CjS Equine Products & Farrier Services

28/08/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/19K2qtamfT/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Every hammer blow has consequences

In forging, there is no neutral hit.

Each blow either:
• Moves the steel where you want it
• Moves it where you do not want it
• Or packs stress into the metal

Good forging is not about hitting harder.
It is about hitting with intention.

Rhythm, angle, and placement matter more than force.

07/08/2026

13/07/2026

Why regular shoeing matters:
The angle of the hoof directly affects the load on tendons.

Stretching your farrier schedule to "just another couple of weeks" isn't the saving it looks like. That routine appointment protects some of the most important structures in your horse's leg.

A UK study (Leśniak et al., 2017) measured horses' feet before and after farriery found that regular trimming improved the hoof's alignment, reducing the dorsal wall, correcting angles and easing the strain on the structures at the back of the foot.

As the hoof grows, hoof balance gradually shifts. The toe lengthens, the breakover moves forward and the load on the deep digital flexor tendon increases.

Researchers concluded that a regular farriery interval of no more than 4 - 6 weeks can reset the foot before tendon load builds into something harmful.

The deep digital flexor tendon runs down the back of your horse's leg and under the foot. When it's injured, it can be serious and one of the hardest to rehabilitate problems a horse can face.

Prevention is always better than a cure - a few weeks isn't worth a year of rehabilitation.



*Always follow the interval your own farrier recommends for your horse, it's tailored to your horse's specific needs.*

12/07/2026

Why do some horses wear aluminium shoes instead of steel? 🐴
The biggest difference: weight. Aluminium weighs about a third of steel which makes a noticeable difference to how a horse moves. Lighter shoes mean less energy spent lifting each leg, less fatigue over a long competition and often smoother, less elevated movement.
For example:
🏇 Racehorses
Where shaving milliseconds matters, a lighter shoe is a real advantage. Racing plates reduce weight while still giving protection and grip.
🎯 Performance horses
aluminium has become popular for show horses, jumpers and dressage horses, where the lighter weight can enhance the quality of movement.
🩺 Therapeutic cases
Aluminium lets a farrier make lighter versions of therapeutic shoes so a horse recovering from injury isn't burdened with extra weight that could hinder healing.
So why isn't every horse in aluminium? Because there's always a trade-off:
⚖️ Aluminium wears down faster than steel, so needs replacing more frequently and is more expensive than steel.
🛡️ Steel is tougher and longer-lasting for heavier breeds or those that work on hard, abrasive work and aluminium would not stand up to the job.
🦴 Aluminium is grippier than steel - too much grip can stop the hooves from sliding when it lands, preventing the limbs natural shock absorption from functioning causing excess strain on joints, tendons and ligaments.
Like everything in farriery, there's no "best" shoe, only the right shoe for that horse and that job.

10/07/2026

14/06/2026

02/06/2026

THE SYMPTOM IS IN THE FOOT. THE CAUSE IS OFTEN SOMEWHERE ELSE.

A horse becomes footsore.

The natural assumption is that the problem must be in the foot.

Sometimes that's exactly what's happened.

An abscess is in the foot.

A puncture wound is in the foot.

A crack is in the foot.

The problem and the symptom occupy the same place.

But not always.

A horse lands toe-first.

What you see is in the foot.

The cause may be hock arthritis.

A horse starts wearing one foot faster than the others.

The symptom is in the foot.

The cause may be a change in how the horse is loading its limbs.

A horse repeatedly loses a shoe from the same foot.

The symptom is in the foot.

The cause may be a movement pattern that has changed because the horse is uncomfortable elsewhere.

A horse develops bruising in the same area over and over again.

The symptom is in the foot.

The cause may be altered movement from joint disease higher up.

A horse develops contracted heels.

The symptom is in the foot.

The cause may be persistent avoidance of loading part of the limb because something else hurts.

A horse grows noticeably uneven feet.

The symptom is in the feet.

The cause may be asymmetry elsewhere in the body changing how those feet are loaded.

A horse struggles on hard ground.

The pain shows in the feet.

The cause may be endocrine disease affecting the lamellae.

A horse develops laminitis.

The pain is in the feet.

The damage is in the feet.

Yet the process often begins with insulin dysregulation or other hormonal disturbance long before the foot shows it.

A horse develops recurrent abscesses.

The symptom is in the foot.

The cause may be chronic lamellar damage that has been present for months or years.

A horse struggles to turn.

The symptom may look like foot pain.

The cause may be the hocks.

Or the stifles.

Or somewhere else entirely.

A horse doesn't want to go forward.

The feet may be blamed.

The cause could be orthopaedic pain.

It could be gastric disease.

It could be respiratory disease.

It could be something else altogether.

The point is not that the feet are unimportant.

Quite the opposite.

The feet are often the first place the horse reveals that something is wrong.

But they are not always telling us where the problem started.

One of the most valuable habits in equine healthcare is learning not to stop at the first thing you can see.

The foot matters.

But it is attached to a whole horse.

And sometimes the foot is not the problem.

It's the messenger.