Some horses have crooked legs. Some of these horses become lame because of the deformatity. Other horses seem to learn how to “get along” with the deviated limb and though it is unsightly, the horse doesn’t seem to be affected. Farriers are often called upon to work on these crooked-legged horses. There are some factors […]
Last week, I interviewed and wrote about Martha Crawford Cantarini. She mentioned how her horsemanship skills were influenced by Ed Connell. She said, “Ed Connell was without a doubt, one of, if not the finest horseman California ever produced.” Ed Connell was born in 1900 in Livermore, California. He went on to become a great […]
Horsemanship is such a vital part of being a skilled farrier. In order to be successful at horseshoeing, farriers need to learn how to get along with the horse. When a farrier attempts to do the job without empathizing with the horse, there is inevitably trouble. To learn horsemanship, farriers should study the work and […]
Winston Churchill is credited with the famous quote, “There’s something about the outside of a horse that’s good for the inside of a man.” In recent years, the medical and psychology fields have been proving that statement to be true. Although it is not new, equine therapy has gained a lot of attention and popularity […]
When it comes to diseases of the horse’s foot, keratoma is not as scary as it sounds. Literally, keratoma means a tumor (-oma) in the hoof wall (keratin). Tumor can sound intimidating, but most of the time these growths are benign and don’t cause pain. In instances where the horse is sound and does not […]
Farriers and veterinarians alike have (or should have) the horse’s welfare in mind. We do our best to make horses comfortable and would never purposefully harm a horse. We want the horse to be safe. We want the horse to be healthy. We do not want the horse to hurt! It would be nice if […]
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 […]
The average life expectancy of a horse is around twenty-five or thirty years of age. One year of horse age is comparable to 3 years of human age. In other words a 25 year old horse would be comparable to a 75 year old human and a 30 year old horse would be comparable to […]
Horses’ hooves grow down from the coronary band to the ground at a rate of 1/4 to 3/8 inch per month (Butler 1976). At this rate, it takes approximately 8 months to a year for the horse to grow an entirely new hoof. When a horse injures itself near the coronary band, the evidence of […]
These last few weeks, I have been working in the tractor in the field to make hay. Cutting fields and baling hay can be fun…when everything works properly. However, there is a lot of time devoted to dealing with “breakdowns.” A part on the baler fails, a cutter bar wears out on the swather, a […]
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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