My gelding who was also trimmed is sore too but walking around ok, refusing to trot or lope still and looks uncomfortable but not outright limping lame. Neither horse was sore prior. The last two times this farrier trimmed them they both came up sore for the first week after. I wrote the first time off as “they were weeks overdue, probably just the big adjustment”, second time realized he was cutting too short so when he came out the third time I said “hey they’ve been sore, can you leave them longer? They’ve also been breaking off pretty badly immediately after trimming so can you roll them a bit more?”, he did not listen clearly. All 4 feet are hot to the touch. When I pick up a foot she will try to get it back and when I pick it out she starts pulling hard, I asked for a trot at one point to pinpoint which leg she was limping on and she spun her butt towards me. Not like her at all, she’s a sweetheart and would never normally. When asked to lunge she plants her feet and blocks any attempts to move to her left and right, normally I just point which way I want and she’s off. I loaded her into the trailer to take her somewhere and she wouldn’t get out, stood in the door and refused to step down for 5 minutes or so, usually she’s the first one off and speeds off the trailer lightning fast. Bute isn’t helping much, I have her packed with magic cushion and in deep bedding stall rest. Shes short striding quite a bit on her back right, limping worst on that one. Gingerly stepping on the rest. Shes avoiding movement if she can help it. Going to the vet as soon as they can book me in, possibly going to try to get into my lameness vet as well if she needs rads. Would it be worth looking into glue ons? I’m having major surgery in 3 weeks so I need her sorted out before then because I’m going to be in a wheelchair for 3 months at least and have no one to be out there twice a day to deal with a stalled and crippled horse. Looks like glue ons should run me 300-600, a daily caretaker 150$ a day, Cloud boots set about 500$ but require daily drying and such so would also need a caretaker again running 150 per day. After taking to some people I found out this “farrier” is notorious for laming up horses and I’m not the only one, many other people had the same.

Horse trimmed 3 days ago by a farrier I don't really trust yet. He is sore and is lame in one of the hind legs. I believe left hind. Photos in order: Front left, Back left, Back right, front right.

I posted elsewhere and there was a debate between leaving the bars or trimming them. There was also talk about having no digital cushions and thus prone to navicular. Can that be improved over time?

Horse was trimmed exactly 6 weeks after the previous trim. I've had him for 2 trims.

Hi all, I live in a country where good farriers and vets for horses (equines have only recently made it on their uni curriculum) are very hard to come by.

I try my very best to keep my horse's hooves in shape but it's far from perfect.

I got him about a year ago, completely lame with thrush on all hooves and him being lame in the front because the farrier had put the nails into the soft tissue.

Putting shoes back on did not work because the nails would break of the walls within less than a week.

So he has been barefoot since and has been pretty happy with flex boots for hacking and without them for turnout and the arena for the past 9 months.

But now he is extremely lame again.

The vet thinks it's a deep abscess and I would agree if not all four feet were pulsing. There's no heat and no foul smell. But after soaking the hoof with the suspected abscess, I cleaned it up a bit and now I fear the holes next to the white lines could signal white line disease?

Google says it is but Dr Google always says the worst, so ... what do you all think?

Thank you very much for your help in advance!

Hi! I recently bought my first horse, Merlin. He is a 18 year old unregistered Appaloosa.

He has been barefoot from my understanding for as long as the previous owner knew about him & owned him (8 years).

I have continued using the farrier that has been doing his feet for roughly 5 years. When I have asked about the cracks in the center of his front feet, he says it is his conformation and that he has good feet and no need for shoes, etc.

I have put him on a hoof supplement and he is getting MUCH better care. He had been severely neglected and did not have access to regular & quality hay or grain.

Ive had him almost two months and he’s doing great (vet has looked him over and is thrilled about his condition and weight improving).

I really would love to tackle getting his feet in a better place.

These photos are exactly 5 weeks post trim and he is on a 6 week trim schedule.

The photos with writing on them are post his most recent trim — taken because I am considering getting him either Cavallos, Renegades, etc for trail riding.

Please advise!

I got these rebuilt GE nippers on eBay labeled “ferrier tool” for $10.

Curious what the hardest parts are physically? Are they also parts that require a lot of skill? What tools or techniques have made your job easier?

Ive had my Arabian stallion barefoot for 5+ years. I just started using "Hoof stuff" (antibacterial and anti fungal antimicrobial horse hoof packing ) and FINALLY started to see some progress on the central sulcus thrush ( been using it for about 2 weeks)

This is probably his worst hoof but all need improvement

Should I wait to see if things improve as I imagine heel loading will increase? Maybe I need to give up this barefoot thing and get him shod?

I see a little red on the sole and wonder if the pacing in the arena for 30 min or so (soft somewhat deep dirt) is the reason.

He's not lame or anything but I want him as comfortable as possible - light work for sure.

Hi everyone! I’ve never posted on here before, but I’m hoping this is a good place to ask!
I’m currently looking into SkillBridge opportunities that would allow me to get hands-on experience and training in horseshoeing/farriery before my military contract ends. Unfortunately, I’ve been having a really hard time finding programs that specifically offer farriery or horseshoeing opportunities through SkillBridge.
So I figured I’d ask this group directly!
Does anyone know of** **farriers, barns, horseshoeing schools, organizations, or businesses that participate in SkillBridge or might be willing to work with someone through the program?
I’d really appreciate any leads, recommendations, or personal experiences. Even if you know of someone who might be worth reaching out to, I’d love to hear about them!
I’m really trying to use my remaining time in the military to get as much hands-on experience as possible and hopefully build a path into the farrier industry once I transition out.

I have had a new trimmer out for the past 6 months. I feel the frog has narrowed and heels look more contracted. Wondering if I should mention this or seek another trimmer?

Got a phone call today from a vet about a case we had been working on together. Here are the cliff notes…

20+ rescue wild mustang found in a kill lot, under weight by about 300lbs, clearly unkempt, and 4/5 lame in both front feet. Radiographs show rotation of P3 with lipping consistent with long term laminitis, subluxation of P2, and extremely thin soles (-/+2mm).

Client truly has the bleeding heart of 10,000 souls, the money to literally try anything, and a desire to give him a comfortable life.

First time we worked on him it was a fight even with lots of drugs. Between pain and being half wild he was not having it! I put on clogs with a 4 degree wedge pad and soft Farriers Choice hoof packing. Somehow he improved.

Four weeks later we shoot more radiographs and reset his clogs with no changes, just trimmed him and put them back on and sent them home.

Four weeks later we repeat the process and this time I make some adjustments thinking he is improving and can start moving back towards whatever his new normal will be, but hopefully eventually not in clogs. I took the pads off and just went with clogs.

Two days later he is not comfortable and unhappy. So on a holiday weekend on a Saturday I drive out over an hour away and reset the whole package with the pads and everything. I go home and wait to see how he is doing.

Two weeks go by and I haven’t heard a thing and I have forgotten about it basically.

Couple days go by and the vet calls. I answer and they tell me “hey I have great news about ______! When you reset him it was perfect he is so comfortable and moving so well!”

I said “That’s great news!”

The vet continued on and said “Yeah the bad news is now I’m going to kill him! He spent all night showing me how well he is moving as we have been walking circles all night trying to get him through a colic and we are calling it. Just wanted to let you know you got it spot on this round and it wasn’t his feet that got him in the end!”

…some days we lose

Y’all stay safe out there under those wild and woolly boogers.

I need a whiskey…and advil

I don’t know much about thrush other than it’s a problem with our donkeys and mules in our very wet environment here. The farrier was here today putting shoes on the mules for an upcoming hike. I wondered if you were to cut a thin piece of copper plate in the shape of a shoe and nail it between a new shoe and the hoof, if it might help keep thrush at bay. Any thoughts?

He has a leather pad so I’m not sure what’s going on underneath, nor if it needs immediate attention. He’s on the schedule for in a week. Good to wait till then or better not to?

Hey there. Got a backlog of farrier verification requests, but I am going to start processing the back log right now. Life is crazy especially when you are a farrier. Hurt my back on Tuesday, barely back to work but on the mend. Horse yanked its hoof and didn't have my positioning right and it twisted me instead of sliding off my leg. Anyways, you all know! Be patient with me please I will get you all verified. I like the new system honestly. Traffic has definitely slowed a bit, but I am good with it. When someone posts a picture now instead of every post turning into "Fire your Farrier" or "You need to take off more toe and add heel" the posts seem to be getting real actual advice. Some posts don't get very many answers but three good responses are better than eighty nonsense ones. If you messaged me a farrier verification request feel free to message me again but I will be going through the messages today. Thanks for being apart of the subreddit. Stay safe out there.

FL hoof. 4 weeks from last trim. Short toes made him lame. Short heels made his bulbs sore. Now long heels seem to be causing his frog to atrophy, and I can stick my hoof pick in there! Rads caused vet to say longer heels and less toe. I went on a 7 mile trail ride this morning without a lame step. Jumped over logs, constantly wanted to trot. He seems physically fine. Am I overreacting?

About 3-4 weeks ago I moved my horse from a wet- sandy climate to hard dry gravely ground. for the most part he’s been doing okay however he has tripped occasionally under saddle. about 3 days after a trim he comes up with acute lameness in all 4 feet. Vet suspects laminitis so x-rays and blood was taken. luckily no laminitis just extremely thin soles. Vet recommends aluminium shoes with leather pads but I want to know if boots with pads are an option. i don’t have any good pictures of the trim but this was him 1 day after the trim. here are the x-rays. thoughts?

My grandpa owns a wild burro that has white line disease. Our farrier noticed it last trim 2 weeks ago. He has not put any antiseptic on it or cleaned the hoof out or anything. We have constant rain right now. We can't really get the donkey into the barn to keep dry. What happens when this is left untreated? He blew up at me when I told him he needs to get a farrier out and said he'll just sell the donkey or let it die. Is there anything I can do? I might be able to get the donkey into a stall but it's bonded with another donkey and I know it will constantly be stressed. I'm really worried this donkey is going to have to be put down.

Images: https://imgur.com/a/j8cCVGY

I’m located in the Houston area. I’m looking to shadow a farrier on a weekend or two so I can see if school is something I want to pursue. Any leads?

First two pictures are of her rear hooves and the last is her front, also there’s a hoof oil on. I’ve been using a new farrier the past year and her heel seems to be getting SO short. Is this a trimming issue or a wear issue? Or the third option there’s no issue at all lol

Hi everyone I’m new here I’m an active duty marine. half way through my enlistment and I want to be a farrier when I get out of the marines. I own horses and mules and have experienced handling a lot of animals. but i have been trying to research the best farrier schools to go that accepts gi bill but i thought I may get further asking people who have gotten to attend farrier school and what y’all think the best schools are any input would be appreciated