Farrier Nigel Brown has been running his own farriery business in Abergavenny, South Wales since qualifying in 1997. He is an Approved Training Farrier, and frequently participates in shoeing and shoemaking competitions. Nigel is a regular member of the Welsh International team. Here he shares his experiences of shoeing Oscar, a horse who came to him with his feet in a very poor condition.

Horse: Oscar
Age: 9 years old
Height: 16.2hh
Breed: Thoroughbred
Sex: Gelding

History:
Previously trained as a racehorse, Oscar came to Sarah in a relatively poor condition. Taken on as a ‘project’ and to give him an opportunity in a second career Sarah was concerned his feet were not showing signs of improvement and Oscar was frequently sore and uncomfortable.

Appointment Three:
Oscar’s third appointment followed his second after an interval of five weeks. The feet looked good and strong with the clenches still down and tight (see images below). A shoeing cycle of four to five weeks has been advised for Oscar, taking into consideration his conformation and current hoof condition – it is often a misconception that whilst the clenches are down and the shoes are tight with the feet ‘looking alright’ the shoes do not need to be replaced or refitted; unfortunately this is not always the case. The feet are trimmed and balanced at the time of shoeing but throughout the shoeing cycle hoof growth and wear on the shoes lead to them becoming unbalanced. Your farrier should advise an appropriate shoeing cycle taking into consideration the horse’s hoof quality and condition and the work it is doing. Whilst tempting to increase the shoeing cycle and putting off the next appointment it can reverse improvement made and damage to the foot caused by worn or loose shoes can set progress back by months. It is easier to work on a foot that is strong and with the shoe intact than it is with one that has been unnecessarily worn or is broken up.

Oscar’s shoes were removed and feet trimmed with both fronts and hinds showing improvement in shape and horn quality. The abscessing in the outside heels of the hind feet has improved and the bars of the foot are starting to reform. This in turn is making the heels stronger and less sore in the back third of the foot, encouraging a better stance behind. When we first started shoeing Oscar his front and hind feet were pitched underneath him with his hinds under his stomach. As the picture shows, he is now standing out behind (if a little behind vertical in this image) and overall muscle tone is improving. This improvement in the way he is standing has gained relief to the back part of his hind foot allowing improved blood flow in this area which in turn will help to encourage healthy hoof growth.

Oscar was shod with new shoes all round as per the previous appointment; having kept the feet in good condition since the last appointment meant that we were able to have strong nail placement and good clenches.