it's because I didn't get into vet school I wanted to be a surgeon and diagnosis lame horses and work on the feet on racehorses and other zoo and marine animals my heros are Jane Goodall (chimpazees) and Diane Fossey (Gorillas) with Jack Hannah/ and the old series Wild Kingdom. but when 1 door closes; another 1 opens
I'd quit while your ahead Linda!!! High IQ but couldn't get into vet school. Sounds a little fishy to me.
She didn't apply herself plus in the old days the class would be 90% male with those token females unlike today where it's 98% female
If the horse respects me, I respect the horse. I begin with the lowest form of discipline necessary and go from there.
My aunt went to vet school although her IQ must have not been to good since she dropped out the last semester. My vet met his wife in vet school she was his professor. Another friend of mine just sold her vet practice and retired. All are about Linda's age. Just like anything in life your only limited by how much work you want to put in to achieve your goals.
After having read my reply to this w/o being "under the infuence", I might be inclined to say that my work is most likely to be average compared to most others. I like to see good mechanics and a job that looks "good". Doesn't mean perfect, though we all strive to shoe like you Smitty.
My average work is not all to do with the set of shoes on the foot. There are many ways for the day to pass well, very few customers would be able to spot the subtle differences of a show job or a tidy average job. Nail and finish is our shop window, Steven Beane was saying in the forge mag this month that allow more time for that and waste less time else where. A well trimmed frog is also an easy part of the job and can still be in an average job, customers notice it. A little time being nice about the horse to the owner keeps them happy to. I always oil the feet when finished, for two reasons, one it looks a nice touch and 2 it saves having to make the foot all one colour with the rasp
Agreed David that's what I was really asking in a way from the complete trim to the last stroke of the rasp before you drop the foot
my average is 8o% .. idont try be a hero.. just do good job so horse is gomfy ant shoes stay on 7vecks..
Besides the obvious of proper trimming and shoe fit, the few things I try and do are checking toe lengths with calipers, getting rasp marks out with a finish file, using a gouge rather than a rasp under my clinches, making sure heels are boxed. I also like to go around the outside edge of the shoe very lightly with the grinder just to make it shiny and look nice. Hoof putty on some, also hit the clinches and hoof wall with emery cloth. The little things I try and put into a job are mostly cosmetic but have really set me apart from all the cowboys and hacks around here. Oh and hot shoeing. I shoe every horse hot. There's only one other guy around here who does that.
Yes, I do all this too. Plus I often inlay gemstones in the clips, if it is a mare. On the geldings and stallions, I do pin striping. But I do it all in only 45 minutes, not the hour you said it takes you in another thread. Regards
Yes Rick it takes me about an hour. I mean unless I break out the gemstones, then it's a little longer.