Opinions on these feet please...

[clarabella_78]

I think they're in pretty poor condition. He's had these shoes on for 5 weeks, and the farrier is coming on Tuesday to change them. I'm worried in particular about the big crack in his right fore. Last visit the farrier assured me it's only superficial, but I think it has got worse. He's on farrier's formula and I put cornucrescine on every other day.

Opinions and advice welcome....

[sarah--x]

Is he stabled or in the pasture?

[clarabella_78]

...he's out 24/7...

[sarah--x]

the only thing about horses feet that i know is beware of the frog when picking there feet! butto me they look really dry! is there something you could put on them?

[shandy84]

OMG which farrier are you using! Those feet are not good at all, the shoe has been fitted to flare by the look of it and the whole angle of the feet look wrong. If you're using the same farrier I really would change as that is caused by the farrier.

I personally think the crack has been caused by poor foot balance and shape, please for your horses sake change farrier :)

[Wally]

Shandy once again you take the words out of my mouth!

I am not a diplomad farrier, but am ( through no fault of my own) a reg'd farrier now, and I am apalled at those feet! Even I can do a better job than that!!!!!

the crack can be cured, but someone is going to have to trim up those feet properly to stop it getting worse.

I get the feeling the farrier is just letting the foot go awry and just banging a shoe on willy-nilly without addressing flare and balance.

it's hard to say, but generally, looking at the pictures the horn quality don't look bad at all, the only reason they look bad is the trim and shoeing!

Sorry to slag off your farrier, but I'd be spitting bullets if a farrier left my horse's feet like that.

Oh, and stop the cornusrescene, it 'd awful stuff.

[Wally]

PS, I'd also want far more coverage at the heels, the branches of the shoe are far too short for the hoof.

[shandy84]

Did you end up going on the register as someone allowed to shoe your own then? Daves got to register this month, would you believe I was being nosy in his college books about cracks etc and saw piccies 100% similar to the above and the books explaination - POOR FARRIERY :eek:

[Yann]

There are feet like that at most yards, including ours :( Why o why can't some farriers do the basics properly? No wonder people go barefoot, a job like that isn't going to do the horse any favours in the long run.

[shandy84]

It's bad isn't it there's really no excuse. They all have the same training, yet some get sloppy!:mad:

[clarabella_78]

Thank you folks - I'd like to give my farrier the benfit of the doubt - he's only done his shoes once as I've only had him since June. I think I will get another farrier though, as from what you're saying even these shoes aren't done right.

Any recommendations in/around Northumberland Alnwick area?

[Gill]

I wonder who did those, I would be interested to know, but might guess? They look very long and unbalanced to me.
I have posted on your other thread.

[chunky monkey]

I know absolutely nothing about farrier work, but to me that left fore sole pic looks wrong. The horses balance must be all over the place. The shoes on my horse go far more to the back and stick out slightly. (The more they stick out the more chance there is of them being caught and ripped off), but to me that looks like its half way under the foot. Course it could be the camera shot. But I would say that he could be standing on the toe one minute and back on his bare heels the next. If he is rocking between the two points then he will be lame in no time at all.
If you've only known the horse a few months then its difficult to say whether the crack is the result of poor shoeing or the horse. But if the previous owner was already feeding farriers formula it makes you wonder all the more.

You would be perfectly entitled to get another farrier out for an opinion.

[Wally]

I ended up having to register, £130 a year for sweet Fanny Adams! I don't even get my name on the ruddy website, so if someone sees me shoeing and looks to see if I am registered I am not there so likely to get reported for illegal farriery, whoopi doo!

Anyway, I am certain I could get those feet looking 10% better with one good trim and set of shoes.

[clarabella_78]

Just called Michael Cross, as recommended by Gill. Eek - £48 + VAT + travel. Cripes, I've booked him anyway, in the hope that he can sort poor Wannies messy feet.

[shandy84]

God girl you should be down here it's £70 + VAT for an average set no extras! :eek:

[Wally]

Was the guy who did those feet on the register?

£48 plus VAT and travel sounds about right to me for a good set.

[Roofio]

uhoh... they look like Js did when he first had his problems over a year ago now... as others have said basically theres too much flare (ie. not trimmed back enough) and the farrier is shoeing to the flare - the clenches are on the horizontal nearly, just like Js were. echo the others about support under the heel too - really, the shoe should be set back so theres some sticking out at the back of the heel more like this (the second shoeing after we started to deal with his problems, about a year ago)

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n248/Roofio24/DSC00181.jpg

get a new farrier asap!

if you look at Js feet in this pic, you can see how huge they were - i hadn't started obsessively photographing his feet at this point, but its scary that you can see theyre massive from this pic :o

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n248/Roofio24/DSC00166.jpg

they can be sorted, so don't worry! but just get someone else quick!

[clarabella_78]

Oh well, I'll stop moaning then... Must be the London weighting :p

[clarabella_78]

The farrier who did these shoes is on the register. Might we be judging him harshly, he's only done one set for me so far? Even so, I'm going to try Michael Cross instead...

[shandy84]

It could be a bit harsh, but he should have taken out a lot more flare and shod him a lot better :)

[Roofio]

The farrier who did these shoes is on the register. Might we be judging him harshly, he's only done one set for me so far? Even so, I'm going to try Michael Cross instead...

I kept giving people the benefit of the doubt, a year later i have a horse for whom the only option is to go barefoot and start from scratch. it really is "no foot, no horse".

your horse has cracks in his hooves - cracks like that are only caused by poor balance - which this farrier seems to be doing nothing to address. get a decent farrier and you will see a difference immediately. within 3 weeks of being crippled lame by bad farriery, J was sound and has remained so (apart from lost shoes) ever since.

i'm not trying to scare you or anything, but i would hate to see your poor hoss go the same way as mine. just because you have no problems now, does not mean you wont soon enough.

as others have said his horn quality is good and he will be sorted fairly easily.

good luck! :)

[Wally]

The only reason I shoe is because the only farrier we had access to was crippling horses and doing job not dissimilar to the ones in the pictures, sometimes worse.

I was taught by another farrier and now shoe all my own, I couldn't stand to see my poor horse with feet all over the place. I had absolutely no choice or opportunity to change farriers so, I got on and learned to do the job myself.

[Bebe]

It could be a bit harsh, but he should have taken out a lot more flare and shod him a lot better


I agree. Even 5 weeks after shoeing there should be some evidence that the new farrier has attempted to address the flare, I can see none.

I kept giving people the benefit of the doubt, a year later i have a horse for whom the only option is to go barefoot and start from scratch. it really is "no foot, no horse".

That's exactly what happened to me too. My good, reliable, knowledgeable farrier left and recommended a replacement. The first shoeing the replacement farrier did looked ok, horse came up lame at second one and I knew it was feet but gave the farrier the benefit of the doubt and he shod her again, resulting in a chronically lame horse.

Same for next farrier, who admittedly was better than the previous but wasn't good enough for my mares poor deformed hooves.

Far, far better to prevent problems from the offset. Any new farrier with me would get one shot at getting it right, if they can't impress you on the first try what does that say about their standard of work?

[chunky monkey]

Quick question for Wally maybe.

As I'm just in the process of changing farriers. I have just checked on the register. Can you tell me what the dfference between Parts 1 and 2 is.

The one I was using has parts 1, the new one only has part 2.

Couldn't see the description for this on the site. Only reference to the initials that are put after the name making the difference.

I know the new farrier has been practicing for many years, but is there any reason for me to think that he shouldn't be capable of doing a good job. Got me worried now.

[shandy84]

Parts one and two are allowed to shoe your horse for money, I think it is a level of qualification.

[chunky monkey]

Its okay I just found an explaination. Part 2 seems to say that the farrier was acknowlged as being acceptable when the new farrier register came into being. By virtue of the fact that they had been shoeing for many years.

The one I going with has been shoeing it would seem for 25 years. Although I appreciate that the newly qualifieds are taught differently now, more modern techniques. Well I'll wait and see what he says. He's coming out to me tomorrow.

9 weeks today since he was shod, oh heek. No wonder the hoofs hanging over the shoe. Its a good job he's got reasonable feet, or he would be crippled by now. I hope I don't see the old one any time soon, he might get a peice of my mind.

Sorry didn't mean to steal your thread clarabella.

Roofio is that foot for real. It looks a good 8 inchs long.

[clarabella_78]

:cool:

[Wally]

I am on part 3, I can shoe your horse but cannot charge you money for it!

I don't want to shoe anybody else's, It's hard enough work keeping all my lots feet in good working order.

I have put the odd shoe back on for folk, if the Farrier from south is not coming over for 8 weeks or so. But I don't like doing it.

[Roofio]

Roofio is that foot for real. It looks a good 8 inchs long.

'Fraid so :(

they measure around 15 cm wide and 16cm long now so they are big feet (hes 18.1) but they were certainly far too big when i first met him. i just wish i'd known enough then to start getting things right from the very beginning.

[clarabella_78]

Well, new farrier came this afternoon. He was shocked at the state of his poor feet. He's done a grand job, and is booked to come back in 6 weeks... What do you think of these now?

[Wally]

That's more like the heel coverage I'd go for! and he's started to address the flair!

with a few good set of shoes that crack will go completely.

[Roofio]

as wally has said, he's done a much better job :)