Saw a guy at a clinic try to use a 15 degree shoe on a horse with a collapsed heel and wanted to scream

I was waiting for my turn at the vet clinic last Tuesday and this younger farrier was talking to the vet about a horse with a collapsed heel. Dude straight up said he was gonna slap a 15 degree wedge on it. I held my tongue but man, that's just asking for more problems. The heel needs support not elevation in that case right? Has anyone else run into stuff like that where you just wanna step in but it's not your client?

4 comments

4 Comments

king.eric1mo ago

Saw a similar thing happen at a barn I was visiting last month, a guy was trimming a foundered pony and just kept taking off toe like it was no big deal. Didn't even look at the x-rays the owner had, just started grinding away. I wanted to say something but it wasn't my horse and the owner seemed fine with it. Ended up just walking away and muttering to myself about it for the rest of the day. The worst part is when you see bad work and you know the horse is gonna suffer for it later. Makes me wonder how many times the vet has to fix what the farrier messes up.

smith.nancy1mo ago

I started bringing my own x-rays to show what proper angle looks like. Changed everything.

karencampbell1mo ago

Wow, I read a study once that said most lameness issues in horses trace back to bad trimming or shoeing work. Bringing your own x-rays is genius, it is crazy how many guys just eyeball it and hope for the best.

ben_lewis1mo ago

Wait is it really that serious though? I mean I get that bad shoeing can cause problems but a lot of horses just get along fine even with a farrier who isnt perfect. My buddy's mare has been trimmed by the same guy for ten years and shes never had a lameness issue even though the guy definitely isn't checking x-rays every time.