I broke it!

[Jason Maki]

My Georgia boots are nearly worn out, as is evidenced my the mounting pain in my bad knees. My legs hurt enough this morning that I decided to wear my good hiking boots today, until I could go buy another pair of good work boots ( I really like the Carolina lineman boots with the strong heel cups, they keep my ankle from rolling and my knees from throbbing) I had a moments pause because my hiking boots are not steel toed... I convinced myself that I never need the steel toe anyway...
The last filly today slammed her hind toe straight down onto the toes of my right foot, exactly where the steel toe I never need would have been. You would think I would know better! :o
Jason

[Bill Adams]

Golly Jason,
What did the Doctor say, how long will you be off work? Can horses realy do things like that? I'll bet you get used to it after a while. What did you do to make the filly do that? Is she OK? She sure never did anything like that before. My friend is real good with horses, I have her work with it. Are you going to be done on time, I have to leave and can't hold her much longer. WHAT?!? An extra charge for Manners?!
Bill

[Jason Maki]

Bill,
You are really a funny guy! I really do not think my toe is broke (it feels better, but swollen this am). Even if it is, there is nothing the Doc can do for the little guys that would let me work. Suck it up and press on.
The horse was mannered, she was in some discomfort, and just plopped down on me. Gotta wear the foot armor! The owner was VERy concerned as is a great handler, sometimes bad things happen( especially when you do not wear your steel toes! :D )
I'll live, just wanted to call attention to my ******ity to maybe prevnt someone else from being "brave".
Jason

[calshoer]

OUCH... I can completely sympathise. I had a big toe broke about eight years ago by a frashly rasped hind foot (nice sharp hoof edge) jackhammering down into it.
Wasn't wearing my steel toes at that time. :o
Didn't have any medical insurance back then, so I had a vet Xray tech take a film on the sly . Even the tech said "wow"when the film came out of the processor. That poor toe was pretty shattered. So I sent the films to a sympathetic human doc (a friend of a friend who would understand the reason for the non-doctor Xrays), and she said..(get this) "well if you were a ballerina we would do surgery, but your just a horse shoer so wrap it up good, put on extra layers of thick socks and bigger boots for a while. It will heal. It did. But I'll never do a pirouette again.
The kicker is the owner of the horse took three months to pay his shoeing bill, despite the fact I finished that horse that day in agony, with that freshly broke toe. I never worked for him again. Patty

[cowboy_bc]

Hi all,

Ouch. Been there many times. I know 2 or 3 guys that shoe in running shoes. One time I had a horse pull back and stomp on my foot with her hind. When I took my boot off later my whole foot past the ankle was totally black not green or blue but black and it looked like I had gangerene. For days after I was taking my boot off a couple times a day just to show people. Funny thing is it never really hurt all that much or not nearly as much as a broken toe? A buddy of mine was shoeing a horse once and a cat jumped off the barn room on to the horses back and the horse stomped his ankle and he had to have it pinned and he was off for 6 mo's

Kevin

[mikes_horseshoeing]

jason,everyone knows it hurts. My little toes have been broke 2 times in the last 2 yrs. I started wearing steel workers boots they are protected from the toe all the way to just below the ankle they are the best.

[Gary Hill]

I used to wear steel toes until we had to cut one off a fellow that had a horse come down on and the steel toes did more damage to the poor guys toes than the horse would have! True Story. Gary

[Phil Armitage]

I use to wear steel toes also and stopped because of invisioning the same thing. I have developed quick reflexes, my feet know how to get the heck out of the way on there own. Been stepped on too many times. Once while wearing steel toes, had a horse step on the top of the foot steel toe did nothing for it. Man that hurts when it happens, always makes you want to look to see how bad it is. I stand with a wide stance while holding up the hind foot keep my feet out of the way.

[Equi-Trax]

Good Afternoon, for years I was wearing work boots and as has been stated one time I had a horse step on my toes and press the steel down into my foot, Since then I wear running shoes with orthotics. I figure what the heck I may as well be comfortable when I am working.

[Red Amor]

jus makes me wanna vomit when it happens
I guess its cause of the breath holding and the emence effert not to swear ya :)

[Greg Thomas]

If God wanted you to wear shoes then you would have come out with Redwings on. I like the natural, barefooted/bare assed method-BBAM for short. I have not tried it yet but I am trying to get my printer to print a nice diploma so I can start a school for it.

Greg

[Farrier11x]

I've had both feet broken, steel toes or no steel toes. I now wear tarsal protectors with steel toed boots and knee protectors since I've had my knee cap dislocated by a rescue horse who spooked while I was working underneath him (no idea what spooked him). I was ready to give up shoeing 7 years ago when my right foot was broken if I could not find something to protect my feet (I had my left foot broken 10 years ago by a recycled thorobred off the track). I'll start my 27th year as a farrier in the fall and hope to have quite a few more years left in this profession. I also wear fingerless gloves which really save wear and tear on my knuckles and palms.

[Dances with Hooves]

I am sold on the steel workers boots with the metatarsal protective plate. I just got a new pair that look like ropers and have metatarsal protection. Nice as I prefer the slip on roper style to lace up boots. I've had draft horses stomp on my foot and and not injure my foot. This one belgian mare a few years ago would not move her foot despite the efforts of the owner and my beating the horse with my rasp and yelling. I dont hit horses but this was an assault and I was just defending myself. Got the steelworker boots after that little episode.

Link to boots: http://www.bootbarn.com/itemsearchview/view/view/view/view/4364/last_updated/detail:metatarsal!!!limit:6

George