7 - J Farrier Service

02/25/2024

Nice weather is on its way and that means time to get horses ready for fun.

We’ve had some old horses pass on so we’ve got some openings in the schedule.

Hays area
Russell area
Haul-ins welcome

04/07/2023

For real, I’m trying to get him caught back up…but the wind 🥴 Be patient with me on scheduling, most people don’t have a barn or even a wind block and Jeff has a ton of clients, so I swear I’m trying 😂

03/15/2023

A good day to be inside and out of the wind

01/22/2023

My wife and her sister had to test the new sled before we put the kids on it. 😁

01/14/2023

Giving Jeff’s clients the first crack at these before I list them “publicly” 😀

HORSE QUALITY Eastern Kansas Brome Squares

~60lbs
Cut first week of June
W**d Free
Twine-Tied
Always Shedded

Our fatties have been on this since August; yes, they are more pricey but we have fat happy horses with ZERO Vitamin E deficiency and can feed less (with zero grain).

Our supplier is only selling to us and with our rounds we will have excess squares.

$14/bale

PS: Jeff does not do the haggling. Don’t try 😬. We all know the price of hauling on top of horse quality hay so don’t make this weird 😂. Text the man in charge or message the page if interested.

(Fatty Bia for photo proof of healthy winter horse 😜)

11/11/2022

Little announcement from the scheduling lady 🙂

The weather has been, well, a giant pain in my butt when it comes to scheduling this last couple weeks. I’m having to wait for weekend before to contact people as the forecast changes so much right now.

I swear I’m not slacking, rescheduling due to weather just sucks 😅

I know some horses have slowed down on growth since they are busy putting hair on, so I’ll still check with you but if your dudes are still good, just let me know and I’ll bump you out a couple weeks.

I can schedule travel clients with a level ground, accessible shelter with a safe place to tie for Jeff and your horse to be in WAY easier in the winter than if you guys are out in an open area with no cover. Which is miserable for everyone involved.

Thank you for being patient with me and the psycho wind/cold.

09/14/2022

Quick halter tip. Brass buckles are the weakest part of a web halter. I personally don’t use halters or leads with hardware. Once a horse finds relief leaning back because a halter, lead snap or tie point breaks, they think they can do it again. Repetition becomes habit. I’m not saying absolutely no web halters or leads with snaps. They’re pretty and some people prefer them. Cool, your horse, your tack, your preference. Just remember bad habits in horses can be caused by the tiniest of details.

08/01/2022

Oh mules. I’ve never met a person that kinda likes mules. Either you love them or hate them. I’ve also never met a boring mule owner. Ol’ Gus was going to get my full attention even if he had to steal my tools to do it.

07/17/2022

It rained last night so this morning would be a great opportunity for horse owners to practice horsemanship. The weather doesn’t care if your horses are on a 6 week schedule to be shod. We’ve been in a drought so a lot of horses’ feet are extremely dry. When saturated, the hoof wall expands. And then it goes back to normal as it dries to 25% moisture again. This expansion and contraction affects clinches. Besides being pretty, there’s a reason for rasping clinches flush with the hoof wall.

In situations like today, the horse owner can see if their horse has any popped clinches. The clinch will be protruding from the wall and is no longer tight. Popped clinches are easier to deal with than thrown shoes. If it’s early in the cycle and the shoe placement is still balanced, they just need reclinched. If it’s later in the cycle and the weather has affected growth also, then it’s probably time to move them up to being reshod.

I’ve never met anyone, farriers included, that can control weather. And weather is constantly affecting your horse’s feet.

Check your clinches. And while you’re at it, clean their feet and check the frog. That’s a whole different post for a different day. 😁

07/04/2022

“Pinch” -Haflinger/Welsh/“something to be determined” by DNA baby born on-site from Olivia’s pony.

07/04/2022

“Whatchamacallit” Mini mare

Acquired from a wonderful client who picked her up in extremely poor hoof condition (will post pics once we have her fixed-up). Morgan will be training her once she’s comfortable 💜

07/04/2022

Gertrude ”Gert” 3.5 y/o and Jeff’s favorite Haflinger 😊. More draft, pulling-type mare who acts like a 30 year old horse. She has an old soul, and sweet as can be.

07/04/2022

Gertie, 3 y/o Haflinger mare. She’s our athletic, quick, and more ”jumper” type Haflinger girl. She’s almost overly-friendly 😅

07/04/2022

Phantom-Rehomed to TX with a badass rodeo pickup woman 😊

07/04/2022

Pedro (Yearling Mini Donkey Gelding)
Little man has a new family. 💜

04/30/2022

Failure to plan is planning to fail. Everyone has heard that advice. So why is a plan for hoof care an afterthought when so many people buy a horse? No foot no horse. We’ve all heard that nugget of wisdom. Why do the feet have to get so bad the horse is lame, in pain or embarrassing to take out in public before an urgent hoof care plan is needed? Whether it’s a baby, a prospect, a performer in their prime or the seasoned old pro….it’s past time to get proactive.

There are proactive horse owners in this world and I’m fortunate to have some of them as clients. Simply, thank you. Then there are clients that I’ve gained that are proactive but the previous owners of their horses took less than ideal care of feet. Unfortunately, now the current owner has to deal with the consequences of others’ inaction. It pains me to see but I’m also glad these horses are now owned by people who care. You’re a blessing to that horse.

Words are hollow. Even adding fifty cents to what is said won’t buy a cup of coffee. Actions speak. We care for what we care about. Read that last line again.

04/09/2022

Your farrier is now a CF! 😄 (and sportin a new ride)

03/17/2022

A study from the mid ‘80s put the percentage of performance horses with crushed heels at greater than 50%. That was almost 40 years ago. Given the top priorities of breeders many times carry more weight than an incorrect palmer/plantar angle, that percentage has almost certainly gotten greater over the years. This extremely dry weather makes almost every condition worse.

Addressing crushed heels improves performance, longevity of service and, most importantly, comfort. There are a few different ways to treat this popular problem. I know what works for me.

Anyone following this page has probably started to notice how often I use a rocker toe on therapeutic and corrective cases. Simply put, there are a multitude of conditions that can be improved with this modification. As the weather gets nicer and you’re getting ready to spend more time horseback, shoot us a message if you’re needing to get the four most important parts of your horse ready to be used heavier.

02/22/2022

This is a perfect example of why keeping horses on a schedule is important. This horse is done like clockwork. I have to have a consistent timeline to read shoe or hoof wear when treating conformation or gait abnormalities.

I’ve had this horse comfortable and serviceably sound for quite a while and he still is. So the two top farrier priorities are covered. He’s an old rope horse that’s paid his dues and is now training the next generation for his family. In my mind that makes him extremely valuable.

He’s balanced standing still. So now it’s a matter of helping him maintain balance when in motion also. I can’t change his joint issue, but I can manipulate how forces are spread across his hoof. He lands and loads all on the outside heel, which is why the shoe wears the way it does in the first picture. I stepped up the expansion a bit more, which is the second and third picture. If he’s still wearing uneven at his next shoeing, he’ll get wider stock for that heel and quarter.

Don’t judge a farrier’s work by how it looks the day he did it. Judge by how correct it still is in 4-6 weeks.

02/10/2022

Some horses are really good at hiding their pain. Others can be drama queens about the slightest discomfort. Either way, very few won’t go lame if they’re forced to walk on their soles. You’re definitely not going to get the best performance out of them. Shoeing is extra rewarding when you can instantly see the comfort you give. She got back on the trailer so much sounder than when she got off. Weight bearing is back where it belongs with extra support while she grows back out.

01/31/2022

01/25/2022

I’m yet to meet a horse owner that enjoys constantly chipping and prying ice balls out of their horse’s feet. A little prior preparation goes a long way in winter weather. These snow rim pads are well worth the money to save time and discomfort when taking care of your four legged friend.

01/11/2022

A couple drop off rope horses done while their owner ran some errands. No mud to deal with and I was in a t-shirt because of the shop stove. Definitely the best way to shoe horses in January.

12/30/2021

🍾 Happy *almost* New Year 🍾

Well, I believe it’s officially winter; it is COLD, and I’m not seeing a whole lot of decent temperatures coming up. That being said…

I will do my absolute best to accommodate your schedule during winter, BUT it is severely limited by your on-site accommodations for Jeff.

To be blunt:

The timing and routes I send him on are going to be very weather-dependent. If I message you because he is in your area a certain decent weather day, please take advantage, as I don’t know the next time the weather will cooperate.

If you don’t:
1. Have a solid tie-rack and/or
2. Have an actual safe sheltered spot for him to work,
it’s going to be tricky finding a day for you.

Please know I’m not going to make him shoe your horse when it’s freezing and no shelter. He won’t like it, your horse won’t like it, and you probably won’t either if there’s no safe place to tie.

This is why he has his shop. Haul them in, go run your errands or sit by the fire, come pick them back-up and go home. We can’t control the weather, but he has the perfect warm set-up for winter weather in Kansas.

12/22/2021

Here’s hoping everyone can make it through this week with more motivation than Nacho has for halter breaking 😂

11/25/2021

“Concho” 3 y/o, 1/4 Percheron 3/4 Paint Gelding

11/25/2021

“Witcher” Coming 8 y/o Grulla Quarter Horse Gelding

11/25/2021

“Spud” 16.1H English-trained gelding

11/25/2021

“Spud” (our nickname for him cause he looks like a giant 16.1H potato) gelding is on his way to his new English-riding home this weekend 💜

He’s ginormous, and once Jeff got on him, he figured out his history and training pretty darn quick! We are glad he’s going to a family who rides this discipline 😀

11/24/2021