Floyd Farrier Services

02/05/2024

I will be unavailable through Monday, May 6th, in observance of the remainder of Holy Week and Pascha as celebrated by the Orthodox Church. Thank you all!

14/04/2023

I will be unavailable from Today, Friday April 14th, through Monday the 17th in observance of Great and Holy Pascha as celebrated by the Orthodox Church. Thank you.

08/02/2023

Just got to try out the new Mustad Hoofcare Endurance Combo 5 Slim nails in the ol’ reliable of shoes, the Kerkhaert SX-8. They drove smoothly, fit snuggly, and clinched securely. I definitely plan to add them to my Arsenal.

28/01/2023

Day Four, the Final day of the 2023 International Hoof Care Summit.

My last two lectures for the year were on the Farrier-Veterinarian relationship, and how to work together for the benefit of the horse.

The second was by Blane Chapman, On managing heel pain in working horses.

Finally, I closed off the day with a few hours of networking with friends and fellow farriers, followed by a dinner with several attendees to toast another successful year. I’m looking forward to bringing home and applying the things I learned this year!

27/01/2023

Day Three of the 2023 International Hoof Car Summit was a day of lectures, and the final day of the Trade Show.

The first Lecture was on Mechanics in Horseshoeing by Dr. Ramon Batalla.

The second lecture was the Burney Chapman Memorial Lecture by Blane Chapman, on the subject of the Heartbar shoe.

The Trade Show had its final session, so I walked through all the booths to look at all the new products on the market one last time, making sure to get the best product samples I could to bring back for my horses.

The next Lecture was on. FARRIER-LED RESEARCH: What Can the Hoof Wall Tell Us About Mediolateral Balance? by clinician Tim Shannon.

The rest of the day was spent networking with fellow farriers

26/01/2023

Day 2 of the International Hoof Care Summit was trade show day. The vast majority of my day was spent at the Trade Show, purchasing some new and exciting things, talking to all the manufacturers I use about their products, and Networking with fellow farriers over products we saw on the market and their usages.

At 5:00pm, I was able to watch a live demonstration of the Hoof Casting Method by Derek Poupard, inventor of the 3D pads I very commonly use to great effectiveness on many of the horses under my care.

25/01/2023

Day 1 of the 2023 International Hoof Care Summit.

I attended lectures on:
Mustad Hoofcare products

Kawell Copper Alloy shoes and products, their usages and effectiveness on horses.

A lecture on horses with mismatched feet by Farrier Hans Castelijns

A lecture on the usages of Plastic pads by Farrier Travis Burns.

A Lecture by Farrier Lee Olsen on shoeing the underperforming horses.

All of this was interjected and followed up on by networking and discussions with fellow farriers.

A great start to The week, and looking forward to the lectures and Trade Show of day 2.

21/01/2023

Floyd Farrier Services will be unavailable from January 22nd through January 30th in attendance of the 2023 International Hoof Care Summit in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Thank you all for your continued business, as that is what allows me to travel to events such as these for continuing education, and to see the latest and greatest products in the industry.

06/01/2023

I will be unavailable from January 6 through January 9th, in observance of Orthodox Christmas. All messages will be answered when I am able. Thank you all!

14/12/2022

A suspensory type shoe for a horse who is making her way back into light work, made using Size 3 Kerckhaert SX-8s, and nailed up with Mustad City Head 5 nails.

The function of this shoe, is to allow the heels of the shoe to sink further than the toe. This is achieved by forging out the toe of the shoe on the anvil to make it wider, and “penciling” down the heels of the shoe with the grinder. By allowing the heels to sink further than the toe, the suspensory ligament takes less strain during the load portion of movement. Ideally, I would be brazing or welding in an insert at the toe to give better flotation, but I don’t have the space in my rig at this time to fit the extra equipment in.

Thanks to this shoe, we have seen the swelling in this horse’s hind legs lower drastically, and a much happier horse.

02/12/2022

This weeks product display, is Superfast and Adhere, two products offered by Vettec Hoof Care. They are extremely useful when I have a hoof that needs extra support, repairs, or a hoof wall extension. This particular horse has confirmational deformities, so she needs extra medial support. By fitting the shoe wide on the medial side of the hoof, and filling in the extra space with Vettec Adhere, I have been able to help this horse stand straighter, move straighter, and spend much more of the cycle in a comfortable state. Not to mention, a much healthier and balanced hoof!

Sometimes, you have to get creative to put the foot under the horse!

28/11/2022

"Wow, you didn't even have to use your nippers! I guess that he didn't really need a trim yet, huh?"

As the summer winds down and we enter fall in this part of the world, we may see a slowdown in hoof growth and these kinds of comments come up every so often. The misconception is that a trim is simply to remove excess growth on the hoof - but that's actually not the case.

Our goal as hoofcare providers is to keep the horse comfortable and sound. We want to work to get the foot to function at its best, so the joints, tendons and ligaments up the limb can stay healthy for years to come. Our trim is about balance, equilibrium, and hoof health, not just removing gross length.

The last thing we want is to wait until the hoof growth is causing detrimental effects to the internal structures to try to remedy it; instead, if we can keep the foot at its optimal balance, then we can get ahead of issues before they start.

That means that often, our trims should even look fairly minimal. Finding a cycle length that allows us to do "less" actually allows for more targeted changes to the hoof capsule. Big changes don't just make for a nice looking before and after photo, they can have knock-on effects every cycle as the horse adjusts to new angles with the adjustments.

I always say one of my favorite things about hoof rehab is "suggesting" to the foot where I want it to be. If every cycle I'm doing two nipper runs to get the foot back to baseline, I'm probably not making much progress over time.

So next time you feel there wasn't much that needed to be done to the foot, consider whether it was truly because the hoof didn't need it, or whether it is actually simply keeping the foot comfortable and in balance with where it will function best. It's not about what we trim, but often about knowing what NOT to trim.

19/11/2022

Getting a Barrel Racer ready for her runs with the St.Croix XLT Race Plates. The provide excellent traction in the arena, while being light as a feather and not holding the horse back when speed is what matters.

17/11/2022

Working to improve the comfort of a Foundered Fresian cross with Jim Blurton heartbars, Keystone Heavy Leather pads, Mustad Hoof Cushion, and nailed on with Mustad Endura 5 nails.

The horse walked off a much happier and sounder horse with this winning combination. If you want your horse’s shoes put on with these Golden nails, let me know!

08/11/2022

One of my biggest goals, is to provide the best hoofcare I can, and it would be very difficult to do that without using some of the best products on the market. I’m proud to be introducing Mustad Hoofcare products more fully into my practice, and to bring only the best for the horses I work on. Mustad is no strange name to me, and I can proudly say that their tools have been a solid part of my tool box since I graduated farrier school in 2018.

Now, you will find Mustad Equilibrium shoes on my shoe racks. They boast having extra width at the toe, full heel support, sole relief, and a well balanced break over design that allows for significantly less leverage needed for the horse to roll off the toe. An excellent addition to my arsenal of shoes!

To nail these shoes up, you’ll see me using the Endura Coated ESL 5 nails. These nails offer better strength while being slimmer, which improves the driving of the nails and reduces hoof wall damage. They will oxidize considerably less in the foot, leaving healthier and stronger hooves.

Finally we have the Mustad Hoof Cushion, a product I have used since earlier this year. It has been a major help, combinded with the 3D Pads (which you’ll see later) in improving the comfort and condition of the hoof. It’s a product that will be staying in my practice for a long time to come!

Keep your eyes peeled! I’ll be doing more displays of the products I use to bring out the best in your horses over the next several weeks!

04/11/2022

Having a great morning working with Dr. Kennedy as she took some Radiographs of a horse I have been working on. It was great getting to see exactly what the condition of the Coffin bone was in the Left Front, where I had to do a major resection after a severe microbial infection of the hoof wall 3 months ago

Very glad to have a new found knowledge of the foot, and that I have a better informed game plan as we move forward into bringing this horse back into work

29/10/2022

Having a great first day of the Simon J Curtis clinic listening to lectures about the development of the hoof from foal to maturity, factors that affect the hoof development, and having many great discussions with fellow friends and farriers!

Looking forward to tomorrow, and the all day hands-on portion of the clinic, working in teams to shoe a horse.

(Me, first row, first on the right petting the wonderful Miss Bobbet).

19/07/2022

I am on a much needed Vacation, and mostly unavailable by phone until Friday. If you have an emergency, please contact your Veterinarian. Thanks!

15/06/2022

Good morning all!

It’s that time of year when the heat calls for a change, so my schedule for the next 12-16 weeks will be as following:

Tuesday-Friday, 7:00am-12:00pm. No clients will be scheduled after 12:00pm due to the dangers of heat exhaustion. I will still make some stops in the late evening, between 6:00pm-7:00pm, but that will be at my discretion. Any clients I have scheduled for the afternoon will be contacted this week to move to the morning.

These next few weeks are going to be dangerously hot, and I refuse to put myself, my clients, and my horses at risk in this weather.

As a reminder, Saturday through Monday are my days off, and I typically do not answer my phone outside if emergencies. That is my time for Family, Fiancé, and Church.
Thank you all!

08/05/2022

21/04/2022

I will be unavailable by phone or message from today, April 21, through April 26, for the remainder of Holy Week and Pascha as celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox Church. I will be in church, and doing church related work. Non-Emergency calls and messages will be returned at my convenience. Thank you!

24/01/2022

I will be unavailable from Monday the 24th through Monday, the 31st, as I will be traveling and in attendance of the 2022 International Hoof Care Summit. All phone calls and messages will be returned when I am able to. Thanks!

03/01/2022

Happy New Year everyone! Before I begin, I would like to thank each and everyone for your support over the past year. It has been an absolute pleasure getting to work with you and your wonderful critters. I look forward to the year ahead and all of the opportunities I will have to work with you in supporting your horses.
As I get ready to start my first week of work, I’d like to remind everyone what my business hours are, and my policy on returning calls made after business hours.

My Business Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 8am-6pm. Saturday through Monday, my phone will be set to silent, and all Non-emergency phone calls and messages will be returned the following business day.

My weekends are spent catching up on household cleaning, my religious/Church life,Family time, and relaxation. I ask that you please respect that and remember that I am a human being with a life outside of my amazing and wonderful job. These past three years have been wonderful and I look forward to (hopefully) a lifetime ahead of learning better ways to support the equine community, and how to improve as a farrier.

08/12/2021

20/11/2021

A very Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I will be out of town this coming week for family time, and unavailable by phone or messenger until November 30th. I will return all messages after then. Thank you!

18/10/2020

Another beautiful day out at Cotton Branch Farm Sanctuary making sure all our hooved animals get their pedicures today, And all under the watchful eyes of Nicholas the cow!

28/09/2020

I am on vacation this week! I will not be available by phone. I will notice Facebook messages when I’m at the cabin but no where else. If you have an emergency, please call your vet!

17/09/2020

This is something that needs to be addressed, as I am worried that a former client will be slandering me as of today.

Please discipline your horses so I don't have to.

If I do discipline your horse, it will be with an open hand, and a swift smack. I do my best to avoid hitting horses with tools, but it occasionally happens when tempers boil over in bad circumstances.

Today, I had a first time client send me an angry text about how he was pi**ed that I charged him "more than what I told him", when I very clearly told him my prices. More than likely, this person was trying to bully me into lowering my prices for him. He was also pi**ed that I "threatened his horse" by hitting it. I disciplined his horse because it was repeatedly yanking its leg away from me while I was trying to trim it's hoof. I had already yelled at the horse to quit, but to no avail. The handler did not say anything about me disciplining the horse, nor was any grievance made until this morning by the owner. Finally, I was given the "you're lucky I wasn't there" text by the owner.

That is a threat. I do not take kindly to threats, and as such this person has been blocked from my lists.

To all my clients, thank you for disciplining your horses so I don't have to, and thank you for allowing me to respond to a horses rudeness with discipline. Your concern for my safety is appreciated more than I can put into words.