shoeing cycle

   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...

I've often wondered about the significance and the origins of what I might label the arbitrary four-week shoeing cycle, and its strict adherence by some owners, trainers and stable managers. I recognize scheduling is simplified when the shoeing occurs the same day every month. However, having now done this job for some time, I have identified many circumstances where horses would benefit with more time in between shoeing and on more than one occasion that has been my recommendation (accepted or not). Unfortunately, there are some non-farrier professionals who fail...