The Lost Shoe

Good afternoon! 

One of the worst things as a horse owner is planning on going out to the barn to have a nice ride only to find that your horse has lost a shoe. In today's blog we're giving you helpful hints courtesy of TheHorse.com about what to do when this inevitably happens to you! 

The first thing you want to do is carefully evaluate your horse's legs to make sure there are no wounds or punctures caused by ragged nails. If all is well with your horse, search the immediate area to see if you can find the shoe. If you find it, put it in a safe place until your farrier can get there to nail it back on. 

After putting your horse in bedded stall, give your farrier a call to inform them about the incident and to see when they can come out to you to put the shoe back on. It's important to note that if you see any evidence of a puncture wound or think the sole might have been damaged to also call your veterinarian immediately. 

Pulled shoes are not a medical emergency, but calling your farrier right away can help solve the inconvenience quickly. For more information, read the full article HERE!

Drew Morales of Morales Farrier Service offers a variety of services to keep your horse's feet sound and healthy including: Trims, Front Shoes, Full Sets of Shoes, Equi-Pak Pour-in pads, Glue on horseshoes, Therapeutic horseshoes and Corrective horseshoes to name a few. Drew can also create custom horseshoes to suit your horse's individual needs. Located in Richmond, VA, Morales Farrier Service serves the Eastern Virginia area including Richmond, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Chester, Chesterfield and Powhatan.

Learn more about his services by visiting his website: www.moralesfarrierservice.com

A Remedy for Toe Dragging

Good morning! Today we're bringing you a remedy for toe dragging known as the Toe Cap Shoe Modification.

Many horses drag their hind feet due to laziness, injury, or fatigue. This can damage the hoof wall and cause lameness if the horse damages sensitive structures within the foot. A simple modification, called a toe cap can help prevent further wear at the toe, and allow the horse to remain in work without doing further damage and in some cases, even allow for the wall to be grown out and restored to optimal length.

This is a good example of needing a toe cap:

This horse is in training to pull a carriage for a living and when fatigued drags its toes behind. Drew Morales decided to apply the toe caps and had good success with them. These modifications will hopefully be short term, as its muscles strengthen it will most likely engage its hind end more and not need these toe cap shoes. However, until then Drew prefers to have it continue to work without damaging its hooves. This is just a small example of how a simple shoe modification can make a big difference and help horses keep going. 

Check out the hoof after a 5-week cycle! The foot looks much healthier in the toe and excessive wear was considerably minimized.

Drew Morales of Morales Farrier Service offers a variety of services to keep your horse's feet sound and healthy including: Trims, Front Shoes, Full Sets of Shoes, Equi-Pak Pour-in pads, Glue on horseshoes, Therapeutic horseshoes and Corrective horseshoes to name a few. Drew can also create custom horseshoes to suit your horse's individual needs. Located in Richmond, VA, Morales Farrier Service serves the Eastern Virginia area including Richmond, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Chester, Chesterfield and Powhatan.

Learn more about his services by visiting his website: www.moralesfarrierservice.com

Finding The Right Farrier

As a horse owner, finding a reputable, reliable and educated farrier is of utmost importance. A farrier does much more than just shoe your horse, he is responsible for accurately assessing your horse's gaits, addressing any pathological problems and keeping your horse sound. In today's blog we're bringing you an important article published by TheHorse.com that gives horse owners great advice in finding the right farrier for your horse.

Read the full article HERE!

Drew Morales of Morales Farrier Service offers a variety of services to keep your horse's feet sound and healthy including: Trims, Front Shoes, Full Sets of Shoes, Equi-Pak Pour-in pads, Glue on horseshoes, Therapeutic horseshoes and Corrective horseshoes to name a few. Drew can also create custom horseshoes to suit your horse's individual needs. Located in Richmond, VA, Morales Farrier Service serves the Eastern Virginia area including Richmond, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, Chesapeake and Suffolk.

Learn more about his services by visiting his website: www.moralesfarrierservice.com

Corrective Shoeing: What Is It?

Good afternoon! 

Today we're bringing you an interesting read about corrective shoeing written by Kirk Adkins of the Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis. The article delves into the complexity of corrective shoeing and therapeutic shoeing. It's important to understand the differences not only as a farrier, but as a horse owner as well. Both types of shoeing require your farrier to fully understand either the conformation flaw or the disease or injury your horse has endured in order to create a successful shoeing experience. 

Handmade barshoes created by Drew Morales for a horse with navicular bone lesions

Check out the full article HERE! 

Drew Morales of Morales Farrier Service offers both corrective and therapeutic shoeing and is committed to creating custom horseshoes to keep your horse happy and comfortable. Located in Richmond, VA, Morales Farrier Service serves the Eastern Virginia area including Richmond, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, Chesapeake and Suffolk. Learn more about his services by visiting his website: www.moralesfarrierservice.com