Walking horses

[Mad as a ferret]

Whats your views on some of the practices the Tenessee walking horse trainers use on their horses feet?

[Tim Hutton]

It's nowhere near as bad as it use to be...

[Mad as a ferret]

So what are farriers doing to make life better for them? if anything? or is it a case of the man who pays the bills calls the tune?

I just don't see how a farrier can justify this kind of practice.

http://www.walkinonranch.com/1000Words.html

[Mike Ferrara]

Originally Posted by Mad as a ferret

So what are farriers doing to make life better for them? if anything? or is it a case of the man who pays the bills calls the tune?

I just don't see how a farrier can justify this kind of practice.

http://www.walkinonranch.com/1000Words.html

I think there is something missing from the story. I don't currently shoe any TWH but I shoe other long footed horses. Sometimes a horse will lose a shoe and some foot with it. The foot that breaks lose is dead and weak and I've never seen or even heard of it resulting in injury. You just have to start over with a short foot.

Additionally, I am not aware of any data that demonstrates a higher incidence of work related injury in these breeds and disciplines than in any other. In fact, I think there are more injuries in speed and jumping horses.

Since you presented a question that appears based on an assumption without presenting any data to support that assumption, I'll answer the question with a question. Why should we have to justify it?

[Joey Aczon]

Mike, I think that there is a huge difference in the saddlebred packages that you work with and the "padded horse" packages. These horses really are freaks, and when they throw one of these packages it's usually really ugly.

I personally don't think that there is any justification for it and I refuse to do it. I won't shoe a horse for any class that they can use a chain, these horses are too often sored, and if they get busted by the DQP for soreing the owner, trainer, rider, and farrier can all be held liable depending on the situation. Alot of the horses in a TWH show ring are sored anyhow, and I'm very peticular about the types that I will work for.

[Mike Ferrara]

Originally Posted by Joey Aczon

Mike, I think that there is a huge difference in the saddlebred packages that you work with and the "padded horse" packages. These horses really are freaks, and when they throw one of these packages it's usually really ugly.
I personally don't think that there is any justification for it and I refuse to do it. I won't shoe a horse for any class that they can use a chain, these horses are too often sored, and if they get busted by the DQP for soreing the owner, trainer, rider, and farrier can all be held liable depending on the situation. Alot of the horses in a TWH show ring are sored anyhow, and I'm very peticular about the types that I will work for.

Soring is another matter and I've never worked on horses that were sored.

[Joey Aczon]

Originally Posted by Mike Ferrara

Soring is another matter and I've never worked on horses that were sored.

My point wasn't the soring, it just kind of went off on a tangent.

I don't work with sored horses either, but my tounge got thin when I was apprenticing at a trainers barn though.

[Gary Hill]

Right now in our sandpile, flat shod TWH's are the trailriders dreams. Of any breed out there the TWH's are selling 5 to 1 compared to the others. More folks just like to trail ride and get out of the show ring I guess? With diesel fuel going through the roof I don't know how people can just go ride for ribbons anymore? USDA regulations are getting stricter and I suppose that is a good thing. The AR people are hungry to jump on everyone that owns animals anymore and horsemen don't need to add fuel to the fire. The interesting thing about shoeing them to me is when you get a really pacy horse to square up, with alot of help from the rider learning how to actually ride , makes it enjoyable.

[Mad as a ferret]

This goes against everything one is taught about balancing a foot.

[Tom Stovall, CJF]

Mad as a ferret in gray.

This goes against everything one is taught about balancing a foot.

A foot (more properly, a lever) doesn't have to be short to be balanced.

The lever, both the foot and package, on a big lick horse must be in dynamic balance or the horse won't be able to gait without interfering. Whatever one's opinion of the TWH farriery, from a technical standpoint, Archimedes rules with an iron hand, aided by leather, plastic and bands.

I abhor soring and pressure shoeing and I think any TWH big lick class is a visual obscenity - but there's no evidence that suggests the incidence in hoof-related pathologies is any greater in built up horses than any other class of horses.

[Mike Ferrara]

Originally Posted by Mad as a ferret

This goes against everything one is taught about balancing a foot.

What is "one" taught, who is teaching it and how does this go against it?

[holden_cj]

I shoe a couple of heses guys and when done right there is no problem we match the package angle to the foot and make sure we dont get to far out of the way and most trainers and owners are pulling packages and giving the horse some time off between packages. Also this is a practice that has been going on for years and like posted earlier it is alot better then it use to be. Plus there was probably more going on then just the shoeing a foot doesnt just come off plus by the look of that package it was on for a while.

[Jaye Perry]

Tom Stovall, CJF;....I abhor soring and pressure shoeing and I think any TWH big lick class is a visual obscenity - but there's no evidence that suggests the incidence in hoof-related pathologies is any greater in built up horses than any other class of horses.

Should have seen it when they used the shoe filled with the wrong type of Mercury

[Dances with Hooves]

Its not the shoes and pads thats the problem. Its the trainer strapping a ferret to the girth right before the horse enters the ring. Really gets the horse animated for the class. The kid riding just needs to look pretty (and hang on) and shes gonna be in the ribbons.

BUT............... its been known to scar the ferret. The ferret is never the same and PETF (people for the ethical treatment of ferrets) is now honing in on this issue. Like the OP I too am very mad about the whole ferret thing in the TWH classes.