The Hoof Print - Birett Farrier Service

The Hoof Print
February 2010
Produced by Greg Birett Farrier Services
News Bytes
HST coming to Ontario
As many of you already
know, Ontario will be
introducing the
Harmonized Sales Tax
(HST) on July 1, 2010.
This new tax combines
the PST and GST,
making tax on most
purchases and
transactions 13%.
Unfortunately for those
involved with horses, you
will be seeing an increase
in many items and
services (including farrier
services) that previously
only charged the GST.
Payment Alternative
Please be advised that
I am now able to accept
email money transfers
(from all major banks) for
bill payments. Anyone
interested in this alternate
form of payment may
contact me at
gbirett@hotmail.com.
Greg Birett, CF
7 Longyear Drive
Waterdown ON L0R 2H5
905-320-2875
www.ontariofarrier.com
gbirett@hotmail.com
Greetings from
Greg...
I’m pleased to share with you the first
edition of my newsletter, The Hoof Print.
It is my intention to share information
with my clients and associates through
this newsletter twice a year. Any
feedback, suggestions or ideas for
future newsletters are welcomed and
appreciated.
As many of you know, I recently went to
Ohio for a week of cutting-edge
educational seminars and training at the
International Hoof-Care Summit. This
was an amazing experience and
opportunity that allowed me to learn
about new techniques, get familiar with
new products, share ideas with farriers
from around the world and review
everyday tasks of the job. I participated
in such workshops as: Shoeing Around
The Birett Family:
the Coffin Joint, Guidelines for Trimming
Greg, Sandy, Shard & Stacey
Photo by:
the Equine Foot, Making A More
Jessica
Nardi,
wedding
& equine photographer
Effective Examination of the Foot,
Practical Approaches to Treating and Preventing Chronic Heel & Bar Abscesses,
Understanding the Mechanical Formula of the Foot, How Conformation
Determines Movement, Hoof-Care Strategies: Tried, True and New, and many
more!
Unfortunately, my trip to Ohio did have one negative aspect: technology. As the
saying goes, “technology is great – when it works.” To my surprise and
disappointment I returned to Canada to learn that my cell phone provider had
disabled my voicemail instead of enabling my automatic voicemail and out of the
country coverage. I apologize to any of you that may have been trying to reach
me during this time and can assure you that I did indeed provide a greeting
indicating my absence and providing my assistant Anthony’s contact information.
Poor Anthony was left wondering why he didn’t get any calls! Needless to say, my
cell phone provider heard from me when I got back. Again, my apologies to
anyone this impacted.
On another note, the days seem to be getting a bit longer and that means that
season is just around the corner. That being said, some of you may be
considering switching to aluminum shoes and if so, I encourage you to read the
information enclosed on steel vs aluminum. While many of you will be
Continued on page 2
The Hoof Print
Produced by Greg Birett Farrier Services
Greetings from Greg...
Continued from page 1
competing, others such as Parish Ridge, Iron Horse and
Fox Run Stables will be hosting shows and I wish all of you
success in these endeavours. Remember not to stress too
much over the show season and simply enjoy it.
Also coming soon is the Ontario Farrier’s Association’s
(OFA) annual conference. I’m looking forward to
attending this year’s event and hopefully participating in a
special learning experience whereby we are able to dissect
a horse. In speaking with the current OFA President, Tim
Koelln, I’ve been asked to take a seat of the OFA Board of
Directors again and look forward to further serving the horse
community through this position.
In closing, I hope you find this newsletter enjoyable and
informative, and as I mentioned, any feedback is
appreciated.
Cheers,
Greg Birett, CF
Just for a Laugh
An Irishman moves into a tiny hamlet in County Kerry, walks into the pub,and
promptly orders three beers. The bartender raises his eyebrows but serves the
man three beers, which he drinks quietly at a table alone.
An hour later the man has finished the three beers and orders three more. This
happens yet again. The next evening the man again orders and drinks three
beers at a time, several times. Soon the entire town is whispering about the
“Man Who Orders Three Beers.”
Finally, a week later, the bartender broaches the subject on behalf of the town.
“I don’t mean to pry, but folks around here are wondering why you always order
three beers?”
“Tis odd, isn’t it?” the man replies. “You see, I have two brothers - one went
to America and the other to Australia. We promised each other that we would
always order an extra two beers whenever we drank as a way of keeping up the
family bond.”
The bartender and the whole town were pleased with this answer, and soon the
“Man Who Orders Three Beers” became a local celebrity and a source of pride
to the hamlet, even to the extent that out-of-towners would come to watch him
drink.
Then, one day, the man comes in and orders only two beers. The bartender
pours them with a heavy heart. This continues for the rest of the evening. He
orders only two beers. The word flies around town. Prayers are offered for the
soul of one of the brothers.
The next day, the bartender says to the man, “Folks around here, me first of all,
want to offer condolences to you for the death of your brother. You know, the
two beers and all.”
The man ponders this for a moment, then replies, “You’ll be happy to hear that
my two brothers are alive and well. It’s just that I, myself, have decided to give
up drinking for Lent.”
On the Mend
This horse came in from the paddock with a bad
quarter crack that tore his heel all the way up to the
coronary band. He required a heartbar shoe to take
pressure off the heel and displace the weight across
the frog. Happy to say he’s doing well.
The Hoof Print
Produced by Greg Birett Farrier Services
Steel vs Aluminum
As show season nears, some of you may be considering the switch from steel shoes to aluminum shoes. The
following provides some of the basic pros and cons of steel shoes vs aluminum.
STEEL
Traditional steel shoes are the most cost efficient
type of horseshoe. They wear well, even under
heavy use, and on average can be reset two or
three times before becoming worn out. Since
steel shoes can be heated and hot fit, this allows
the farrier to obtain a more precise and tight fit to
the horse’s hoof. Steel shoes also provide more
solid support to the horse, especially for larger or
heavier horses.
ALUMINUM
The interest in aluminum shoes is primarily based
on the difference in the horse’s movement. Due
to the lighter weight of aluminum, the horse
seems to move more naturally, without as much
knee action, which is especially sought after in
the hunter ring. The lighter weight also means
that horses will not fatigue as quickly. For horses
with thin walls, such as thoroughbreds, the
aluminum shoe can often provide better comfort
due to the light weight and the horse’s thin walls
Horses For Sale
Hunter Pony
Grey, eleven-year-old medium size pony. Auto leads,
passport, extremely easy to work with. Has shown
successfully in the hunter ring on the Trillium and ‘A’
Circuit. Asking $15,000. Call Melissa at 519-622-5378.
Quiet & Willing Youngster
Three-year-old TB/Paint cross. Quiet and easy going.
Does walk/trot/canter and started over small fences.
Currently 15.2 hh, should mature 15.3 hh. Asking
$7,500. Located at Rivermore Stables, Milton. For
more information, call Lise at 905-467-1481, or Annie
at 905-580-2664.
Bomb-Proof Gelding (Free Lease)
Dark bay 22-year-old 16 hh TB gelding, available for
free lease. Very quiet and bombproof. He’s done
hunter, dressage, eventing and many trail rides. Can
live inside or outside, gets along with mares and
geldings (always low in pecking order), does require
front shoes. Call Sue at 905-635-6517 or email
sueseymour@live.com.
tend to break less with aluminum. Of course, with every
benefit, there’s always a downside. The main drawback of
the aluminum shoe is the cost. The cost of each shoe is
approximately $10 more than traditional steel shoes and
since they aren’t as strong of a shoe, resets are very rare.
Typically new shoes are needed every six weeks.
A Horse to Suit Every Rider
Iron Horse Equestrian Centre has many horses currently for
sale. Green to seasoned hunter/jumper show horses
available.
For more info and photos, visit www.ironhorseequestrian.ca.
World Class Warmbloods
Black Lightning Horses has a vast selection of warmbloods
for sale ranging in age and training/show experience. All
horses are well-mannered and handled daily. For more
info and photos, visit www.blacklightninghorses.com.
Sweet Youngster
Very sweet and sensible two-year-old paint mare looking for
a caring home. Loves to be groomed and fussed over.
Expected to reach 15.1 - 15.2 hh. For more information and
other horses available, visit www.rideeverystride.com.
Companion Horse Needs a Home
Roan coloured, 12.2 hh, 28-year-old pony available as a
companion only. Has been a companion for his whole life.
Still has lots of life left in him. Can live inside or out, easy
keeper, gets along with mares and geldings. Does have
Cushings but will supply medication (easy to give to him).
Call Sue at 905-635-6517 or email sueseymour@live.com.
The Hoof Print
Produced by Greg Birett Farrier Services
Show Season Hoof Issues and
Topical Hoof Dressings
For some horses, the dry, hot weather in southern
Ontario during the late summer months can cause
serious problems with bruising, chipped and broken up
feet. People often ask what they can do in terms of hoof
dressings to apply, and ask me what can be done to
prevent this damage to their horse’s hoof walls.
It can be frustrating for owners and farriers when a horse
with relatively sound feet nine months out of the year,
ends up having problems growing healthy hoof wall and
gets chipped and brittle hooves during July, August and
September. The change of moisture seems to be a big
part of the problem. The horse’s feet dry out completely
in the dry dusty paddocks and sand rings, and then get
saturated when the horse is bathed, at the water trough,
in residual mud puddles left over from a summer rain,
etc. I think this cycle is what starts some of the cracking
around and below the nails, or at the bottom part of the
hoof wall.
All horses stamp their feet when the flies are biting their
ankles, and some are more sensitive to the flies than
others. If they’re stamping on concrete or hard surfaces,
there’s no way the shoe can stay tight for six weeks with
all that pounding. This just adds to the damage caused
by moisture fluctuations. Sometimes this constant concussion and deterioration of healthy hoof horn can lead
to bruising and inflammation.
Unfortunately, I haven’t seen enough significant
improvement with any conventional hoof dressings to
recommend a particular product or confidently
suggest a hoof paint and be able to say “this should fix
it”. Another farrier I know recommended a few years
back spraying apple cider vinegar on the sides and
bottom of the hoof during the summer months, and this
seems to be as effective as anything I’ve seen (also
much more cost efficient). My wife uses this treatment
on her thoroughbred, and her stable-mate uses it on
her little thoroughbred mare (who has paper thin hoof
walls), and they are both convinced the feet don’t dry
out as much in the summer.
The best way to retain a constant hoof moisture
balance and reduce concussion on hard and dry late
summer ground would be a plastic or leather pad in
between the hoof and shoe, packed with some type of
product designed for this purpose such as Forseners
hoof packing or Magic Cushion. Forseners is a time
honored hoof packing for adding moisture and keeping
hooves soft and flexible, and Magic Cushion (which is
what I use) is well known for it’s anti-inflammatory and
analgesic properties.
Pour in pads are also an effective way to keep a horse
comfortable when dealing with foot trauma. The
advantage of pour in pads is that there is no chance
of foreign material getting in between the foot and the
pad. The disadvantage is they can’t be re-used, and if
pads are required, the pour in pads need to be replaced
every time the horse is shod, at double the cost of the
regular pads.
A farrier with experience is always
looking for problems before they arise,
especially during the busy summer show
season, when things can turn bad in a
hurry. Don’t be afraid to ask questions of
your coach, your farrier, or your vet, and
hopefully you’ll enjoy a problem free
season with your horse competing at the
best of his/her ability.