AMD Farrier Services / Melissa's Forge & Farrier Services

11/30/2021

The blood vascular system of the hoof... I just can’t get over how intricate it is ♥️

11/23/2021

10 handy facts about lameness

1. A forelimb lameness is identified by looking for the head nod. The head will go up when the lame limb hits the ground and down when the sound limb hits the ground. It is easier to notice the 'head nod', therefore when the head nods, it is the opposite leg that is lame.

2. Check for heat and a pulse. Inflammation brings blood to the area.

3. A horse with arthritic wear and tear (common in older horses), will often get better as he goes, which is known as 'warming out of it'. The lameness will usually be less obvious after a few minutes. Additionally he will often be worse on hard ground (tarmac) in comparison to the ménage. This is due to more concussion on his joints.

4. A horse with soft tissue damage will often get worse as he goes and is often lamer on a soft surface (ménage), as the tissue such as an affected tendon or ligament is being stretched more than it would be on a hard surface with no give.

5. A horse with bilateral forelimb lameness will be harder to detect as the head nod will now be apparent when both limbs hit the ground. However he will show a shorter cranial phase (his forelimbs will not come out very far from underneath him resulting in a 'choppy' gait).

6. If you are struggling to detect lameness get the Slo-Pro app for your mobile phone and record your horse. This will slow everything down until you train your eye into detecting lameness.

7. A hind limb lameness is more difficult to detect. If you watch the horse trotting away from you, the lame leg usually has more movement at the hip. It helps to attach white sticky tape to both hip bones to make this more obvious to the eye.

8. Putting a horse on a circle (lungeing), often shows up a forelimb and hindlimb lameness more easily.

9. If the horse looks lame on one limb, but has a stronger pulse in the opposite limb, it is usually because the sound limb has taken more weight to allow pressure relief of the affected limb.

10. A horse can look completely sound without a rider, and then almost three legged once someone is on board. Therefore if your getting a feeling that something just isn't quite right, do not just jog him up on the straight or on the lunge and assume all is well.

** Shoeing/trimming intervals should be kept as short as possible. Studies have shown that as the toe grows, the foot 'shoots' forward (long toes, low heel), putting excess strain on the flexor tendons. If your horse always looks slightly 'off' just prior to shoeing, then this is a very probable cause and it may be worth shortening your shoeing cycle.

As a horse owner, developing an eye for lameness is one of the greatest skills you can learn. This will not only allow you to have your horse treated more quickly, but will hopefully nip smaller issues in the bud before they escalate into far bigger ones.

E. J Westwood.

10/24/2021

Twelve facts from my new book The Hoof of the Horse. Each one of these statements represents a chapter in upcoming book.

Pre-order your copy of the new book here: curtisfarrierbooks.com
The first 100 books ordered will be signed. USA pre-orders please contact horsescience.com

09/28/2021

05/06/2021

Ready for tomorrow! And time to go put the chicken (her name is Pali - as in palomino coloured chicken lol) back in the coop!

05/05/2021

AJs helper this evening while building some shoes for horses tomorrow! She’s a Bantam Buff Plymouth Rock 🐓

04/18/2021

Good Day Clients!

We wanted to send out a notice to remind everyone that we are getting very close to the arrival of our first baby! Melissa’s due date is May 18, which is just 4 weeks away now! We are very excited for this new chapter in our lives and we cannot thank you all, our wonderful clients, enough for your continued support throughout!

We wanted to cover some house keeping things as we near the date! We are sure we’ve talked about this in person, but just in case and as a reminder, here we go!

First - For those that do not know already, we have hired our fellow farrier, Abby Dekalb, who has been working with us since December, to help us cover Melissa’s clients and to help AJ with the extra busy days. She is great and we are happy to have her as a part of the team!

Second - As we near the due date, we know that “due date” is not an exact date! So we ask for your patience as we may have to do a bit of juggling and rescheduling as Abby and AJ fit everyone in, and as our new bundle of joy arrives!

Third - We have had people ask about a registry. Please feel no obligation, but for those that asked or would like, this is the link to our registry on Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/baby-reg/ajmelissa-mastalerz-may-2021-mallorytown/3LAGPBAD5GA0V

Thank you all so much again for your continued love and support!

AJ + Melissa

05/05/2020

Back story: This horse presented 2/5 lame in the RF. Vet/Farrier appointment for diagnostics was booked. When the RF was blocked, horse presented lame on the LF. When LF was also blocked horse presented sound. Xrays showed nothing out of sorts but needed the toe backed up a bit more. Diagnosis by vet was “caudal heel pain”. We are starting out simple with a solid trim, rolled toe, and some lateral support and then we will go from there. We like to keep things simple and we can always add more if needed.

03/12/2020

AJ built this pair of shoes at the horse today for a large pony with slight navicular changes. Omnidirectional break-over, and a slight graduation from toe to heel (wedge).

03/09/2020

Progressive stretching and strengthening exercises that target specific muscles and ligaments can keep this important joint in peak condition.