My mini has little or no frog and hollow hooves in the front!!!!!

[kay56649]

No our vet are kind of hillbillies and don't care much and don't do a lot with horses and don't know about farriers around town. It's super hard living here because we don't have reliable people for horses

 

[PaintMeFancy]

Ok - not posting so I can talk crap -- but would be curious to see pics of your other horses' feet.. willing to post?

I understand not finding a good farrier - I went through 8!!!! before finding the guy I have now - my great farrier moved to PA when his wife graduated as a vet and got a new job - my one before that threw his back out - and while I am not a 100% on the new guy - he doesn't do anything IMO to harm the feet - or the horse - I just don't know if I would trust him with something complicated.

He is always educating himself though, learning at clinics, other farriers, etc - he is EXTREMELY knowledgeable and a perfectionist - but I think "talent" has some part of this (maybe physical skill is better term) -- and while I know he knows what he wants I don't think he always accomplishes it - he always comes back and fixes though (I have a complicated boy sometimes - my big one - LOTS of leg/hoof issues)

 

[kay56649]

He goes to clinics and stuff but we don't have 8 carriers to choose from. Yes I can post pics of my big horses feet next time we bring them in the barn!

 

[Jean_B]

He has corrected the big horses feet and yes they are perfect! We have had a professional horseman that took 6 horses to the world show, a judge, and a pro horse trainer look at them. He just can't seem to get hers right! She is the only one we have been concerned about. I know your trying to help but it's not easy taking advice from people who are just telling me how terrible I am for making my mini suffer. Sorry but she is on the road to better feet and that's all that can be said at this point for her

Sorry but must disagree. She is NOT on the road to better feet. If anything, they are worse. PLEASE if you aren't willing to have a farrier drive a couple hours to your place (mine does and he is worth it) then perhaps you should load her on a trailer and take her to someone who know what they are doing. Everyone here wants to see this horse stay healthy, including me. Please quit making excuses for this poor excuse of a trimmer - or for your circumstances - and do something positive. And I mean that with all sincerity. Animals are dependent on us for their well-being and if we can't do right by our animals........PLEASE look at the drawings that I posted again. And if you insist on having this ***** work on her feet again - at least show him what a good trim should look like, though I highly doubt given what he's done that he is educable.

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

Cow feet are anatomically the same as a horse - except they have 2 toes instead of one. From a side x ray, you could not tell a difference. Bones are even named the same thing.

Any vet will be capable. I promise. Guess what? Your "hillbilly" vet probably graduated from the same school as a vet in town. There are very few vet schools in the country. Honestly, if a vet has an education from the country you live in (US I assume), he/she is more than likely capable. I would look into a cattle hoof trimmer even before i would call that farrier back again. Has he ever even measured an angle? Did he graduate from any school? Im betting you're vet is a much better candidate.

However, will your vet tell you what you want to hear? No. Your farrier has not done a good job at all - as much as you defend him he has made your horse lame. Will your vet care as much about your horse as you do? No. They are there to make the animal better, not coddle, not spoil it, not train it, not protect your feelings. You learn a certain amount of disconnect when you are working with animals on a health basis. Does it ruin your day when one dies? O you bet it does! Do i cry at night over one? Occasionally, and definitely if its one of my own. Its YOUR job to care about your animal, its your vets job to make it better.

And to be blunt, your vet couldnt screw up your horse more than the farrier has.

 

[kay56649]

Ok she is not lame. We will just get that straight. The closest farrier we can go to that is reliable is 3 hours away. I'm just as flustered as you are about her. Forget about us having a cheap farrier. That's ALL we have!! It's awful but we went out with that picture posted and we are going to show it to him next time he comes. If he stops coming, then a farrier stops coming because that's all we have!!!! All of the other farriers do the same or worse job than him!!! It's a super hard situation, but it's the way it is. All I can do is learn the proper way they need to be cut and show him the pictures!! I will for sure show him the one posted. I already have it saved. But she is NOT lame right now

We will call the vet tomorrow and see what she can do.

 

[tagalong]

All of the other farriers do the same or worse job than him!!!

All of the other farriers??!! Wait a minute - you said this guy was the ONLY one you could get out aside from the "real" one who is booked. I know you can BOOK AHEAD for an appointment with a "real" farrier!

The cheap guy you are using is NOT a decent farrier - not for $8, not for $80. There is no excuse for him having left your mini mare's feet the way they were - or for you having to show him a picture for him to get the idea.

Book an appointment with the REAL farrier... or maybe he/she will not come out to you for whatever reason? Surely your mini mare is worth more than an $8 trim. What are the filly's feet like? Can you post pictures of them? If the mare's feet were that bad to start with, I am concerned that the filly will have rolled under heels etc.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Oh dear..if she isn't lame I wouldn't feel the need to call the vet..never saw a vet that could trim feet. I hear your frustration. Are there any horse farms near you? What I did when I was desperate was to drive around to a few local stables and I posted on a local horse club forum that I needed a farrier. I got several names. My guy actually comes quite a distance (3 hrs) but since he does several local stables he just schedules my trims when he is in the area. I called one natural trimmer and she wanted $75 bucks to drive 45 minutes..no thanks. I pay $25 now.. I think one of the hardest things to do is find a decent farrier. You are doing your best. Proper hoof care is always a hot topic...gets everybodys blood stirred up...hope you continue to keep us posted... how about everybody that trims their own feed start posting some educational trimming material. My breeder and friend Kim is self taught trimmer of her own horses.. she does a great job. She learned from books and video. I am sure utube would have something too. Hang in there..I'm sure if I posted some progress photos of some of my horses feet when I was trying to get my old farrier to fix things I would have drawn lots of attention too. Good thing is your mare is still sound..my guys went lame and that is when things fell apart here. I read everything I can now, it will really help you to understand what people are telling you minus the mean comments... I will see what I can dig up for you. My dream is to some day trim my own horses, for now I am too chicken, but I do read everything so I won't get fooled by a farrier again should my guy leave the area and I find myself shopping again. Take care

You know what folks.. some of these postings aren't constructive and are just darn mean. No wonder some people just quit and don't come back. good grief!

 

[shorthorsemom]

Ps I use a cattle trimmer frequently.. there is no way I would ask him to do my minis feet..good grief..no where near the same process as for trimming horses. Check out ebay for the tool to measure angle.. I want to get one for myself.. my one boy was different from one hoof to the other after my first "repair" trim..I thought it was how his foot grew..it wasn't..angle adjustment from new farrier fixed that. How are your ground conditions..wet? Dry? Is she on grass? Just curious. Ps when I say different I mean different angle..one hoof more upright than the other.. print your photo and draw the angles over the photo from hoof angle to pastern angle. Compare with photos in that link I sent from earlier post.. my ex farrier had no problems doing big horses..lots of satisfied customers. He almost ruined my guys feet and all my suggestions only seemed to make things worse. I even gave him diagrams and articles...then I gave him a "divorce" I truly regretted not changing sooner..and am glad I have awesome perfect feet now..

 

[happy appy]

I know what you mean shorthorsemom. My current farrier does a great job on the large horses but a terrible job on the minis. Around here there is a trim called the pony trim and that's what he does on the minis. It leaves the foot a little to upright for my tastes. So in this case after months of trying to get him to take a little more heal, I gave up and do the minis myself now. I file them once a week to get the right angle and then about every 4 weeks. I don't use nippers, too afraid of cutting too much but I do file. I think I am getting the hang of it now. I want to get a foot rest so that it's easier and I can use both hands.

 

[Lizzie]

That's ALL we have!! It's awful but we went out with that picture posted and we are going to show it to him next time he comes. If he stops coming, then a farrier stops coming because that's all we have!!!! All of the other farriers do the same or worse job than him!!!

Kay. "All of the other farriers?" You said he was the only one. So there are other farriers. Have you tried others? If not, how do you know they do a worse job than the one you use? You say you show your large horses. If so, then surely you must know many others in your area, who own horses and have their own favourite farriers. Who knows, maybe some riders at the shows, also own Minis. You won't know unless you ask.

This is becoming rather like your post on the other forum. After over 700 posts when many extremely knowledgeable horse breeders tried to help you and answer your questions, you contradicted yourself constantly and actually disagreed with the help offered. At my suggestion, you then joined this forum, only to run down all those who had wasted their time trying to help you on The Horse Forum. I know you are very young but you must understand that horse owners are a very busy lot and most are not willing to coddle a 14 year old. All are willing to help but get a bit peeved, when advice is thrown back in their faces and excuses constantly made. I do understand completely, that all final decisions, are up to your parents. However, take all the advice given, do some research and if necessary, request of your parents that you trailer this mare to someone who knows what they are doing.

Lizzie

 

[kay56649]

There is so much more you could do. You are limiting yourself. You are limiting the care for your animals as well. There is so much good advice here and you refuse to clean the wax out of your ears.

Here's a question; if you don't know basic hoof care then how do you know your mare Isn't lame?

Seeing who you are on other forums and how you conduct yourself on there further convinces me that you don't care and that this mare is suffering. You're a brick wall. On the other forum you dealt with the same stuff (I wasn't involved in the discussion, I lurked) and you continued to react the same way as you are here.

There is no reason to ask for advice on multiple forums and not take te advice to heart. You're wasting our time and your ambition.

I have been around hundreds of horses and I know for a fact she is not lame!

If you think I don't care, please don't read my posts!!! If I didn't care, I wouldn't be on here and the only GOOD farrier won't take anymore people. Trust me we tried! The farrier we have is the best one except for the GOOD one. With the price of gas, we can't travel over 3 hours with gas being $3.99 today in our area! We have a one ton truck and a 3 horse steel trailer, so the gas gets spendy. We have to wait to get her more farrier care anyway because as of right now she is at her bloodline. We took the picture of the hooves posted and compared them to their hooves and we are going to show it to our farrier and what we want. We are doing the best we can at this point and willl continue to until she can get her hooves cut again!

 

[kay56649]

I asked about my mare's belly and I TOOK the advice and I am weaning her foal off of her and giving her supplement grain to help fill in her hips. We buy the best hay in town for our horses and have a heated barn. We have supplements and pay the money for the good neutrena grain. If we didn't care about our horses, our horses wouldn't have this kind of care.

 

[kay56649]

Oh dear..if she isn't lame I wouldn't feel the need to call the vet..never saw a vet that could trim feet. I hear your frustration. Are there any horse farms near you? What I did when I was desperate was to drive around to a few local stables and I posted on a local horse club forum that I needed a farrier. I got several names. My guy actually comes quite a distance (3 hrs) but since he does several local stables he just schedules my trims when he is in the area. I called one natural trimmer and she wanted $75 bucks to drive 45 minutes..no thanks. I pay $25 now.. I think one of the hardest things to do is find a decent farrier. You are doing your best. Proper hoof care is always a hot topic...gets everybodys blood stirred up...hope you continue to keep us posted... how about everybody that trims their own feed start posting some educational trimming material. My breeder and friend Kim is self taught trimmer of her own horses.. she does a great job. She learned from books and video. I am sure utube would have something too. Hang in there..I'm sure if I posted some progress photos of some of my horses feet when I was trying to get my old farrier to fix things I would have drawn lots of attention too. Good thing is your mare is still sound..my guys went lame and that is when things fell apart here. I read everything I can now, it will really help you to understand what people are telling you minus the mean comments... I will see what I can dig up for you. My dream is to some day trim my own horses, for now I am too chicken, but I do read everything so I won't get fooled by a farrier again should my guy leave the area and I find myself shopping again. Take care

You know what folks.. some of these postings aren't constructive and are just darn mean. No wonder some people just quit and don't come back. good grief!

What a sigh of relief!! Someone knows what I'm talking about. We live in a redneck town of 5,000 and there are no stables around here. We are the only actual stable in our town unfortunatly We are searching far and wide at this point and I am going to try to learn to cut her feet myself. If you guys know so much about hoof care and how I am so wrong, then why don't you post some pictures of your minis feet so I can see what a good job you guys do! That's better than telling me I don't care about my animals!!!!!!

Our vet can't trim feet but it seems everyone thinks they can.

 

[kay56649]

I know what you mean shorthorsemom. My current farrier does a great job on the large horses but a terrible job on the minis. Around here there is a trim called the pony trim and that's what he does on the minis. It leaves the foot a little to upright for my tastes. So in this case after months of trying to get him to take a little more heal, I gave up and do the minis myself now. I file them once a week to get the right angle and then about every 4 weeks. I don't use nippers, too afraid of cutting too much but I do file. I think I am getting the hang of it now. I want to get a foot rest so that it's easier and I can use both hands.

That's what I'm trying to say. He does a great job on our big horses feet but apparently not good on the minis feet

 

[kay56649]

Kay. "All of the other farriers?" You said he was the only one. So there are other farriers. Have you tried others? If not, how do you know they do a worse job than the one you use? You say you show your large horses. If so, then surely you must know many others in your area, who own horses and have their own favourite farriers. Who knows, maybe some riders at the shows, also own Minis. You won't know unless you ask.

This is becoming rather like your post on the other forum. After over 700 posts when many extremely knowledgeable horse breeders tried to help you and answer your questions, you contradicted yourself constantly and actually disagreed with the help offered. At my suggestion, you then joined this forum, only to run down all those who had wasted their time trying to help you on The Horse Forum. I know you are very young but you must understand that horse owners are a very busy lot and most are not willing to coddle a 14 year old. All are willing to help but get a bit peeved, when advice is thrown back in their faces and excuses constantly made. I do understand completely, that all final decisions, are up to your parents. However, take all the advice given, do some research and if necessary, request of your parents that you trailer this mare to someone who knows what they are doing.

Lizzie

There are no other minis at our shows and only 2 other people in town have minis. In our town everybody knows everybody and I am not exaggerating or lying. Please don't refer to the horse forum, the thread was shut down because everybody was leaving awful comments on it. I am just trying to help my mini and I have taken all of your posts to heart and have tried everything you have posted. I can't succeed with all of them but I am trying all of them!!

 

[Lizzie]

Please don't refer to the horse forum, the thread was shut down because everybody was leaving awful comments on it.

Absolutely and utterly untrue! Our administrator closed it down (and stated so) purely because she told you to start a new thread with baby pictures so that they wouldn't become buried within 74 pages and 733 posts, where people had tried to help you with your then pregnant Mini mare and foaling questions, which she felt had been answered fully.

Lizzie

 

[kay56649]

I actually asked her what to about all of the rude and out of control comments and that's what she posted just to make it sound ok...I privately pm her and she said she was going to close it because it was out of hand. Plus, this is not a horse forum and I came her to learn about mini horses

 

[kay56649]

By the way my foal is very healthy and happy and a wonderful little mini

 

[Minimor]

If you guys know so much about hoof care and how I am so wrong, then why don't you post some pictures of your minis feet so I can see what a good job you guys do

You know--I was thinking I could get some pix for you --before and after shots so you could see just how much a hoof can be improved in one trim...and yes, you really can make a huge difference with just one trim. (I once trimmed a horse whose feet had been badly neglected; his feet weren't just overgrown, one was badly twisted, and in one trim I had him standing up properly--and it held until the next trim. I do wish I had pix of that one but I didn't have a camera with me) but you know what? That post of yours that I quoted sounds distinctly snotty and quite frankly I have better things to do than waste my time taking some pictures to show to someone who prefers to argue and make excuses for everything she is told, and who doesn't sound as if she would appreciate it anyway. I am headed off to trim a horse for someone who will appreciate having her rescue horse's feet trimmed properly. This horse's feet are currently in worse shape than your mare's were and I guarantee when I'm finished they will look a lot better than your mare's do!

Your mare may not be lame but I can tell you for certain that she isn't moving properly on that stumpy foot! Perhaps you can't see it and will deny it, but I've seen horses trimmed that way before and I know how they moved because of it. With a foot so out of balance it is impossible for a horse to move properly. A friend recently sent a video of her gelding trotting and cantering. I asked her what is wrong with him, he solving terrible. I suggested that his feet weren't trimmed properly and she said they had just been done. Three weeks later she got a different farrier and he told her the angles were all off--she emailed and told me that I'd been right on--I'd identified the problem from that shirt video.