Foot and Shoeing Flashcards
In general, how frequently should a horse be shod?
Every 4-6 weeks, but it depends on the horse’s foot growth, condition of its feet and the work they do, as they can go 6-8 weeks max.
How does the type of horse’s feet impact when they need to be shod?
A horse with brittle feet may need to be shod at 5 weeks, but a hard foot will go 6 weeks.
What problems can happen when a shoe is left on too long?
- Shoes left on too long are likely to put pressure on the seat of corn, and cause bruising or lameness.
- The angle of the foot will also change and put unnecessary stress on other parts of the horse’s limbs.
What are the 8 main reasons for shoeing?
1) Grip
2) For protection of the feet
3) To keep the feet in healthy condition
4) To help reduce concussion
5) For medical reasons
6) To protect against bad weather
7) To improve feet in poor condition
8) To improve defects in confirmation or action
What are signs that a horse needs shoeing?
- The clenches are raised
- The shoe is loose
- The shoe is cast
- The shoe is sprung (held on by one or two nails)
- The shoe has worn thin
- The foot has grown too long
- Problems such as nail bind or prick (where the nail has gone into a sensitive area)
- For medical reasons that need remedial shoeing
What is a buffer?
A tool used to raise the clenches before removing the shoe.
What is a driving hammer?
A tool used with the buffer to raise the clenches, and to drive the nails into the foot securing the shoe.
What are pincers?
A tool used to remove the old shoe.
What are hoof cutters?
A tool used to trim the foot, similar to the pincers, except one blade is thin and sharper, the other is thick and flat.
What is a rasp?
A tool used to level the surface of the foot, and to finish off the foot and shoe.
What is a drawing knife?
A tool used to trim the horn, frog and sole. It is also used to make an indentation for the toe clips.
What is an anvil?
A large piece of metal on which the shoes are hammered into shape.
What is a tripod?
A three legged stand used for placing the hoof on when rasping and finishing off.
What is a nail clencher/clenching tongs?
A tool used to flatten the clenches against the hoof wall, and at the same time tightening them to keep the shoe in place.
What is a pritchel?
Used for carrying hot shoes.
Describe the process of hot shoeing.
1) Raise the clenches using the buffer and driving hammer.
2) Remove the shoe using pincers.
3) Put the new shoe in the forge.
4) Trim excess growth using hoof cutters.
5) Trim horn, frog and sole using the drawing knife, and make an indent for the quarter and toe clips.
6) Rasp the foot level
7) Shape the hot shoe as necessary
8) Check the fit by burning into the hoof.
9) Cool down hot shoe in a bucket of water.
10) Nail the shoe on and cut off the excess nail.
11) Clench the nail ends
12) Finish off the foot.
What are the steps to remove a horse’s shoe?
1) The foreleg is is held between the farrier’s knees, the hind leg is rested across the farrier’s thighs by bringing the leg up and forward over the thigh. The hind leg is not held between the knees in case the horse kicks.
2) The buffer is used: one end under the clench, and the blunt end is tapped with the hammer to raise the clenches. You can then use the pinchers to cut off the end of the nails.
3) The pinchers are then used to remove the shoe, starting on the outside heel. The farrier grips the shoe, levering towards the inside of the foot, which is then repeated on the other side of the heel, then the quarters, and finally the toe, where the shoe should come off. At all times, the pinchers are levered towards the centre of the foot, never away. The shoe should come off cleanly.
How is the foot prepared for a new shoe?
- Excess sole and frog is trimmed away with a drawing knife.
- Any overgrowth of the wall is removed using the hoof cutter and the drawing knife, depending on how much needs taking off. (The longer the shoe is left, generally more foot needs to come off).
- The rasp is then used to level off the surface of the foot.
- The drawing knife is then used to make a gap in the hoof wall for the toe clip in the front feet and two quarter clips for the back foot.
How is a new shoe shaped to the hoof if the farrier use manufactured shoes?
- Most farriers now use manufactured shoes where the shoe is already ‘fullered’ with nail holes stamped in.
- The shoes come in different sizes, so when the foot is measured, the size shoe can be checked against the foot and put in the forge to make any alterations.
How is a new shoe shaped to the hoof if the farrier makes their own shoes?
- Farriers who make their own shoes have different shoes which vary in weight and type of iron depending on the work the horse does.
- The iron is shaped on the anvil, nail holes are stamped in and clips are ‘drawn’.
What is the advantage of farrier’s making their own shoes?
That they can change where the nail holes are, whereas the ones in manufactured shoes can’t be changed.
How is the new shoe fitted to the horse’s foot?
- It’s done whilst the shoe is still hot, using the pritchel to carry the shoe to the foot. The shoe is held against the surface of the hoof, which will burn slightly. This is to check the fit, see if there is discolouration to the hoof, and will give a clear indication as to where alternations must be made to the shoe.
- The shoe must not be too hot or held against the hoof for too long, as if burnt too long the hoof will disintegrate in time and break away.
- The hot shoe can be hammered into shape and tried on again, and when the farrier is satisfied with the shoe, it is put into a bucket of cold water before put on the foot.
How is the new shoe secured to the foot?
- The amount of nails is traditionally 4 on the outside and 3 on the inside. The farrier will decide on the number of nails and put the first nail in nearer the toe to keep the shoe in place.
- Each nail should emerge from the wall 3-4cm from the lower edge of the hoof. Once the nail is hammered in, the farrier twists the end of the nail off so there is a shorter length left to work with.
How is the new shoe finished off once secured to the foot?
- The sharp point of the nail is smoothed with a rasp, and a small indentation in the hoof is made with the rasp or drawing knife to create a ‘bed’ for the clench.
- The nail protruding from the wall of the hoof is flattened down with the clencher to make a clench.
- The toe clips are then knocked into place with the hammer, and the rasp is used around the junction of the shoe and hoof to make sure there are no gaps and the hoof is flush with the shoe.
- When finished sometimes people trot the horse up to check for lameness, as if the nail is too close to the white line it can cause pressure on it, known as ‘nail bind’.
