Farrier Tales

   To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them - Montesquieu In the past, I frequently attended riding instruction clinics of a very sought after Olympic medal winning rider and trainer who opened every session with the following statement (paraphrasing), "I have been doing this my whole life, 50 plus years. I don't consider myself an expert and if I'm not an expert, than you most certainly are not an expert." That statement always received uncomfortable laughs from the participants, most likely connected to their...

Sporadically, I have had trainers, owners and random onlookers approach me while I'm working on a horse with a remark that the horse's feet (specifically the front) 'sort of look different.' This normally only occurs when I find myself working on horses with extreme examples of mismatched feet, where one foot presents a longer-looking toe with a low or no heel, and the other, a shorter toe with a higher heel. My normal response usually includes a look (of disgust); however, their observations would be (somewhat) correct (on the surface),...

"It's all about soul...Yes, it is." The title and line from Billy Joel's 1993 hit refers to unmeasured essence of our being, and the same may be said also about another kind of sole, the hoof's sole, which is an often-overlooked, under-studied insensitive structure of the hoof that fails to get much attention until there is a problem. The failure to care for the sole's well-being, like its homophone cousin (soul), may have deeper implications and longer-lasting consequences for the soundness of the horse that it is attached to. The...

In Fair Hill, Md., the recent site of a large international equestrian event, several farriers gathered, not necessarily an unusual occurrence where events that involve horses are concerned. However, this day lacked the usual sights and sounds that horse people have become accustomed to when considering farriers: no ringing anvils, no screeching grinders or sounds of clinches being blocked. The assembled farriers did not unpack toolboxes from their rigs or unload any horseshoes; nonetheless, the group descended upon the Fair Hill show grounds only armed with cameras, measuring devices, laptops,...

Farrier Tales continues to pull back the curtain on all things horse, horseshoeing, farrier, and related science, attempting to provide useful information and insight for horse professionals and enthusiasts.  Have you ever wondered why your farrier often seems so grumpy? The headline, a quote from the classic movie Cool Hand Luke, basically sums it up. Over the course of my career, I have cultivated innumerable friendships with a number of colleagues from various backgrounds and nationalities. Despite our broad range of disciplines and skill sets, many of our shared concerns...