Conformaton Issues

[Skinfaxi]

I'll try to get some pics taken next time I go out(forgot my camera) and if some one would put them up for me I'd be obliged.

Ok, Sat. I trimmed two more of the friendly guys horses(couldn't catch the third...now that's sad huh? :D ) One was a cranky 17 yr geld that tried to take(half-heartedly) a kidney, but I fixed him good. No problem.

The other was a quiet, well handled and polite young paint filly(2.5yrs or so) Lots of color breeders around and he got her at auction 2 months ago for cheap. Terrible front legs. Pidgon toed, BAD. Knees out, toes in and a sore limp. I've not any experience with such dramatic problems. I was going around her and I noticed that the Right diag. was fairly open heeled and flared, and her Left diag was quite contracted and not flared. Both naturally worse in front. I was guessing that this is due to her compensation for conformation or the limp or both. Limp is on the RF. Not precisely sure why she limps yet(nothing stands out but the bad conformation) but I have bars to unimpact on both fronts so we'll see if that helps it. Is diagonal compensation normal for this kind of conformational problem? What do you guys think of it? I'm going to suggest rads on the RF next time I talk to the guy, make sure nothing is broken.

[Derin Foor]

Sarah,

One suggestion.......do***ent on the invoice what you are seeing, not a diagnosis, just your observations.....that way when the $#!t hits the fan a year down the road, you wont be blamed for laming the horse

Derin

[Phantom Farrier]

Derin,

Great idea - the voice of experience, I suspect!

Phantom :)

[Skinfaxi]

Good idea, thanks Derin.

I'm just wondering how normal the odd diagonals are for this type of horse. Or should I be looking for something else, or should the Vet be out looking for something. I was told that the vet had been out just a couple weeks earlier and said nothing about this horse having something wrong with it. Owner said she had always limped.

[Rick Burten]

In addition to written do***entation on the invoice, it is always a good idea to get photos. I carry a digital camera(well, most of the time I carry the camera with me) And use it all the time to create a record. Its a simple matter to download it into the computer and store it. I suppose I should, just for safety's sake, make hard copies or CD copies, but my new age technological skills extend only so far.

[Phil Armitage]

Rick, my daughter bought me a digital camera with its own printer to print the pictures. Camera hooks up direct to the little printer. She had the idea of me takeing pictures as a way to do***ent progress over a year ago. I have taken pictures, but have not printed any yet. I was thinking of starting to print them and put them in a customer folder for future reference.

[Forgewizard]

Phil,
That's a great way to follow your work and show your clients the changes happening in their horse's hooves! I did/do that for quite a few of my clients!

The ones that don't have access to email or a PC of their own, get photos of their horse's hooves.

Those that do have PCs get emails so they can use their own ink and photo paper.

Issuing the photos on site is great especially if the owner will be speaking to a vet in the interim. The before and after shots can tell a tremendous story!

The drawback to onsite photo issuing is that unless the owner can retain everything you said about the changes, you have to illustrate the changes on the photo using a marker; whereas getting back home with the digital imaging program allows you to mark up a photo then send it.

The other thing that happens when you do these photo do***ents is you quickly add tremendously heavy albums to your truckload of tools! A laptop however (or PDA) doesn't get any heavier no matter how many photos sre on the hard drive!

But you can't beat photos when you want to show differences in the hoof! The little printer I used was Epson's "Photomate". Comes with a handle, I used a power inverter for AC electricity from my truck. The Photomate ink cartridge comes with 100 pieces of high quality photo paper!The ink lasts a long long time and after purchasing extra photo paper (from Staples) I have printed almost 200 photos from one ink cartridge if I don't print borderless photos!
It certainly adds another "hey that's cool!" factor to your PR image!

HAve a go at it Phil! You'll probably enjoy it!
Kim