Another Visit by the WGF

That's Jaime Osbrink, World's Greatest Farrier ...

This visit was a bit special because we had all sorts of issues to address. Jaime's been doing my horses for a long time. I don't need to be there as they are always very well behaved. Jaime knows what to do, and he certainly doesn't need me telling him how to shoe my horses. That's his area of expertise, not mine.

Jaime custom makes all of his shoes.

The last time he was out however, Speedy had an absolute meltdown. We think we know why (not having Sydney there combined with a very noisy gardener), but the end result was that Jaime got hurt and Speedy was a few nails shy of a complete shoe job. I've spent the last six weeks working with Speedy by hammering his feet daily and plying him with treats for being such a good boy; he'll do anything for treats.

He cuts each shoe to length from bar stock and then shapes it for each particular horse.

Fortunately, Speedy feels that his world has been righted, and to show us his appreciation, he was a very good boy. To make things go easier for a return to good-boy-land, Jaime did Speedy's front feet, put him away, did Izzy's feet, and then finished up with Speedy's hinds. We both took a sigh of relief when Speedy dozed through the application of his hind shoes.

Waiting expectantly for his treats.

When I told Jaime that Speedy was again lame on the right front, and I felt it was from the twisting and twirling that he does in his paddock, Jaime decided to shelve the shoes he had already prepared and opted to make new ones. Instead of shoes with a groove down the middle, he thought it might help Speedy to have a flat shoe which offers less traction and friction. So as he paces and spins, his feet should slide a little and not "grab" at the dirt which causes torque on the collateral ligament (we hope).

Speedy's custom flat shoe

It took Jaime about fifteen minutes to make the shoes. Since there is no groove down the center, they should slide a bit more as he spins and paces which might be easier on the collateral ligament. If it doesn't help, it won't hurt, so it's a good experiment.

Speedy's new front shoes, hinds are standard issue.

Izzy's feet also needed a custom shoe. Since he's lived barefoot on irrigated pasture his whole life, he had some pretty good flares going. As the foot got wider and wider, a crack developed down the center. Izzy had one set of shoes when he was first started as a four year old, and his second set came while he was with "the trainer" up north.

Wide flares, crack down the center.

I don't know all of the details, but I was told that Izzy proved to be quite a handful for the farrier and ended up needing to be tranquilized. I've spent the last six weeks working on Izzy's shoeing behavior. When he first arrived, he didn't pick up his feet when asked, and when he did, he was quite heavy and prone to jerking them back whenever he felt like it. All of that is pretty standard for colts who haven't had their feet messed with regularly.

Izzy isn't a baby anymore, and I expect my horses to stand quietly for the farrier, so I spent a lot of time teaching him to hold up his own feet. I also placed them on a mounting block to simulate the farrier's stand, and each day I used my hammer to whack Izzy's feet and then held them between my knees like the farrier does.

My vet prescribed a tube of Dormosedan Gel in case we needed it, but Izzy was nearly perfect. By the time Jaime got to the second foot, Izzy was definitely getting bored, but he expressed his boredom by flinging his cross ties and trying to nibble anything within six feet. 

Jaime said he was really light and easy to handle.

While "the trainer's" farrier did get shoes on him, he did not address the pancakes that were Izzy's feet. I suppose that was better than cramming them into shoes that were too small, but still. Jaime's plan is to "squish" (poor word choice, but I can't think of another) Izzy's feet back together which will take the pressure off the crack down the center. He has plenty of heel, he just has way too much width which is putting pressure on the toe, acting as a wedge.

Pancakes that have been allowed to get wider and wider.

The new shoes, a respectable size three, will support the outer wall which will prevent the sides from splaying out. This will stop the wedge-like effect that was forcing the crack to widen down the front of the hoof. The pressure will come off, which will allow the crack to stop forming. I could be wrong about this, but I believe the cut-out at the toe allows the sole to sink towards the ground which the has the effect of closing the crack at the top.

Notice how wide the bar stock is for these shoes; it's nearly twice as wide as the store bought shoes from above. I also really appreciate how Jaime sculpted the ends of the shoes to avoid the heel bulbs which gives them room to expand.

This is a gorgeous shoe!

I've pointed this out many times, but it's nice to give myself a reminder: I have an awesome team supporting my riding goals. My farrier, along with my chiropractor, works hard to keep my horses sound and moving well; my vet provides treatment protocols that are effective and based on current knowledge; my trainers believe in my horses and support my goals; and even my saddle fitter keeps us all comfortable and able to work hard. And I definitely couldn't make this crazy equestrian life work without a supportive husband and a slew of good riding friends (you know who you are!).

Thanks to all of you for keeping Speedy, Izzy, and me on the right track!