't a cause for concern for me. Of course, it depends on the horse and the circumstances, but overall these "issues" are simply cosmetic or a misunderstanding of how the hoof grows and naturally adjusts through seasons.

So what DO I worry about?

🚩Hoof sensitivity or changes in comfort: I don't want to see any of my client horses sore over ANY terrain - especially if it is a sudden change! This is a big red flag to me that the diet, trim, or metabolic management might need adjustment. I never want my horse owners to just accept hoof sensitivity as "normal."

🚩Abscesses: Abscesses are often a huge symptom of something unhealthy going on. A strong foot shouldn't get stone bruises or abscessing - see my last point. If the horse is throwing abscesses, especially if it seems to happen a few times a year, I want to know if the diet needs adjustment or if the vet should step in for some metabolic testing.

🚩Chronic event lines: the wall of the hoof should be smooth overall. Diet changes, fevers/illness, metabolic issues, etc can cause something called an "event line" to show up on the wall as it grows out. This can reveal to us a period of inflammation, although by the time we see it it's often in the past. When I see a series of event lines showing up on the wall, I know something is continually affecting the health of the foot. With that, I worry about something more sinister down the line, such as the risk of laminitis or founder, if the source of the event lines isn't found. Don't ignore them!

🚩Sudden changes in sole appearance, white line health, etc: If the horse's sole is typically concave and suddenly seems to flatten out "out of nowhere," or if we suddenly can see a stretched white line or fit a hoof pick between the wall and the sole, I know something is going on. OR, if a flat foot suddenly has a "sucked up" in a drastic ridge of concavity, I assume the soles have revealed that they are extremely thin. These all warrant further investigation.

Educating ourselves on what might be a red flag and what might not be can help catch early warning signs before a real issue starts.