S6E Shoeing - Farrier

23/10/2026

11/10/2026

With the lack of rain around and the ground taking all the moisture out of the horses feet, oiling the feet is a very very important part of your care to your 4 legged friends.

11/10/2026

Backside Basics: Common Lower Limb Issues 🐴

The lower leg of a racehorse takes a tremendous amount of stress during training, and learning the difference between the common bumps, fillings, and soft-tissue changes you see is an important part of developing your eye around horses.

Bucked shins are most commonly seen in younger horses in training. They involve soreness and inflammation along the front of the cannon bone as the bone is adapting to the stress of speed work. You may notice heat, tenderness when you run your hand down the front of the cannon, swelling, or a horse becoming shorter or more uncomfortable in its stride.

A popped splint is inflammation around one of the splint bones, usually creating a firm bump along the side of the cannon. When it is active, it may be warm, sore, and swollen. Once it becomes an old, “cold” splint, the bump may remain even though it is no longer painful. Location matters because some splints can also irritate nearby soft-tissue structures.

A bowed tendon usually refers to injury or inflammation of the superficial digital flexor tendon. Instead of the back of the cannon feeling flat and uniform, the tendon may look or feel thickened, swollen, or curved outward. Acute bows may have heat, pain, and lameness, while an older healed bow may remain visibly thickened long after the active injury has resolved.

A high suspensory lesion affects the upper part of the suspensory ligament near its origin just below the knee. These can be harder to see from the outside because the injury may sit deeper in the limb. Horses may show subtle lameness, soreness after work, or changes that are easier to detect with a hands-on exam and diagnostic imaging.

A suspensory injury can occur anywhere along the ligament, including the body of the suspensory or its branches closer to the fetlock. Depending on the location, you may see swelling, heat, tenderness, filling near the back of the cannon, or swelling around one branch of the fetlock. Suspensory injuries can range from mild strains to more serious fiber damage.

Windpuffs, or soft filling around the fetlock, are extremely common. Some horses develop chronic, soft, cool windpuffs that remain fairly consistent and do not bother them. What becomes more concerning is a new change — especially if the filling is hot, painful, suddenly larger, uneven between the legs, or accompanied by lameness.

The biggest skill isn’t memorizing every diagnosis. It’s learning what each horse normally looks and feels like, then recognizing when something changes.

Run your hands down the legs every day. Compare left to right. Pay attention to heat, swelling, filling, tenderness, thickening, and changes in movement.

Early recognition does not mean diagnosing the problem yourself — it means noticing the change early enough to get the trainer and veterinarian involved.

09/10/2026

The all too common trend that has swept equine groups far and wide. Let’s talk about it.

“Looking for a farrier ASAP. Anonymous for privacy.”

Farriers: Interesting… 👀🤨

“Horse is easy.”

Farriers: Define easy.

“Just needs a trim.”

Farriers: You don’t say.

“Previous farrier just stopped coming.”

Farriers: What makes someone just stop showing up to a great client?

“Need someone who can handle difficult horses.”

Farriers: You need someone who doesn’t care if they die tomorrow.

“I’ve tried several farriers in the area already.”

Farriers: Bingo.

“Horse hasn’t been done in 4–6 months and I need someone tomorrow between 7pm and midnight.”

Farriers: There it is. We’re getting somewhere now.

The truth is, when you’ve been doing this long enough, you start recognizing the subtle signs. 🚩🚩

Sometimes “looking for a farrier” really means “my horse doesn’t stand.”

Sometimes it means “I’ve gone through everyone local.”

Sometimes it means “ I don’t pay my bills.”

Sometimes it means “ I cancel appointments at midnight the night before .“

Sometimes it means “the last farrier finally fired me.”

Sometimes it means” I’m not willing to communicate my concerns with my current farrier .“

And sometimes it means “I waited until it became an emergency and now I need someone to rearrange their entire schedule.”

If you’re posting anonymously, demanding ASAP, giving zero details, and wondering why nobody’s jumping at the opportunity…

Just remember:
You’re not only looking for a farrier.
The farrier is deciding whether they’re willing to take you on as a client. Established farriers are overwhelmingly busy and don’t troll the internet looking for work. Their work speaks for them. Their clients refer them. Veterinarians refer them.

04/10/2026

Taking on afew new clients.

27/09/2026

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