The Hoof Print - Birett Farrier Service
Transcription
The Hoof Print - Birett Farrier Service
The Hoof Print February 2010 Produced by Greg Birett Farrier Services News Bytes HST coming to Ontario As many of you already know, Ontario will be introducing the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) on July 1, 2010. This new tax combines the PST and GST, making tax on most purchases and transactions 13%. Unfortunately for those involved with horses, you will be seeing an increase in many items and services (including farrier services) that previously only charged the GST. Payment Alternative Please be advised that I am now able to accept email money transfers (from all major banks) for bill payments. Anyone interested in this alternate form of payment may contact me at [email protected]. Greg Birett, CF 7 Longyear Drive Waterdown ON L0R 2H5 905-320-2875 www.ontariofarrier.com [email protected] Greetings from Greg... I’m pleased to share with you the first edition of my newsletter, The Hoof Print. It is my intention to share information with my clients and associates through this newsletter twice a year. Any feedback, suggestions or ideas for future newsletters are welcomed and appreciated. As many of you know, I recently went to Ohio for a week of cutting-edge educational seminars and training at the International Hoof-Care Summit. This was an amazing experience and opportunity that allowed me to learn about new techniques, get familiar with new products, share ideas with farriers from around the world and review everyday tasks of the job. I participated in such workshops as: Shoeing Around The Birett Family: the Coffin Joint, Guidelines for Trimming Greg, Sandy, Shard & Stacey Photo by: the Equine Foot, Making A More Jessica Nardi, wedding & equine photographer Effective Examination of the Foot, Practical Approaches to Treating and Preventing Chronic Heel & Bar Abscesses, Understanding the Mechanical Formula of the Foot, How Conformation Determines Movement, Hoof-Care Strategies: Tried, True and New, and many more! Unfortunately, my trip to Ohio did have one negative aspect: technology. As the saying goes, “technology is great – when it works.” To my surprise and disappointment I returned to Canada to learn that my cell phone provider had disabled my voicemail instead of enabling my automatic voicemail and out of the country coverage. I apologize to any of you that may have been trying to reach me during this time and can assure you that I did indeed provide a greeting indicating my absence and providing my assistant Anthony’s contact information. Poor Anthony was left wondering why he didn’t get any calls! Needless to say, my cell phone provider heard from me when I got back. Again, my apologies to anyone this impacted. On another note, the days seem to be getting a bit longer and that means that season is just around the corner. That being said, some of you may be considering switching to aluminum shoes and if so, I encourage you to read the information enclosed on steel vs aluminum. While many of you will be Continued on page 2 The Hoof Print Produced by Greg Birett Farrier Services Greetings from Greg... Continued from page 1 competing, others such as Parish Ridge, Iron Horse and Fox Run Stables will be hosting shows and I wish all of you success in these endeavours. Remember not to stress too much over the show season and simply enjoy it. Also coming soon is the Ontario Farrier’s Association’s (OFA) annual conference. I’m looking forward to attending this year’s event and hopefully participating in a special learning experience whereby we are able to dissect a horse. In speaking with the current OFA President, Tim Koelln, I’ve been asked to take a seat of the OFA Board of Directors again and look forward to further serving the horse community through this position. In closing, I hope you find this newsletter enjoyable and informative, and as I mentioned, any feedback is appreciated. Cheers, Greg Birett, CF Just for a Laugh An Irishman moves into a tiny hamlet in County Kerry, walks into the pub,and promptly orders three beers. The bartender raises his eyebrows but serves the man three beers, which he drinks quietly at a table alone. An hour later the man has finished the three beers and orders three more. This happens yet again. The next evening the man again orders and drinks three beers at a time, several times. Soon the entire town is whispering about the “Man Who Orders Three Beers.” Finally, a week later, the bartender broaches the subject on behalf of the town. “I don’t mean to pry, but folks around here are wondering why you always order three beers?” “Tis odd, isn’t it?” the man replies. “You see, I have two brothers - one went to America and the other to Australia. We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank as a way of keeping up the family bond.” The bartender and the whole town were pleased with this answer, and soon the “Man Who Orders Three Beers” became a local celebrity and a source of pride to the hamlet, even to the extent that out-of-towners would come to watch him drink. Then, one day, the man comes in and orders only two beers. The bartender pours them with a heavy heart. This continues for the rest of the evening. He orders only two beers. The word flies around town. Prayers are offered for the soul of one of the brothers. The next day, the bartender says to the man, “Folks around here, me first of all, want to offer condolences to you for the death of your brother. You know, the two beers and all.” The man ponders this for a moment, then replies, “You’ll be happy to hear that my two brothers are alive and well. It’s just that I, myself, have decided to give up drinking for Lent.” On the Mend This horse came in from the paddock with a bad quarter crack that tore his heel all the way up to the coronary band. He required a heartbar shoe to take pressure off the heel and displace the weight across the frog. Happy to say he’s doing well. The Hoof Print Produced by Greg Birett Farrier Services Steel vs Aluminum As show season nears, some of you may be considering the switch from steel shoes to aluminum shoes. The following provides some of the basic pros and cons of steel shoes vs aluminum. STEEL Traditional steel shoes are the most cost efficient type of horseshoe. They wear well, even under heavy use, and on average can be reset two or three times before becoming worn out. Since steel shoes can be heated and hot fit, this allows the farrier to obtain a more precise and tight fit to the horse’s hoof. Steel shoes also provide more solid support to the horse, especially for larger or heavier horses. ALUMINUM The interest in aluminum shoes is primarily based on the difference in the horse’s movement. Due to the lighter weight of aluminum, the horse seems to move more naturally, without as much knee action, which is especially sought after in the hunter ring. The lighter weight also means that horses will not fatigue as quickly. For horses with thin walls, such as thoroughbreds, the aluminum shoe can often provide better comfort due to the light weight and the horse’s thin walls Horses For Sale Hunter Pony Grey, eleven-year-old medium size pony. Auto leads, passport, extremely easy to work with. Has shown successfully in the hunter ring on the Trillium and ‘A’ Circuit. Asking $15,000. Call Melissa at 519-622-5378. Quiet & Willing Youngster Three-year-old TB/Paint cross. Quiet and easy going. Does walk/trot/canter and started over small fences. Currently 15.2 hh, should mature 15.3 hh. Asking $7,500. Located at Rivermore Stables, Milton. For more information, call Lise at 905-467-1481, or Annie at 905-580-2664. Bomb-Proof Gelding (Free Lease) Dark bay 22-year-old 16 hh TB gelding, available for free lease. Very quiet and bombproof. He’s done hunter, dressage, eventing and many trail rides. Can live inside or outside, gets along with mares and geldings (always low in pecking order), does require front shoes. Call Sue at 905-635-6517 or email [email protected]. tend to break less with aluminum. Of course, with every benefit, there’s always a downside. The main drawback of the aluminum shoe is the cost. The cost of each shoe is approximately $10 more than traditional steel shoes and since they aren’t as strong of a shoe, resets are very rare. Typically new shoes are needed every six weeks. A Horse to Suit Every Rider Iron Horse Equestrian Centre has many horses currently for sale. Green to seasoned hunter/jumper show horses available. For more info and photos, visit www.ironhorseequestrian.ca. World Class Warmbloods Black Lightning Horses has a vast selection of warmbloods for sale ranging in age and training/show experience. All horses are well-mannered and handled daily. For more info and photos, visit www.blacklightninghorses.com. Sweet Youngster Very sweet and sensible two-year-old paint mare looking for a caring home. Loves to be groomed and fussed over. Expected to reach 15.1 - 15.2 hh. For more information and other horses available, visit www.rideeverystride.com. Companion Horse Needs a Home Roan coloured, 12.2 hh, 28-year-old pony available as a companion only. Has been a companion for his whole life. Still has lots of life left in him. Can live inside or out, easy keeper, gets along with mares and geldings. Does have Cushings but will supply medication (easy to give to him). Call Sue at 905-635-6517 or email [email protected]. The Hoof Print Produced by Greg Birett Farrier Services Show Season Hoof Issues and Topical Hoof Dressings For some horses, the dry, hot weather in southern Ontario during the late summer months can cause serious problems with bruising, chipped and broken up feet. People often ask what they can do in terms of hoof dressings to apply, and ask me what can be done to prevent this damage to their horse’s hoof walls. It can be frustrating for owners and farriers when a horse with relatively sound feet nine months out of the year, ends up having problems growing healthy hoof wall and gets chipped and brittle hooves during July, August and September. The change of moisture seems to be a big part of the problem. The horse’s feet dry out completely in the dry dusty paddocks and sand rings, and then get saturated when the horse is bathed, at the water trough, in residual mud puddles left over from a summer rain, etc. I think this cycle is what starts some of the cracking around and below the nails, or at the bottom part of the hoof wall. All horses stamp their feet when the flies are biting their ankles, and some are more sensitive to the flies than others. If they’re stamping on concrete or hard surfaces, there’s no way the shoe can stay tight for six weeks with all that pounding. This just adds to the damage caused by moisture fluctuations. Sometimes this constant concussion and deterioration of healthy hoof horn can lead to bruising and inflammation. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen enough significant improvement with any conventional hoof dressings to recommend a particular product or confidently suggest a hoof paint and be able to say “this should fix it”. Another farrier I know recommended a few years back spraying apple cider vinegar on the sides and bottom of the hoof during the summer months, and this seems to be as effective as anything I’ve seen (also much more cost efficient). My wife uses this treatment on her thoroughbred, and her stable-mate uses it on her little thoroughbred mare (who has paper thin hoof walls), and they are both convinced the feet don’t dry out as much in the summer. The best way to retain a constant hoof moisture balance and reduce concussion on hard and dry late summer ground would be a plastic or leather pad in between the hoof and shoe, packed with some type of product designed for this purpose such as Forseners hoof packing or Magic Cushion. Forseners is a time honored hoof packing for adding moisture and keeping hooves soft and flexible, and Magic Cushion (which is what I use) is well known for it’s anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Pour in pads are also an effective way to keep a horse comfortable when dealing with foot trauma. The advantage of pour in pads is that there is no chance of foreign material getting in between the foot and the pad. The disadvantage is they can’t be re-used, and if pads are required, the pour in pads need to be replaced every time the horse is shod, at double the cost of the regular pads. A farrier with experience is always looking for problems before they arise, especially during the busy summer show season, when things can turn bad in a hurry. Don’t be afraid to ask questions of your coach, your farrier, or your vet, and hopefully you’ll enjoy a problem free season with your horse competing at the best of his/her ability.
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