Doug Bradbury of Derbyshire, England (pronounced Darbyshire) recently passed away. I had the privilege of meeting him at the Sunderland Draft Horse Farrier Conference in September 21, 1987. It was at that conference I was introduced to Her Royal Highness Princess Ann. Later I was able to travel to Hereford Technical College, having previously obtained […]
To be successful, you have to do the right things. Education is required to learn the right things. When you are a teacher, the greatest pay you can receive is to see your students succeed. Basic farrier skill training is still in great demand. It appears that many today have gotten away from perfecting basic skills […]
I hope everyone has the privilege of being taught by a great teacher. If you haven’t, you have missed one of life’s great experiences. Much of what I know and was motivated to learn came from my association with great teachers. What makes a great teacher? How can we identify them? How can we please […]
Trimming and shoeing a horse’s foot can be a stressful experience to the careful beginner. No one wants to intentionally harm the horse. In order to gain more confidence about trimming the hoof, a farrier must learn what is inside the foot. Just like any good mechanic understands what is under the hood of the car […]
Draft or heavy horse shoeing is different from light horseshoeing. Draft horses move slowly. They often pull heavy loads. They are heavy and their feet need more protection than light horses. They are very strong, and though they are often gentle for most work, they sometimes resist shoeing. A heavier, thicker stock shoe is required […]
Only about 10% of snakes native to the U. S. are poisonous. Most of these are in the West and South. However, rattlesnakes are found in all the lower 48 states except Maine. Australia has the most poisonous snakes, spiders, scorpions, and jellyfish. Several hundred horses are bitten annually by poisonous snakes in the U. […]
Often farriers are asked about the rings on the horse’s foot. They have the potential of giving us twelve months of information about a horse’s health. Visible rings indicate there has been some disturbance in the metabolism of the horse affecting the keratinization of the hoof. The indentation or ring is formed sometime before it […]
Each one of us needs to face the fact that we are not going to live forever. We don’t know when our number will be up. Are you prepared for this eventuality? Are you at peace with yourself and your God? Have you conveyed your feelings of affection to those that are close to you? […]
Driving horseshoe nails accurately, consistently and safely is a difficult task for the beginner. Some persons have abandoned horseshoeing altogether and become barefoot advocates because of their lack of confidence and skill in this area. It’s sort of like throwing out the baby with the bath. There are times when nothing but nailing on shoes […]
By Doug Butler PhD, CJF, FWCF Recently, as I was searching through my extensive collection of horseshoes I came across a shoe made for Kello-Bask, a yearling Arabian colt that I shod from 1967 to 1970. At the time of his first shoeing I had just been hired to teach farrier skills to students and […]
Butler Professional Horseshoeing School
495 Table Road
Crawford, NE 69339
(800) 728-3826
jacob@dougbutler.com
If you think you want to become a farrier (or know someone who does), this book can help you make that decision. Horse owners will learn the importance of choosing a qualified farrier and how to select the “right” one.
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