WHEN TO CALL THE FARRIER by Scott French, French Forge Farrier Service
minutes to realign the angles, limbs and skeletal system. I have been a USPC supporter since 1999, and have That’s why some horses are a little off after their feet been the show farrier for the MidSouth Region Pony are trimmed or shod. Club Mega Rallies and Open Horse Trail (OHT) since Sometimes you have no choice but to see the Show 2001. My daughter Ashleigh is a graduate C1, and my farrier, but with good prep and planning you can wife Denise was the DC of Flying Changes Pony Club minimize that need. in southern Indiana for several years. Our club believed that the Horse Management taught by USPC creates a Scheduling your farrier visit great foundation for good horsemanship. The number one thing I hear every year in the farrier In the early years I was surprised at the lack of shop is “I called my guy and he wouldn’t show up.” preparation that riders were making to attend the biggest That isn’t always accurate. Farriers are very busy show of the season by bringing horses with feet that during show and trail riding season and if you call were way overdue for maintenance and expecting them your farrier on Monday night and explain to them that to perform well and stay sound. Or worse yet, expect your horse needs its feet done but that you are leaving the onsite farrier who has never seen their critter and on Wednesday morning, they are not going to be able is unaware of its history, to remove months of growth to get there. All the farriers that I know try to provide two hours before the dressage test or jumping round. good service, but we can only do so much.
Introduction
The onsite farrier is there for emergencies only: lost shoes, lameness, studs, etc. The basic principles and mechanics of horseshoeing are the same for all farriers, but each of us has our own style, and have developed our own “eye” (the way we see feet) over the years we have been working. Equine feet don’t just grow long, they change angles as they grow, which affects the horse’s stance and the way it travels. Have you ever gotten a new pair of boots and after you start wearing them your legs and back start hurting? Your old boots wore down gradually as you walked in them. You might be used to flat heels and your new boots may have a higher heel with no wear at all so as you wear them, they are realigning your skeleton, tendons and ligaments. It is the same for your horse. It has taken your horse weeks to get its angles where they are and it will only take the farrier
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DISCOVER USPC
Summer 2021
Your horse is going to the big show so two or three weeks into their new shoes is optimum. The way to ensure that your critter is prepared for competition is to first find the date for rally then schedule your farrier 12 to 21 days prior to that date. For instance, if you move in on June 22, you need to have your horse shod during the first or second week of June. Then start counting forward every six weeks from that date. Now your critter is scheduled for the whole season at the ideal intervals. Your farrier will be happy to work their schedule around your show calendar. The other reason for the two-to-three-week timeline is a bad nail. There is a very narrow spot in the hoof called the white line where we have to place our nails. If we are too close to the outside of the hoof, the shoe can be pulled off easily. If we are inside the white line, we may have what is known as a “close nail, “hot nail”