At times I will grind relief into an area. Duplicating the wear the horse might create. Some horses really like the wear patterns they create. A wear pattern that they like behaves different than normal wear on a hoof without pathology present and seems to be fairly stable wearing at the rate of the other areas on the shoe. It would be unusual for me to grind at the toe. Excessive toe wear generally calls for increased breakover and unless the breakover point is moved back grinding the toe will not give benefits. We have an interesting shoe called the "Profile Hind" that simulates a thick hind that has gone thru some wear. Some horses really like it.
Lite horses I'll reset once drafts I reset as many times as possible. I always charge the same reset or not. It's the same amount of work either way.
But material costs are different. A set of Kercks here is over $20. That's why the flat fee model is not common in NZ.
1. If I do refit, I knock off the cost of the shoes, so there is no monetary incentive to refit. 2. I don't like cleaning up old shoes. Takes just as much time and effort as fitting new. 3. New shoes leave a more pleasing finish. 4. Whilst lots of the shoes that I remove seem to have plenty of life in them from the ground surface, they invariably have wear on the foot surface. I don't see the point in making an effort to create a nice smooth foot and then fitting a rough shoe. This shoe had been on just under 7 weeks: Plenty of life left in it... but this is what the heels looked like: so I wouldn't refit it.
Unbalanced how? That shoe is worn the same on both heels, so it doesn't seem that medio-lateral balance is the issue, and upright and low heeled horses wear 'em at like that too, so I don't know what I could 're-balance' to stop it. I just put it down to sandy soil
I have charged the same for new and resets for a few years now. It makes the shoes mine as my fee is only "service", it makes the decision as to what to do, (reset or not), mine, thus eliminated all of the nonsense. I never use "found" old shoes.
I have a lot of sandy soil in my area but most of my shod horses don't leave heel prints in the shoes like that.
I guess that proves it. I am a very bad farrier. I never take a shoe off that doesn't have those wear marks on the heels. The longer the shoes were on, the deeper the marks. Do you use a lot of titanium shoes Tom? Regards
I used to have heel tracks in everything I shod when I was shoeing everything perimeter fit to the toe.
IMO a foot should wear evenly on it's bearing surface whether it is bare or shod. Less anterior toe leverage means less GRF on the heels. I try to get equal GRF distribution over the entire bearing surface of the wall. When I pull the shoes I want to be trimming an equal amount from the wall all the way around - just like I would expect on a barefoot horse. My goal is a baseline of growth and wear that are even. Usually I get that. When I don't, I've learned to look for a problem somewhere - maybe subclinical, maybe I need to watch the horse go and make adjustments. Also, I don't think it is possible to run 6 to 8 weeks between shoeing appointments and not have heel tracks in the shoe. I run a 5 week cycle, always have done this. Push my schedule out 2 weeks and I expect to see heel tracks - foot is too long.
Hey, I didnt say I agreed with it but it was discussed by one of the regulars that ain't even on this site unless "that person" is creepin on us..or trolling I think they call it? I have some that leave the tracks other do not?
I'm not disagreeing with ya Tom I shoe everything here on a 3 to 5 week schedule but I'm paid a salary so its different to at home but you must have a lot of wealthy owners over there to charge the prices you guys charge and shoe them at 5 week intervals, that's a hefty yearly shoeing bill. I know before someone says it that it might be cheaper in the long run but in the Ireland the vast majority just wouldn't agree.
the term i use is 'channelling'. for the most part(s) and most cases-fronts, channelling in one heel, a balance problem. Channelling in both heels, a coffin joint problem. Channelling in the heels up into the qrts, bad fetlocks. disclaimer- empirial experiences of my own, not to be used in proceedures to forte' lameness issues
Would that go along with kinda in a round about way with tom Jaye...in other words you helping the issues at hand but foot gets long and issues show up in the channling...in other words if you pulled the shoes on horses with those issues at two weeks or three would the channiling be still be there..??. Just question..never looked at it those ways..interesting ..learn something every day or atleast food for thought..