Eagle Ridge Equine-Farrier Service

01/17/2025

So long everyone. We will be discontinuing the use and monitoring of this page. If you need to reach us please look for our listing on Google under Eagle Ridge Equine. Thank you all for over 10 years! 

09/19/2024

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08/16/2024

I sat down in the cab of my CAT skid steer as I had done hundreds of times before. I fastened my seat belt, lowered the operator armrests, secured the cab door, and deactivated the auto lock, all part of a pre-start up checklist I fly through nearly on autopilot these days. I started the machine and began rumbling out of the barn doors and down the driveway on a mission to bring a new round bale out to all the hungry horses, but this would not be my day...

Unbeknownst to me, hiding in the roof of the skid loader was a three foot long black snake. What wormhole opened up to magically transport him in there is completely beyond my understanding, but there he was. In blissful ignorance, I rattled down the road looking on with anticipation as I jammed out to one of Taylor Swift's latest hits. Agitated with the fact that his house suddenly began to move (or perhaps he did not appreciate my eclectic musical preferences) the snake dropped down out of the ceiling and right down the back of my shirt.

Now, I don't really have a fear of snakes--in fact I feel like they're pretty cool--but when something large starts slithering down the back of your neck (taking the scenic route to your nether regions) you tend to freak out a little. Or a lot...

In this case... I'm not proud.... Sadly, however, when you want to flip your s**t the tiny cab of a skid steer, you aren't going to get very far, and your new reptilian friend is not going to be particularly impressed with your interpretive dance moves. The loader bucket in the way of the door opening. The controls were in auto-lock due to having removed myself from the seat to perform a spirited rendition of the Western classic "there's a f**king snake in my pants," and the only way to disengage the control lock out was to sit back down in the seat and strap back in (not a particularly appealing option with the snake now almost completely in my pants and making his way between my legs). I was hopelessly trapped in a level of hell Dante forgot to write about during his book. Calmly panicking as I weighed my options, I noticed the impossibly small emergency escape hatch. Lacking the ability to kill the snake, teleport, or set myself on fire, it seemed to be the only clear choice.

Never before had I taken such great care when unfastening my belt and the top button of my pants and ever so gingerly slide the zipper south. With the snake and I occupying the same underwear, it was my hope that as I exited the skid steer I could kick off my pants and liberate myself from the 10th level of Dante's hell. I pulled the red breakaway handle and carefully shoved the glass outward as I began to inch my way on top of the seat, out the window, and out of my snake infested pants. As if suspended by some sort of invisible cable I managed to levitate (ever so gently) out of the cab and over the engine compartment before making what felt like a ten foot leap into the air and hitting the ground running. I managed to kick off both shoes, part ways with my pants, and fish the snake out of my underwear all while moving like a lightning across the gravel driveway.

As I flung the agitated Nope Rope into the grass, the befuddled and somewhat exasperated faces of my equine companions spoke volumes of the silent judgments they were casting on their half n**e pet monkey streaking past their gate. Unflinching they stared on as I continued to make my escape down the driveway shouting a newly invented language. Their rhythmic chewing pausing for only a moment wherein I could almost read their thought bubbles "oh, the poor thing has forgotten how pants work again... Sigh, is the third time this week... We are surely going to hear about this from the neighbors... And this right here is why the house across the street never seems to sell" The cold uncaring gaze from the minis was perhaps the deepest And wound to my pride. "retreating from the thy foe? 'Tis only a pasture noodle... Coward!" It was not a proud day in the house of Kemp...

06/27/2024

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a farrier? Or maybe just how many times your farrier was p**ped on that morning before shaking your hand? Maybe you have thought to yourself “what’s that smell?” or “what is that green thing stuck to his ear?” or even “The dogs sure love them, I wonder what hoof trimmings taste like?” If 12 years of standing at the anvil have taught me anything it’s that the answer to such mysteries (at least the ones that can be answered in a few words) are: a lot of p**p; also p**p; and salted p**p…

As for what it’s like to be a farrier, let me try to explain. This job is not for the faint of heart or the mentally stable. You can’t be sane (or hope to stay that way long) if you wish to work with equestrians. You have to be insane to participate or work in a full-contact sport that lays under the line where rugby meets motor-cross and your only bit of protection is a hat made of the same material as a disposable coffee cup. Seriously, aside from crash test dummy, what other sport or job exists where someone can suffer massive blunt force trauma and is expected to get right back up and repeat whatever activity just about killed them a moment ago? “Horse or hospital!” is an expression I have heard more than once both as a horse rider and as a farrier (moving target) apprentice.

The ability to withstand impact aside, this is a job that requires the same attention to detail as an artist, the skill and steady hand of a surgeon, the patience of a saint, and the endurance/pain tolerance of a Navy Seal. For those who have never seen a farrier practice their trade and wants to walk in their shoes, try to imagine you are working in a stiflingly hot building, bent over and holding a 2×4 between your knees. On one end of the 2×4 is a small platform you are attempting to perform incredibly detailed work on. This table is incredibly valuable and the slightest mistake could cause it to explode; most of the tools you are given to work with are crude, bulky, and (like the table) also incredibly expensive considering they were invented sometime in the 14th century. While you are standing in this pizza oven from hell you will have to light a fire, which you will use to heat up your art work. Sometimes this art work will set you on fire.

Meanwhile the Hulk is tugging on the other end of that 2×4, occasionally ripping it away from you and dragging small knife blades that are sticking out of this table through your hands and legs. Side note: Friction tape will become your new best friend as it makes holding on to the rusty and poo crusted tools (which are now covered in your own blood) much easier! From time to time the Hulk might let you have the 2×4, but he is going to sit on you while you toil away on your art project. Now, as you fuss over details and panic every few moments that the speck of blood you just saw might not be yours (and are incredibly relieved when it is,) imagine there is a bucket of excrement sitting above your head, which at any moment may tip over on you without warning. Depending on the time of year, that bucket of poo may be switched for a bucket of spit. (Ah, clover…) And I mean more spit than you might think any earthly critter would have the capacity to produce. You will also sweat so much you will drink two gallons of water by the end of the day and not need to p*e once. For this reason you will never leave the house with no less than nine extra shirts and just as many towels.

To make your task even more impossible imagine that there is this invisible crazy man wildly running around your work area swinging Gallagher’s hammer. At any moment he might run up and smash you like one of Gallagher’s ill-fated watermelons. If you are unlucky enough to find yourself on his pedestal of doom that day, you are going to be faced with one of those moments when where most rational people might question your sanity. Since you can’t give up and call it a day with only three of the four 2x4s now complete (there is this very terrifying 5’4” 120lbs women who just body slammed a 1,300 pound Hanoverian into submission who would be very displeased if you did) you must trudge on despite the pain of what you are pretty sure is a broken leg and maybe a few pulverized ribs. It takes a special kind of stupid to keep working after the might of Thor’s hammer (a draft horse) knocks you through a barn wall. Fortunately you’re a farrier and you are just the kind of stupid needed to get back up and finish the job!

Now that you’re done with the first horse there are 12 more waiting…

02/17/2024

Here is a nice Duplo package on a Icelandic performance horse. These shoes have been some of the most durable as easiest to modify in our inventory.

02/16/2024

Here is a six-year-old OTTB rescue. It is unknown how long this horse had gone since it’s last farrier visit. This is a example of how much distortion can be safely removed at once using either hoof mapping or radiographs to confirm shoe placement and trim accuracy. It is our goal to fit the foot 50/50 around the center of rotation or a simpler way to say it would be from the widest part of the foot. According to Dr. Weller every 1 cm of extra length beyond this point equates to 50 kg of force on the suspensory apparatus of the lower limb.

02/14/2024

The nail was placed to demonstrate how much distortion there was in her toe. The nail track trimmed out completely once finished. Slightly over 2 cm was ultimately removed to bring the foot back in balance. This leverage adds significant force to the soft tissues of the lower limb necessary to overcome the leverage force this places on the foot. I cannot stress the importance of radiographs and foot mapping if you are unsure where these parameters fall. Even if you have been practicing for years pull one horse aside every day and map the foot. Keep your eyes sharp.

01/25/2024

A horse with “high/low” meaning one foot that is more upright that the other. Not to be confused with clubbed hooves. This is often caused by imbalance in the horses body such as limb length disparity or imbalance in the horses teeth. While the farrier plays an important role in correcting this they will not necessarily be the one to truly correct the problem. Proper dental care, body work, and conditioning are needed to make the farriers work hold. Often the horse’s mane will fall of the functionality shorter limb or smaller more upright foot. This is their down hill side and will likely be the direction they prefer to work.

11/19/2023

Another example of medial/lateral imbalance. This horse was landing extremely heavily on his lateral toe pillars. Through slow motion video and leverage testing we determined a 17 mm medial wedge to be needed. After application another series of videos were shot to confirm he was not landing evenly. This case presented grade 3 lame on both fronts and returned to work almost immediately after.

11/17/2023

I was at the university a few days ago working on a draft horse who came out of sedation just long enough to kick me through a stall door. So, I’m taking today off to both feel sorry for myself and to draft out my experiences as a moving target.

Horse Kicks 101

Even when you work on very well trained and gentle horses, getting kicked is somewhat of an occupational hazard as a farrier. Sometimes it’s out of fear or pain, sometimes it’s by mistake, and on occasion even good horses have bad days. Whatever the reason, the resulting world of hurt for us comparatively soft and squishy monkeys is the same. However, just how badly one is injured can depend a lot on the conviction and breed of the offending (or offended) critter.

The breed voted most likely to knock you across the aisle way in high school would be the American thoroughbred. Like most things in Europe, the European thoroughbreds seem to have a more level head about them. Much like myself, the American TB (especially the on-track race horse) is a rather high strung critter whose environment has made them prone to both panicked flight and personal injury. When they kick it’s powerful, wildly unpredictable, but accurate, and always followed by the snapping of the cross ties as they gallop to perceived safety screaming “I’m a racehorse! I am a racehorse!” as they disappear down the driveway.

Next on the list of crazies is the Arabian horse, especially the Egyptians. It’s my theory that their small dished heads compress their brains, making them prone to hallucinations. The larger the dish, the more likely they are to mistake a blowing leaf for a horse-eating dragon. When they kick it’s completely unpredictable, light, but deadly fast. The Arab will also gallop to safety, but that’s likely 50 or more miles away. Also, one should be aware that when the leaf monster presents itself the Arabian has the ability to to teleport its way to safety.

The American Quarter Horse is the labrador of the equine industry. They are cool tempered and unexcitable. Snakes, rogue cows, or even that mounted migrant worker commonly known as a cowboy shooting off their backs rarely gets them to raise more than an eyebrow. If you do managed to get kicked by one of these guys you (or someone they felt very strongly about) likely deserved it. Unlike Arabs or thoroughbreds, when they kick something they meant to do it. While they might not be as fast as their caffeinated cousins their blows come down with the accuracy and might of Thor’s hammer. They always accompany their mighty blows with a inquisitive yet judgmental expression to suggest “did you learn something today?”

Draft horses are best described as gentle giants. They are kind, forgiving and dumb as a box of rocks. If you are unlucky enough to be walloped by one of these tanks it’s likely because they forgot you were there. What the draft horse lacks in conviction they make up for in brute force. Accuracy and sp*ed doesn’t really matter that much when dropping nuclear warheads.

Ponies… I am convinced the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse will be charging in on the burning fury of pony hooves. It really doesn’t matter what you did or didn’t do, ponies will kick simply because they can. They are a weapon of equal opportunity. What they lack in brute force they make up for in quantity. So much quantity…

Donkeys/mules are not horses, and they will be sure to remind you of that fact should you forget. They are even tempered, but unforgiving. It doesn’t take a very big donkey to carry a grudge. When they feel you are deserving of capital punishment they have no qualms about dishing out. They are the ninja snipers of the equine world. One shot, one kill is the donkey’s motto. If one of Hell’s own minions fires a shot at you and misses it was only a warning. When they strike their hooves rip the very fabric of time and space to arrive faster than the sp*ed of light.

(Please understand that not every Arabian is crazy and not every draft horse is dumb. These are lighthearted stereotypes that come from my personal observations and experiences gathered over my 20 years standing behind the anvil. I know they will not be true of every horse. )

Carry on.

11/17/2023

I often hear how only small changes can be made at any given time. I also hear that you should never ride in the first three hours after a farrier visit. While I find both ideas perplexing I think the first is based of fear and poor anatomical understanding while the other may be confusing horses with eating and swimming. Here are a few examples of how much distortion can be removed. We use radiographs and/or hoof mapping when determining shoe placement and foot trim.

10/15/2023

dorsal wall resection to treat a WLD infection reconstructed with Gleipnir acrylic and Sleipnir casting. Artimud and dental impression material was used as a base layer. .equine