What can you tell me about these hooves?

[Ronald Aalders]

The customer is always right. Steel shoes it is. No messing with angles it is. Be sure to confirm this in your bill and keep a copy. No big deal. Shoe the horse take the money and in time you'll pick up a thing or two allowing you to state your case a little better. Don't try to pick up 20 years of experience in just 2. Give it time and keep studying. You'll get there soon enough.



Ronald Aalders

[Horseaholic]

Hrmm... I'm slightly confused. I am the customer.

Well, the feet are pretty darned scary looking so I'd start doing something, and not settle for someone else at the barn telling you what to do with your own horses' feet. You have to be your own horses' advocate. That's a lesson I've learned the hard way.

And that's ridiculous to say that the horse's muscles are used to the feet the way they are, so just leave them. That's terrible advice, in my opinion. Muscle tissue is highly dynamic and is capable of quite significant change. Muscles develop, atrophy, and change constantly. If this weren't possible then there would be no point to chiropractic, massage therapies, weight lifting, exercising, etc.

[blinddogfarrier]

Horseaholic, these feet are not scary looking...find a competent farrier and put him to work, don't play musical farriers, don't switch to someone else because so and so said he /she is better...this horse needs CONSISTENT quality hoofcare, all will be fine...Best of luck!

I didn't say the feet can't be fixed, but my opinion is that the way they sit right there - that's scary. Short shod, underrun, collapsed, tons of unaddressed flare. Fix it, or what looks bad now could become lameness.

[Ronald Aalders]

Originally Posted by Horseaholic

Hrmm... I'm slightly confused. I am the customer.

That is the general effect I have on horse owners

I took off a little too fast as usual. I took the use of "she says" in your post for a customer trying to point out to an inexperienced shoer how a horse should be trimmed by someone that that same customers pays for his or her expertise. Really it happens. Am experienced shoer would have either not listened of would have dumped such a customer, that's why I thought it was a new shoer in a jam.

Since we sorted out what this is about, wouldn't it be a good idea to find yourself a good shoer, quit listening to all those know it all people in that barn and live happily ever after?

In every barn in the world people will yap about somebody else his horse. Being new to the horse business you may not as of yet have noticed that those very same people usually have a horse that it lame at the very same time they try to tell you how to prevent lameness in your horse.


Ronald Aalders

[seminolewind]

All you have to do is make a list of the suggestions for each hoof from the wonderful farriers here. You know, what they would do on each hoof. Then get a farrier, and ask him for his game plan. See if his plan matches the one you put together. If so, he may be on the right wavelength.

Also, with the angles, muscles, etc. You can take the changes slowly and give him time to adjust if you think, or maybe he'll feel great relief with any adjustment even if it's a bit quicker.

Originally Posted by Siminolewind

All you have to do is make a list of the suggestions for each hoof from the wonderful farriers here. You know, what they would do on each hoof. Then get a farrier, and ask him for his game plan. See if his plan matches the one you put together. If so, he may be on the right wavelength.

Pleasssssseeeee, log into the real world. A competent farrier won't need to be spoon fed by any client, advised by the hierarchy on here or else where. He'll know what to do, while giving him a list you're suggesting will only tell him that you don't respect or trust him, even though you don't know him.
John

[Southerngurl]

Originally Posted by John Emsley

Pleasssssseeeee, log into the real world. A competent farrier won't need to be spoon fed by any client, advised by the hierarchy on here or else where. He'll know what to do, while giving him a list you're suggesting will only tell him that you don't respect or trust him, even though you don't know him.
John

Actually she didn't say to tell the farrier what to do, but rather to compare the farrier's ideas to those she gets here.

[Ray_Knightley]

Originally Posted by Horseaholic

Okay, so I have been speaking with a farrier and his remarks were the following: (along and with a pretty high quote for this work. )

Looking at the list ...that farrier seems to have seen what is going on.
You do get what you pay for in this world ...seems he has looked and also has a plan...try him..
As for what others say in the barn ...let them talk ...and let your farrier prove them wrong only that way they can learn.