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

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

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

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

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