We had a blast at the horse expo this weekend! We had some opportunities to meet many other farriers from around MN, which is always a blessing. As coincidence would have it (or perhaps more than coincidence...) our booth was almost directly across from the MN Farriers Association booth. The folks there were incredible; offering tips and advice for the certification and also offering some choice words of advice from their many years of experience in the field. It is always a pleasure to meet others in this business and be able to swap stories.
We passed out a lot of business cards and coupons this weekend; if you were someone who happened to stop by, we'd like to thank you for your time! There are so many exciting things to see at the expo and we're honored that you chose to spend your precious time with us. As always, feel free to check out our website or give us a call with any questions you may have.
www.completeequine.biz
612-716-3716
Monday, April 27, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Cow feet and essential oils
Today I trimmed a cow. It was certainly interesting. She was a very nice cow, which was a huge plus since I prefer to be on the other side of the fence when it comes to these animals. She was also pretty small--another plus. Their hooves look pretty similar to horses, with a few big exceptions; namely, they are cloven. And they don't really have a "frog" per say, from what I could tell. This is definitely not something I see a future career, but it was certainly a fun twist to my day.
I also got to play around with some essential oils. I've been hearing a lot about them lately from random people and whenever that happens to me it is usually something I need to hear. So, I decided to give this whole thing a try. When people I respect and trust get THIS excited about a product, it has to be good. We tried them today on a white line disease case, and I'm excited to try them on the foundered mare I did yesterday. The nice thing about it is, they really cannot hurt. They can only do good.
I also got to play around with some essential oils. I've been hearing a lot about them lately from random people and whenever that happens to me it is usually something I need to hear. So, I decided to give this whole thing a try. When people I respect and trust get THIS excited about a product, it has to be good. We tried them today on a white line disease case, and I'm excited to try them on the foundered mare I did yesterday. The nice thing about it is, they really cannot hurt. They can only do good.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Getting to know my forge better every day
I made a couple more shoes today... attempted a couple bar shoes. They shaped up nice and it was a lot easier than I thought, until I got to the welding part. I don't remember it being that hard, but I could not get them to stick today. Humpf. I was too tired and crabby to keep at it tonight, but maybe tomorrow... I'm trying not to be too nervous about this certification test, but it sure is a lot of work.
I worked with a foundered mare again today--it was her third reset of shoes after the founder. She has the most pronounced founder ring I've ever seen and quite a bit of damage to several areas of the hoof capsule. It makes me sad to see hooves like these that were once so healthy. I am hoping and praying that with time and careful hoof care they will return to that healthy state!
I worked with a foundered mare again today--it was her third reset of shoes after the founder. She has the most pronounced founder ring I've ever seen and quite a bit of damage to several areas of the hoof capsule. It makes me sad to see hooves like these that were once so healthy. I am hoping and praying that with time and careful hoof care they will return to that healthy state!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Shoe Making Surprise and Comments on Nail Placement
I made a pair of shoes today... first time in a while! They actually turned out okay, and I was surprised that it only took me about 45 minutes to finish them. I was expecting it to take longer, since I was making shoes in school at about the same rate; and that was over 4 years ago! Of course, those shoes had were fullered and these were not. But still, it could have been worse!
I read an interesting article the other day about nail placement. The author had completed a study on the difference between shoes with nails placed in front of the "ROE" and shoes with nails placed behind the "ROE". ROE was defined as a vertical line extended from the coronet band to the ground surface, when viewing the hoof from the side. Of course, all nails were still placed in front of the widest point of the hoof, as is standard. In this study, there was a marked difference between the two groups. Enough of a difference, in fact, that the study was cut short due to the damages being cause by placing nails in front of the ROE. The author noticed things like: damaged lamina, infected nail holes, weakened hoof wall, and the progression of the hoof capsule towards a long-toe low-heel conformation. It was very interesting to me as I have a client whose horse I generally shoe with a shorter toe. Last fall, I fit the shoe a little fuller toward to the toe and along with that came the movement of the nails farther forward. Looking back on it now, I believe that the toe nails were probably in front of the ROE. The client and I noticed upon resetting the shoes that there were changes in his hooves; specifically, the changes that I listed above. This is something that I find fascinating and will continue to play with this theory and pay closer attention to the placement of the toe nails from now on!
I read an interesting article the other day about nail placement. The author had completed a study on the difference between shoes with nails placed in front of the "ROE" and shoes with nails placed behind the "ROE". ROE was defined as a vertical line extended from the coronet band to the ground surface, when viewing the hoof from the side. Of course, all nails were still placed in front of the widest point of the hoof, as is standard. In this study, there was a marked difference between the two groups. Enough of a difference, in fact, that the study was cut short due to the damages being cause by placing nails in front of the ROE. The author noticed things like: damaged lamina, infected nail holes, weakened hoof wall, and the progression of the hoof capsule towards a long-toe low-heel conformation. It was very interesting to me as I have a client whose horse I generally shoe with a shorter toe. Last fall, I fit the shoe a little fuller toward to the toe and along with that came the movement of the nails farther forward. Looking back on it now, I believe that the toe nails were probably in front of the ROE. The client and I noticed upon resetting the shoes that there were changes in his hooves; specifically, the changes that I listed above. This is something that I find fascinating and will continue to play with this theory and pay closer attention to the placement of the toe nails from now on!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
We had a close call this weekend. Friday we did a few draft horses, and normally these particular horses are trimmed in stocks (large stantion to help hold the horse). Well, one of the mares was very frightened and tipped over the stock at one point. Thankfully she was not in it at the time, just tied to it. No one was hurt, the only real injury was some hair scraped off the mares cheek. It could have been sooo much worse.
No super interesting pathologies for me to write about today... it was a pretty normal day. Got to see some old friends, which is always fun. I did get to look at a few radiographs of a clients horse. They are not digital and I don't have copies, so unfortauntely I cannot post them, sorry. They were relatively normal, however; a horse that had Potomac fever and subsequently foundered, her coffin bones were not rotated outside of normal limits (1-2 degrees) and the M/L balance was not as compromised as I had anticipated. Good news all around!
As a side note: I'm contemplating taking a test for the "Certified Tradesman Farrier" certification with the AFA. I think I am finally at a point where I am comfortable in my skills and quite possibly confident enough to actually do this... we'll see. Sometimes I think my gender holds me back more than I'd like to admit; walking into a room full of good-ole boys and trying to fit in enough to take a certification test sounds a bit daunting. Maybe if I show up in wranglers and paint on a mustache... ?
No super interesting pathologies for me to write about today... it was a pretty normal day. Got to see some old friends, which is always fun. I did get to look at a few radiographs of a clients horse. They are not digital and I don't have copies, so unfortauntely I cannot post them, sorry. They were relatively normal, however; a horse that had Potomac fever and subsequently foundered, her coffin bones were not rotated outside of normal limits (1-2 degrees) and the M/L balance was not as compromised as I had anticipated. Good news all around!
As a side note: I'm contemplating taking a test for the "Certified Tradesman Farrier" certification with the AFA. I think I am finally at a point where I am comfortable in my skills and quite possibly confident enough to actually do this... we'll see. Sometimes I think my gender holds me back more than I'd like to admit; walking into a room full of good-ole boys and trying to fit in enough to take a certification test sounds a bit daunting. Maybe if I show up in wranglers and paint on a mustache... ?
Monday, April 6, 2009
First attempt at this!
Hi there--this is Julie. I've never blogged before, but was recently inspired and thought I would give it a try. This could be fun...
I guess the most exciting thing going on with Complete Equine lately has been the addition of Jacob--our newest farrier. He's a hard worker, and a wonderful horseman. I hope you have the pleasure of meeting him soon!
HORSE EXPO:
Jacob and I are going to have a booth at the MN Horse Expo from April 24-26th. We will have hoof models and tons of pictures and diagrams, so please come check us out if you have questions about hooves; or just want to be more informed about hoof care and the structure of a hoof. And if you're new to Complete Equine or searching for a farrier, we'd love to meet you!
I guess the most exciting thing going on with Complete Equine lately has been the addition of Jacob--our newest farrier. He's a hard worker, and a wonderful horseman. I hope you have the pleasure of meeting him soon!
HORSE EXPO:
Jacob and I are going to have a booth at the MN Horse Expo from April 24-26th. We will have hoof models and tons of pictures and diagrams, so please come check us out if you have questions about hooves; or just want to be more informed about hoof care and the structure of a hoof. And if you're new to Complete Equine or searching for a farrier, we'd love to meet you!
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