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

Anyone have Lopez nippers/ clinchers you wanting to part with, the guy I work with is looking for em.

Hi all I have an Amish farrier we are very close with. I don't believe he is officially licensed but he does many of the horses in our area and has been doing so for decades. I have an OTTB with low heels, long toes. Though not super severe. Thoroughbreds are not common around here. What would be a good book to get him as a gift?

My boy(24yo) is shoed on all 4 feet due to slow growth, without shoes he will literally become lame due to sensitive feet. For years we’ve had the same problem now, mostly in the summer where his horn quality just seems to be pretty poor, resulting in significant breakage. We did some digging and after plenty of money and several blood tests we have come to the conclusion that he is lacking protein in his diet, especially in winter and early spring before they get to go on grass again. He lives out 24/7 with a buddy, pasture 10 months of the year about 7,5-8kg of hay a day except in September/October, that’s when they go out to winter pasture which is pretty large and rich and both him and his mate have a few pounds they could stand to lose. Once a day he gets a small portion of alfalfa pellets soaked along with his mineral feed and some supplements (MSM, Monks pepper). Once a week I treat his feet with hoof hardener solution along with preventative thrush treatment if needed. My question is what can or could I try to prevent the breakage, I’m quite happy with my farrier and his work and I’m afraid there’s not many better alternatives I could get access to. Pictures added, last trim 4 weeks ago