Meck's Farrier Service

04/27/2023

Grass season is here

Please don't let your ponies, donkeys and at risk horses experience this painful consequence. If grass is the only option, consider a grazing muzzle or sectioning it off with temporary fencing.

Edit: photo is showing the result of repeated laminitis causing inflammation and separation of the lamina (the attachment of the wall to the coffin bone within the hoof capsule) and subsequent founder. There are several causes of laminitis, high sugar content in grass is one of the main ones. Certain equines are more at risk than others.

03/17/2023

Canker debridement from today!
Canker is a rare chronic hypertrophy of the superficial layers of the frog corium.
Done in conjunction with the attending veterinarian, procedures like this should never be performed by a farrier on their own, but as part of a team with a veterinarian.

02/04/2023

Proper bell boot fit!!! I preach this several times a week!

10/08/2020

Grooms hand thrush medication is back in stock. I know several people had asked for bottles, let me know and I will get it to you.

02/12/2020

Grooms hand is back in stock! Ask me about this awesome thrush treatment.

01/24/2020

Mike always provides a thought provoking lecture, always followed by great conversations.

Bone pathology begins with osteitis, or inflammation of the bone. This can occur simply by the horse kicking its stall or when a farrier uses a hammer to knock in a clip, says Mike Savoldi, a Hall of Fame farrier and equine researcher.

12/12/2019

PSA!

Iforgeahead, A top book keeping software used by farriers is currently down. I do not personally use this software but if you know your farrier does or they miss an appointment this may be why, it may be wise if you know your next appointment to contact your farrier and let them know what it is in case they do use it.

09/20/2019

Blue line: end of heel bulbs Red Line: where the horse stood on its heels before trimming. Green line: weight bearing heel after trim. The heel bulbs, and other fixed anatomical points don’t move, the foot grows down and forward around them. This is why “low heeled” horses, can also have “long heels”. Hope the visual provides some clarity😊.

05/24/2019

Public service announcement from your farrier : We are in that special time of year again where it seems like you could shoe your horse every 3 weeks. There are things you can do to help this situation.

1.) Regulate your horses turn out time on the pasture. An over load of green grass will make our horses extremely fat. Notice I said ours because mine looks like a butterball turkey too. It will not hurt your horse to pull them up and keep them off knee deep grass for part of the day and it will slow down that growth rate a little.
2.) Regulate moisture. We live in an extremely wet and humid environment here in the northeast. I think of your horses feet kind of like a piece of plywood. If you let it get soaking wet it will expand and swell. Therefore every night when they are out on heavy dew grass their feet get soaking wet. The next morning the sun comes out and they get every bit of the moisture sucked back out. Have you ever seen what a piece of plywood looks like after it’s been wet, dry, wet, dry a few times? It swells, busts, chips and warps up. Your horses feet will do the same with constant swell and contract making it hard to keep shoes on. I recommend a good balancer, such as Hoof Tech Maintenance or Farrier's Fix Hoof Oil, a few times a week, especially before a heavy dew or rain from the shoe to about an inch from the hairline.
3. Do something for the flies! A good fly spraying if your horses are going to be turned out can save you a lot of heartache and lost shoes. Not a gentle mist of some bronco either. Get some good fly spray and use it!!! If you bought a new pair of shoes and immediately started stomping them when you walked out of the store and didn’t stop you would wear them out pretty quick and also make your feet and legs sore. Your horse is no different.
4. Remember we as farriers are extremely busy right now, do your best to be ready when we get there, dont forget your appointment and have a shaded dry area for us to work. Make us aware of issues immediately and be understanding of we cant get there for several days, believe me we are trying our hardest to get there as soon as possible.

THIS IS NOT DIRECTED AT ANY ONE CUSTOMER!!! This is a broad generalized piece of information that can help you, your horses and my ability to keep your horse sound. I work for some of the best people around and I truly care for you and your horses. I hope this helps. Thank you all for your business!!! Have a blessed day!

Original post copied from Dillon Lawless and edited to my liking.

03/10/2019

Tropical Education!

02/24/2019

High, low syndrome

DID YOU KNOW ??
It is fairly common for horses to have uneven pairs of front feet.

72 % of the horses have two different fore feet, the larger foot grows faster at the toe, whereas the smaller foot grows faster at the heel. ( Perreaux )

02/23/2019

Any horse owner will know the struggle of sn*******ng!

Where were snow-rim pads born? In the mountains of Switzerland, of course! Each year, horses race in the snow events at the fabled St Moritz ski resort. The Hoof Blog tracked down who has been on the job there--and we tell the history of how the snow pads began. A favorite story from the Hoof Blog archives:
https://hoofcare.blogspot.com/2014/02/white-turf-stmoritz-polo-racing-snow-ice-horseshoes-traction.html

02/03/2019

CAUTION!!!

It appears that we will have some spring-like weather coming in the next several days. Please use restraint when turning your horses out in these CONDITIONS. Many horses may have spent extra time in their stalls over the last several weeks and will more then likely tear around the pasture if turned straight out. Your pastures will be turning back to mud but will still have an icy base that make it very slick and makes even the most surefooted horse prone to overreaching and falling. I see many injuries and lost shoes every year when we have a weather change like this. Taking the time to work them before turnout can often make a huge difference by burning that excess energy.
Enjoy the warmer weather,
Your farrier

01/15/2019

All very good points. A bad client can put the best farrier in a terrible mood...

01/07/2019

DID YOU KNOW ??
It is fairly common for horses to have uneven pairs of front feet.

72 % of the horses have two different fore feet, the larger foot grows faster at the toe, whereas the smaller foot grows faster at the heel. ( Perreaux )

12/30/2018

08/14/2018

THIS IS HOW BELLBOOTS SHOULD BE FIT, THEY WILL DO NO GOOD IF FIT TO TIGHT! We currently are in an apparent monsoon season, please keep these on all horses on turnout.