Timko’s Farrier Services

24/08/2024

Our favorite little dwarf got new kicks thanks to and . and I had just been using old frog support pads and she had started kicking them off due to all of her running around being comfortable with some support. She is a very happy dwarf.

17/05/2024

‼️

03/05/2024

We will be at K’s first show this weekend. All messages will be returned Monday May 6th. Thank you!

02/04/2024

Anything to help out how we can 💪🏻

Bella is a Dwarf Appaloosa mini mare, who’s about 6-8 months old. She has severe limb deformities, cranial, spinal, you name it. She gets uncomfortable in her little body as she grows and gets stronger. The breeder purposely bred for dwarfism.😫

Lucky for little Bella her new owner is doing everything they can to help her grow and live a good life!🥰

Timko’s Farrier Services trimmed and put glue on shoe supports behind, giving her lateral support to keep her stride more correct and support a more correct growth to the hinds. And Keystone Equine Services provide her with Pulse PEMF sessions to help the elasticity of her ligaments and tendons, muscle support and overall comfort as the corrective shoeing is changing her stride and her body continues to grow💕

In the picture Bella is pulsing on the medium Pet Pad covered with a blanket. She has a difficult time standing so this made the session even more relaxing and comfortable for her. 🙌🏻💕

Pulse PEMF - Jane Cattell

21/03/2024

I always knew hoarder old pads would come in handy 😅. Left our favorite little dwarf some more support this round and I’d have to say she’s loving it. She was up and running away from us right after the glue was dry. This is our third round in some lateral extensions and I’m glad to see her hooves coming around. Last pic in reference to where we started.

02/02/2024

24/01/2024

Well today we helped out our favorite little dwarf walk a little better. Videos are in the comments!First video is a before last videos are after.

12/01/2024

Clients! We have reached out to most of you regarding the upcoming weather. And we APPRECIATE you in letting us reschedule your appointments. I am hoping to get back to you all by Monday for your new dates. Again thank you all very much.

Easton CF
Kristin APF-I, CEMT, PEMFP

Featuring Whilly 🙂

03/01/2024

New year, new clients, and some new kicks for the repeated clients!

24/12/2023

Have a wonderful and safe holiday From us at Timko’s Farrier Services and Keystone Equine Services this holiday season! 🎄 thank you for your continued support.

—Easton CF
—Kristin APF-I, CEMT

06/12/2023

A Quarter Horse gelding in Hillsdale County, Michigan, was confirmed positive for strangles, and three additional horses are exposed.

29/11/2023

Our favorite human is having surgery today. Reply’s to messages may be delayed for a little.

Thank you.

23/11/2023

Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving! 🦃🍽

We are closed for today and will respond to messages tomorrow. Thank you.

21/11/2023

Clients!! Please if you are having ANY sickness symptoms even just the flu please let us know before hand. Kristin is FINALLY having her gallbladder surgery next week and we do not need it postponed any longer. Plus no one wants to be sick for Thanksgiving. Thank you!

08/11/2023

07/11/2023

Nothing like being carried around like a baby 😅

26/09/2023

🥰

22/09/2023

shoes and DIM and wedge pads for the former racing quarter with shelly hooves.

17/09/2023

So proud of these two as always! They kicked butt this weekend. Two judge show and they placed 7th/2nd and 7th/3rd in two of their three classes. ALSO super proud of our client for placing 5th/5th in her halter class with her new 2year old!! I can’t wait to see what and do next year 💪🏻.

05/09/2023

A follow up from the last post.. and probably one of the more “controversial” posts I may write.

I know I’ve written a lot on this page over the years about comfort versus appearance when it comes to hoofcare. In fact, I harp on it repeatedly- pretty much any time I feel frustrated that someone wants a certain appearance on a sound hoof. To heck with what it means for the horse’s comfort level! Yes, even if it means a lame horse, I’ve seen people want specific angles or ratios or symmetry in a hoof.. because it’s “right”.. “better”.. “correct.”

And I have written posts on how trimming is like having a conversation with the hoof, seeing how it responds, suggesting changes to the foot.

But I guess I have never really expanded on what that means. How do you know if comfort is trim related, or something else?

Well, to be fair, a lot of times it’s not super simple. If a horse has underlying inflammation in the hoof capsule, whether that’s from diet issues, undiagnosed metabolic concerns, illness, etc, ANY trim done can make the horse sore- even if it’s incredibly minimal. It seems that horses with underlying inflammation can be comfortable compensating with the feet they have prior to trim, but the second a trim is done that even slightly shifts their weightbearing on internal structures, it causes something like a “flare up” of pain as they are forced to change the way they move on those weak structures. Think of horses that can literally just have a light rasp done at a trim and come up sore.. there is likely something systemic going on that needs further investigation.

That being said, a “beautiful” trim can lame a horse that’s otherwise sound, and that’s what I harp on about - those trims prioritizing form over function. But how can we learn to make those smarter decisions when it comes to barefoot horses, or how as a horse owner can you determine if your horse may need some help hoof wise?

Side note- I HATE giving trim advice online and will rarely if ever do it. There are too many factors at play.

That being said, a few big points I can make about how to make trim decisions are:

⭐️WATCH THE HORSE MOVE: Note hoof landings, comfort level over various surfaces, and soundness before and after a trim. Sometimes changes can cause discomfort a day or two later and not immediately after- owners, keep track of how your horse feels and keep an open line of communication with your hoofcare provider. We WANT to know if something isn’t working, so we can adjust as needed!

⭐️LEARN TO IDENTIFY WEAK FEET: estimating sole depth with collateral groove depth, assessing the health of the white line connection, palpating the digital cushion to estimate strength of the frog and caudal hoof, learning the appearance and texture of a thin sole, identifying a stretched frog or melded frog suggesting P3 remodeling, identifying compensatory bar growth, etc.
These can all help point to a bigger issue that needs addressing. Diet changes, bloodwork, radiographs/diagnostics, etc, are possibly warranted depending on the health of the hoof. Any of these signs and symptoms of weak feet can also mean that the hoof may not be able to handle certain changes. I have horses with shallower collateral grooves who prefer more bar, a smidge more quarter height, or even (gasp!) a longer toe. Some I will simply pull the foot forward and roll the wall from the top to preserve their comfort until a healthier laminae connection hits the ground… and once that happens, suddenly it’s like they can handle a much “bigger“ trim.

⭐️DON’T CHANGE TOO MANY THINGS AT ONCE: Not just because changing everything all at once can cause soreness, which CAN happen, but by isolating the most “egregious” issue to work on at a time can help isolate what section of the foot the horse prefers to hang onto for compensation. Example: A horse with a medial flare due to a previous injury may actually move sounder with that deviation - so noting how they move before and after that one adjustment can tell a lot.

There are so many reasons why someone may choose to take or leave certain material from the hoof. Before you judge a photo on social media or even hooves in person, stop to think - is the horse sound? Is the foot functional? Is there a specific purpose for WHY the foot is trimmed the way it is?

Maybe not. But, then again, maybe it’s very intentional.

In my experience- functional is paramount, and often, form follows function.

01/09/2023

29/08/2023

23/08/2023

22/08/2023

Proud to offer Stamey to the public this weekend! Get your BLM applications in so you can take him home.

He will excel at ranch work, trail riding, and endurance!

Text or message me for more information.

Sydnee Julian Horsemanship LLC
Sydnee S. Julian
Hubbard Feeds
Piceance Mustangs

22/08/2023

This is a wonderful article for our Barrel racers out there to understand why/how we do what we do. There’s so many things to take into account than just the shoe job or the rider.

Lee Olsen weighs in on a style of shoeing that caters to the barrel horse and rider as a team in a case-by-case basis.

21/08/2023

Just a weee little one.