As tough and strong as horses are, they are very gentle in many areas and care needs to be taken when dealing with horses. An horses asset are its feet, Horses were born to run, and run fast too. Many times horses may encounter problems with their hoofs, this can be a split in the horses hoof or any other minor damages. When this happens, a horse farrier is called in to take care of the horses hoof.
One could say that a horse farrier is a cross between a blacksmith and a vet. Some thing like a "vetsmith" But the main difference is that the horse farrier specializes in equine hoof care. Caring for a horses hoof does not only mean preparing horse shoes and nailing them to the horses hoof. The farrier needs to have some basic knowledge on lower horse foot anatomy, He uses this knowledge to trim and balance of the horses hoof. .
One could say that a horse farrier is a cross between a blacksmith and a vet. Some thing like a "vetsmith" But the main difference is that the horse farrier specializes in equine hoof care. Caring for a horses hoof does not only mean preparing horse shoes and nailing them to the horses hoof. The farrier needs to have some basic knowledge on lower horse foot anatomy, He uses this knowledge to trim and balance of the horses hoof. .
Farrier Responsibilities In Details
A farrier not only works with his hands, he/she needs to work with their eyes as they monitor the horses hoof for any signs of diseases and lameness. They monitoring the equine can prevent irreparable damage to the animals hoof.
A good farrier is important to any horse owner, whether the owner has a horse as a pet or in the horse racing business. For any horse to run at its optimal level, it needs to maintain a trimmed, healthy and balanced hoof. A horse farrier uses specialized tools to cut, trim and balances the hoof of the animal.
Cleaning“Hygiene is extremely important, especially when animals are somewhat confined and continually walking over the same ground where they urinate and defecate,” says Walter Fuermann, a Certified Farrier with the American Farrier’s Association. Another important job for the farrier, therefore, is to clean the feet and cut out excess hoof walls, dead sole and dead frog.
Horseshoeing Domesticated horses need horseshoes for a variety of reasons: their hooves harden less than in the wild, they’re not walking on hard surfaces as often and their hooves don’t naturally wear themselves down as much.
Farriers apply horseshoes to horses for some of the above reasons, but they also apply hooves as a corrective measure to improve a horse’s gait and to help an animal gain traction when walking in slippery conditions such as ice. Horseshoes are also used for race horses and performance horses.
The farrier, acting as blacksmith, removes old shoes, trims the hooves, measures shoes to the feet, bends the shoes to the proper shape and applies them. They typically use either the cold shoe (bent when cold) or hot shoe (heated in a forge) methods.
A good farrier is important to any horse owner, whether the owner has a horse as a pet or in the horse racing business. For any horse to run at its optimal level, it needs to maintain a trimmed, healthy and balanced hoof. A horse farrier uses specialized tools to cut, trim and balances the hoof of the animal.
Cleaning“Hygiene is extremely important, especially when animals are somewhat confined and continually walking over the same ground where they urinate and defecate,” says Walter Fuermann, a Certified Farrier with the American Farrier’s Association. Another important job for the farrier, therefore, is to clean the feet and cut out excess hoof walls, dead sole and dead frog.
Horseshoeing Domesticated horses need horseshoes for a variety of reasons: their hooves harden less than in the wild, they’re not walking on hard surfaces as often and their hooves don’t naturally wear themselves down as much.
Farriers apply horseshoes to horses for some of the above reasons, but they also apply hooves as a corrective measure to improve a horse’s gait and to help an animal gain traction when walking in slippery conditions such as ice. Horseshoes are also used for race horses and performance horses.
The farrier, acting as blacksmith, removes old shoes, trims the hooves, measures shoes to the feet, bends the shoes to the proper shape and applies them. They typically use either the cold shoe (bent when cold) or hot shoe (heated in a forge) methods.
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