Shoeing Consultation
Horses need their hooves to be trimmed every 6-8 weeks, whether you shoe your horses or not. If you ride your horse, he will also need shoes. Shoes keep the hoof from cracking and splitting when the horse is ridden. There are different types of shoes available for horses with problems or performance horses. Also, there are different types of shoes for different events.
Be Quick Horseshoeing offers many different types of shoes depending your horses needs. There are also two types of shoeing, hot shoeing and cold shoeing. During our initial shoeing consultation we will go over any problems your horse is experiencing and determine the best fit and shoes for him.
Be Quick Farriers are experienced and know preventing lameness is about shoe placement, bone alignment, bone angles, length of toe, and direction of foot in relation to knees and pastern bones as well as quite a few other issues with foot care and horse shoeing practices. During a horseshoeing consultation the farrier takes into to consideration many factors of the horse and are listed below.
- Physiology of foot structure
- Works to absorb concussion when the foot strikes the ground.
- Laminae in the hoof wall are affected by the shock of concussion.
- Heels expand.
- Frog action upward stimulating movement of the digital cushion.
- Blood moves out of the foot toward the horses head.
- The blood that pools in the foot absorbs some concussion.
- Concussion and the horses weight is further transferred upward through bones supported by tendons.
- All movement of the horse goes through these structures. The health and function of these structures can affect the movement of the horse.
- Shoeing Considerations
- Hoof growth verses hoof wear.
- Each horse requires shoes to be shaped and fitted to each foot.
- Adjustments may be required based on conditions of the horses feet and legs. Assessment of the horses movement in all gates may give insight to the overall health of the horse.
- General Hoof Care Includes:
- Cleaning - use the hoof pick from the heels to the toe of the foot. Clean all dirt from cleft and comissures of the frog.
- Daily inspection of all hoof wall areas, top and bottom of all feet. Also check the horses legs for swelling, injury or lameness.
- Farrier services should be completed every 6 to 8 weeks.
- Hoof growth is ¼" to ½" per month.
- What a farrier looks for:
- Growth is specific areas of the hoof wall.
- Balance in the horses feet and legs.
There are different types of shoes available with different weights, sizes, and shapes. Our farriers will evaluate your horses needs and find the right pair of shoes for your horse! Special shoes are often needed for horses with problems or horses that compete in some events. For example:
- Tennessee Walkers need a special shoe that is really thick and weights a lot in order to make them step high.
- Reining horses need hind shoes that have just a little bit of shoe sticking out behind the heel, to help them do smooth sliding stops.
- Racehorses need really light shoes so that they can run faster.
- Barrel Racing horses need light shoes like racehorses to help them to go faster. Some, if they have trouble getting a grip, wear shoes that are light but keep the horse from slipping.
- Horses recovering from laminitis may need special shoes to support their weight & keep pressure off of the coffin bone.
Give Be Quick Horseshoeing a call at (970) 568-3113 for any questions or to schedule farrier/horseshoeing consultation today!
