Monday, June 19, 2017

Shoeing the Off-The-Track Thoroughbred

Good afternoon!

Thoroughbreds are notorious for not having the best feet. They can easily become brittle and crack easily, which makes them even more prone to throwing shoes. In today's blog we're featuring an article written by Jen Roytz that takes a deeper look into these hoof issues and how farriers and horse owners alike can guarantee their horses are receiving the best hoof care possible.

"Most modern-day Thoroughbreds' walls are thin, their feet tend to be on the brittle side, and many of them have a graduated heel, meaning one front hoof will grow heel more than the other during a shoeing cycle.”


To learn more, please 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.

To learn more about Drew and his services, please visit his website at www.moralesfarrierservice.com

Monday, June 12, 2017

Shoeing The Sport Horse

Good morning!

Today's blogs features an important topic - shoeing the sport horse. When it comes to shoeing dressage horses, hunter and jumper horses and eventers, each of them require a different set of needs, with balance being a high priority.

Scott Gregory explains, "All horses should be trimmed with a well-balanced foot and smooth edges. This is an absolute necessity for any horse, but especially an active one. Many lameness issues are affected by the trim."




Learn more about the specifics of shoeing each type of sport horse by reading 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.

To learn more about Drew and his services, please visit his website at www.moralesfarrierservice.com

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

10 Hoof Care Tips To Keep Your Horse's Hooves Healthy and Strong

Good afternoon!

Today's blog features an article that you should keep on hand at the barn. Practical Horseman published an article titled "10 Hoof Care Tips To Keep Your Horse's Hooves Healthy and Strong" that gives horse owners basic tips to avoid silly ailments. The tips including different issues to look for when picking out your horse's feet, alternative turn-out ideas, and ideas on how to protect your horse's hooves during hauling. To read the full article, please click 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.

To learn more about Drew and his services, please visit his website at www.moralesfarrierservice.com

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Senior Horse Hoof Care

Good afternoon!

As horses age, it's still important that they continue to receive regular attention from their farrier. Yes, older horses' hooves may grow more slowly, but that doesn't mean you should skip farrier visits. It's important to remember that hooves grow quicker at the toe than the heel, so any neglect will cause stress on the tendons and other joints. For older horses, this can be especially uncomfortable.

Kentucky Equine Research recently published an article that's a super great read, especially for senior horse owners. The article gives some good tips on how to keep an arthritic horse comfortable during an appointment and even dives into some nutrition tips that help their hooves healthy.

To learn more, please 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.

To learn more about Drew and his services, please visit his website at www.moralesfarrierservice.com



Monday, May 22, 2017

Teaching a Horse to Accept the Farrier

Good afternoon!

For some horses, a farrier appointment is full of fear and anxiety. They're difficult to hold and keep calm making the experience a traumatic one for the horse and a stressful one for the owner and farrier. Today's article features important and useful tips to make this necessary task an easier one.

As a farrier it's important recognize subtle signs as they're a predictor for how the horse will react. Watch for tension in their belly and stress in their eyes. Take it slow, and if you see the horse you're working on is becoming agitated, move them so they can shift their focus.

As owners, be sure to spend some time around your horse's legs, picking up their hooves and holding them for a bit of time and even simulate rasp movements. You want your horse to be comfortable with their legs being touched and played with.

"In the end my goal is for horses to allow anyone, in any area, to pick up and handle their hooves for cleaning, doctoring, trimming, rasping, nailing and even hot shoeing. With my young horses I focus on these basics and include them in every session. If I’m riding, for example, each time I dismount I walk around and pick up all four hooves and hold them for a bit. When possible, I simulate rasp strokes and even the pounding of the nails by tapping their hooves with my hands." 

To read the full article, please click 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.

To learn more about Drew and his services, please visit his website at www.moralesfarrierservice.com


Monday, May 15, 2017

What Does Shoe Wear Reveal?

Good morning!

Today's blog features an important article for both farriers and horse owners. Shoe wear can be contributed to a number of different factors and it's important to understand what they are as shoe wear patterns can determine future potential health issues.

Sarah Evers Conrad notes a few factors that can affect shoe wear:


  • Arena footing or turnout surface
  • Shoe material
  • Conformation and way of going
  • Ongoing medical problems
  • Shoe tightness
  • Saddle fit 
Learn more about these factors and how you and farrier can work together as a team to notice these subtle changes by reading 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.

To learn more about Drew and his services, please visit his website at www.moralesfarrierservice.com


Monday, May 8, 2017

Uniform Sole Thickness

Good afternoon! 

Today's blog brings to light the importance of uniform sole thickness explained by the Director of Research for the American Farriers Association, Michael Savoldi. 

Savoldi writes, "Uniform sole thickness (UST) defines the plane of the hoof capsule. That is to say, the sole, at each point of connection to the hoof wall is of equal thickness from heel to toe. When uniform sole thickness is not maintained, adverse changes occur." 


This is an extremely important concept for horse owners to be aware of and to continually discuss with their farrier. There is MUCH more on this topic so please be sure to 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.

To learn more about Drew and his services, please visit his website at www.moralesfarrierservice.com


Monday, May 1, 2017

The Glue-On Shoe

Good afternoon! 

There are many misconceptions about glue-on horseshoes that may sway a horse owner to look over these shoes when they may actually work well with their particular horse. These shoes don't fall off easily, are actually easy to apply and aren't only for lame horses. Drew Morales of Morales Farrier Service uses this type of shoe where he sees fit on a horse-by-horse basis. 


Sound Horse Technologies published an article titled "The Glue-On Shoe" that address many of these misconceptions and brings to light how useful these shoes actually can be, especially for performance horses. To learn more, please click 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.

To learn more about Drew and his services, please visit his website at www.moralesfarrierservice.com

Monday, April 24, 2017

When Should You Call Your Farrier?

Good afternoon!

Being a horse owner requires having an open line of communication with your farrier and knowing when it's appropriate to give them a call. Of course, when in doubt it is always better to be safe than sorry but today's featured article courtesy of Chronicle of the Horse helps horse owners to break down a few common hoof issues to know when you may need your farrier to make an impromptu visit to your farm.



Some of the common issues discussed in the article include:

- Scheduling an appointment before your next big show

- A tweaked show (that always seems to happen before a show, on a holiday or weekend!)

- Potential abscess

- Cracked hoof

Read the full article HERE for some great advice!

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.

To learn more about Drew and his services, please visit his website at www.moralesfarrierservice.com

Monday, April 17, 2017

The Lowdown on Laminitis

Good afternoon!

Today we're bringing you an important article for all horse owners to keep on hand at their barn about laminitis. Laminitis affects many horses year after year, but with proper care from your veterinarian and farrier, this health issue can be at least maintained and even prevented. Be sure to check out today's article for useful tips that can be referenced if you believe your horse is having a laminitic episode and ways to prevent the next one. It's important to note that your veterinarian and your farrier play a very important role is solving your horse's case and should work together to put together a plan that suits your horse best. 

Nicole Kitchener of Horse Canada writes, "Beyond correcting foundational hoof problems, continued therapeutic shoeing and monitoring involves supporting the laminae, promoting more weight bearing on the back of the hoof and moving the break over from back from the toe. To achieve these results, farriers use a number of different trimming techniques to great success as well as various shoes such as reverse and heart bar shoes. Plastic shoes are also used, even plywood clogs."


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.

To learn more about Drew and his services, please visit his website at www.moralesfarrierservice.com

Monday, April 10, 2017

A Farrier's Role in a Horse's Health

Good afternoon!

Today we're bringing you a very important and useful blog post that features the important role that farriers play in horse's daily lives. Healthy hooves result in a horse that is performance ready.

Jason Maki of the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences writes, "Farriers manage and provide protection for horse hooves,” he said. “Protection for the hoof is frequently a steel shoe which is formed and fit to the horse’s trimmed foot. The hoof also grows over time and often does not wear evenly or enough to allow the horse to remain comfortable. Thus, farriers trim excess growth and restore the hoof to a functional form."


It's important to find a farrier that you can trust and rely on. Maki notes that as a horse owner trying to find a reputable farrier, check in with your veterinarian first as they should have a few on their list. It's also important to check in with other horse owners in the area. Although farriers don't need to be licensed or certified, it's important that you know that they are experienced in their craft from multiple recommendations.

To learn more, 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.

To learn more about Drew and his services, please visit his website at www.moralesfarrierservice.com





Monday, April 3, 2017

Insect Control Product Comparison

Good afternoon!

With warmer weather fast approaching it's time to start thinking about proper insect control for your horse. Thankfully, there are many products out there today that come in many different forms to keep your horse happy and comfortable. Today we're bringing you an article out of Doctors Foster and Smith that provides a handy insect control comparison chart to find the best product for your horse.


"At their most basic, each prevents your horse from being bothered or bitten. But more importantly, each may also help prevent the spread of dangerous equine diseases, including West Nile Virus, equine encephalitis, Lyme disease, and other diseases communicable via insects."

Find the full article HERE! Find the product comparison chart 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.

To learn more about Drew and his services, please visit his website at www.moralesfarrierservice.com

Monday, March 27, 2017

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

Monday, March 20, 2017

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


Monday, March 13, 2017

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

Monday, March 6, 2017

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

Monday, February 27, 2017

Welcome!

Good afternoon!

Welcome to the new blog of Morales Farrier Service, located in Richmond, Virginia. Drew Morales of Morales Farrier Service is a full-service certified Journeyman farrier that specializes in handmade and custom horseshoes. He serves the Eastern Virginia area including Richmond, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, Chesapeake and Suffolk.

Your horse and their comfort is the top priority of Morales Farrier Service along with superior customer service.


Services include:
  • Trims
  • Front Shoes
  • Full Set of Shoes 
  • Aluminum Shoes 
  • Stud Holes
  • Pads
  • Equi-Pak Pour-In Pads
  • Glue on Horseshoes 
  • Lost Shoe Replacements 
  • Therapeutic Shoeing
  • Corrective Shoeing 
Contact Drew Morales directly to schedule your first appointment at 520-331-6678! Please visit our website for more information! www.moralesfarrierservice.com