Posted by Derin Foor on October 18, 2003 at 08:32:31:
In Reply to: advice needed posted by HorseLver on October 17, 2003 at 11:31:55:
:
: I recently had my horse trimmed by a new farrier. I have some concerns because in the past, (this is a 2 1/2 year old filly, who has been trimmed since she was a month old), I have had 5 reputable people trim her-in her short lifetime and no one has told me what this new farrier has metioned.
>> why have you had so many farriers in the past 2 1/2 years??......is it possible that a problem just developed or he is trying to help you avoid potential problems ??
: He said that she isn't wearing her feet down evenly and that he was going to fix it and I would have to get her done every 5 weeks to insure that it would fix the problem.
>> often times a shorter trim cycle is necessary especially when trying to correct a problem
: He told me that her coffin bone is all messed up because of this and will cause her to have dead hoof tissue, she will be lame, etc. etc.
>> unless he was looking at x-rays, there is no way he can know this, but having said that, if the foot was grossly distorted then he could logically conclude that the orientation of the coffin bone to the hoof capsule is incorrect and will lead to lameness
Is it really bad to trim a horse every 3 months? And I was told it was very important to keep up on a horse's trimming until it was 2 years old, he told me until they are three.
>>Horses need regular trimming from the time they are a couple months old until they are dead !........most horses are done every 5-8 weeks depending on time of year, use, ground conditions, etc.....3 months is too long in most cases.......perhaps your farrier is giving you good advise and his bluntness is offensive.....my experience has been that the more you sugar-coat something, the less the horseowner pays attention to it......you are paying him for his knowledge as well as his labor
>> hope this helps.
Derin