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Shoeing horse that hit their knees, shins, pasterns or cross fire (part 2)
Article written and published in the NZ Harness Racing Weekly
When a horse drives through and hits the opposite shin on the splint bone with his opposite front hoof, you will find that he generally has a straight pastern angle and is a daisy-cutting type pacer.
These horses need to be kept short and shod with a square toe that protrudes over the outside toe of the hoof.
The reason for this is to give the horse more control over how he leaves the ground and stops the horse from turning his hoof in towards the shin on leaving the ground.
I have found it best to lower the hoof just a little on the inside toe because when these types of horses are lowered on the outside toe they immediately hit their shins much worse.
Horses that hit their front pasterns with their hind feet are a major worry as they are generally horses that have enormous ability.
I have found that the heavier shoe that you put on the hind feet of these horses the more they will hit.
I have had the best results by shoeing these horses level or a little lower on the outside toe and putting a very light shoe on the hind feet, sometimes with a small cog on the outside heel.
If this is not sufficient I then put a toe-diamond shoe with a cog on the hind feet.
The reason for the diamond toe is to stop the horse hitting with the steel of the shoe as the hoof.
This is a problem we see all the time.
I see many cases of interfering, especially in young horses. I am working on a horse in Auckland at the moment that is hitting at a slow speed. We have shod him in behind with a diamond tie half round with a swedge, which is managing to keep him from this problem.
Three-quarter hind shoes have worked well in the past.
We also have to ensure that we have the hoof balanced correctly and also that these server shoes such as cogs etc should only be used as a bandaid because they cause a lot of soreness with prolonged use.
Adam White
Farrier
Shoeing horses that hit their knees, shins, pasterns or cross fire
Article written and published in the NZ Harness Racing Weekly
Interfering in a horses’ gait is always a frustrating problem.
When we train a horse that we think is above average or is showing some promise but suddenly appears with the ‘not for sale’ sign on, is it the dreaded spreaders?
I have touched on this topic in a previous article but as a result of my new column in this ‘Weekly’ I have been inundated with requests and the need for advice on these types of problems.
Generally, knee-knocking I have found in young horses is something they mature out of with a bit of time but each case is different.
I have shod many great and above average horses that have hit there knees.
One of the fastest horses in NZ that I shod hit her knees but we all agree it is the single biggest thing to pull your horse up.
We have this idea the spreaders slow them down and the horse gets tired quicker, which maybe true, but smashing knees in a race situation lessens your chances of victory no end.
Your horse won’t be competitive with a horse against a horse with perfect gait and similar ability.
When shoeing horses that hit their knees we need to observe how the horse stands - whether he stands toed in or toed out, whether he has a narrow chest or whether he stands base narrow.
Horses that stand toed in (or pigeon toed) very rarely hit their knees.
Although I have shod many horses that brush their knee boots, with these particular horses I dress their feet level and shoe them with a square toe shoe.
When a horse stands toed out (Charlie Chaplin) you will find that these particular horses are the worst type to try and correct.
Sometimes there will only be one leg turned out, and this will be the one that hits the opposite knee.
I have had the most success with these types of problems by letting the horse mature.
As he develops more muscle and matures he generally handles the problem much better.
When shoeing the horse with this problem I generally lower the hoof on the inside toe whilst keeping the heels level then fitting a square toed shoe protruding over the outside toe area .
I have also had a bit of success using heavier shoes shod the same way; the main reason for the extra weight is to give the horse more knee action and will bring his hoof above the knee where there is a lot less to hit.
Horses that stand straight and hit their knees are generally not much problem to correct, as they generally only need to be lowered a little on the outside and shod with a light steel or aluminium shoe. Sometime you may need a square toed shoe as well.
I am shoeing a horse in a big stable now that has this knee-knock bug real bad.
I shod her last time in with an alloy outer rim shoe and lowered the whole outside of the hoof with little or no real success.
We now have her in a world racing plate fitted well back off the toe about 1 inch from the tip of the frog.
I have found this has worked amazingly and the filly is trialing well and ready to race shortly.
I think what has happened is by bringing the break over well back it is now clearing the knee and gaining confidence as a result.
I hope this helps in some way to correcting this problem.
Sorry if I haven't answered all the e-mails I was sent about this topic but this will go a long way to answering them.
Adam White
www.adamwhitefarrier.co.nz
David Farmilo farrier course
Article written and published in the NZ Harness Racing Weekly
A wise old trainer once said to me you never stop learning. Isn’t that the truth, and after two NZ Cups, half a dozen Jewels, and Breeders’ Crown winners and 20 odd Group 1 winners I must admit I thought I was well on the right track, but my latest farrier course in Oakbank, South Australia, opened my eyes to many things that need attention in NZ.
New Zealand has always been an interesting place to shoe with inherited gait problems and conformation issues. We, as farriers, always need to upskill - that goes without saying and I don’t claim to know everything but I have a lot more confidence in repairing an issue now.
David Farmilo is an accredited master farrier with a list of acknowledgements as long as your arm not to mention over 50 years of farriery. He is a marvel of information. The trip to Adelaide was a long one with five hours stop in Sydney giving me time to get a heads up on what was involved in the 5-day course. On arrival at Oakbank in the Adelaide hills I was surprised to see a farrier and blacksmith workshop in what looked a suburban area.
The course was a one on one with certificate of achievement attached. I’m still not sure if it was presented for lasting the 12-13 hour days or for the ability to process all that I learnt .
The most important thing I took out of the five days was the importance of sole preparation and cutting out the bars. The bars should never be weight bearing which is why we have so many problems with bruising of the corn/bar area. But by correct sole preparation we can find the three critical junctions of the hoof. We can maintain sole concave profile on every hoof every time. Also, the importance of a t-squared hind level (heels level and 6mm above the heel junction), but most important was to eliminate flares - flares are our enemy.
One of the most interesting things I learnt was an easy way to achieve this total balanced hoof with level heels and a pastern angle every time with the use of the David Farmilo hoof line.
This easy tool calibrates the centre balance of the hoof which marks the absolute centre of a balanced hoof which is 19mm back from the active tip of the frog. The measurement from the point of the toe and to a line across the trimmed buttresses of the heels should be equal when the hoof is trimmed in accordance with my new prescribed trimming method.
The finished heel buttresses must never be lower than 6mm above the critical frog and heel junction.
Basically, when this balanced measurement is achieved in the bottom of the hoof, the front of the hoof wall is parallel with the pastern angle; the hoof shape is a mirror image of the idea/normal coronary band.
There are no flares in the hoof wall and the hoof is now stress free which will result in no hoof problems, bruises, abscesses. A balanced hoof will stop forging back and weather pain .
I learnt that 90% of all horse soreness is hoof related, but by having a balanced hoof we can make the horse more comfortable and as a result more results on the track.
We covered the symptoms and treatment of all hoof related lameness and had a long and successful day straigthening up foals legs at a young age.
The course was more than I expected and the knowledge I took away will enable my clients to have correctly balanced feet every time. I shoe and the results will speak for themselves .
I enjoy talking about hooves and horseshoeing so if anyone has any problems drop me a line or e-mail me a picture. Between David and myself, we will sort your problems. addman-nz@xtra.co.nz
Adam White farrier
Article written and published in the NZ Harness Racing Weekly
The Benefit of Hoof-Line
Article written and published in the NZ Harness Racing Weekly
From the time I first started shoeing, gait problems and knee knocking has always been something I have been interested in.
I remember asking an old farrier the correct method to fixing a knee knocker. I questioned whether to lower the outside or the inside. He replied with a smile and then said lower the outside son, that’s the answer to fixing it, then quickly mentioned if that doesn’t work lower the inside and then laughed, I could easily see this was going to be no easy fix.
I always stress the need to achieve the ‘correct T-squared’ (level heels) when trimming any hoof and to achieve a balanced foot at all times.
With this in mind that is why I now shoe with the Hoof Line tool. This incredibly simple and useful tool can take the guesswork out of assessing and measuring the horse’s hoof to prepare for a barefoot trim or for shoeing... 90% of lameness in horses is hoof related, and this is unnecessary. Most gait problems and back strain problems stem from incorrect trimming and incorrect shoeing that should have been corrected simply by correctly balancing the hoof.
I still smile to myself as I start my farrier run every Monday, I shoe many horses every week and for most of the leading trainers, but the funniest thing is that in nearly every barn I am made to shoe differently - lower the outsides, lower the insides, cut them right back, make the hoof shorter, less round etc.
I can’t help think that if they just let me shoe these horses in a correct balance we would all win more in the end. I am not saying lowering the hoof doesn’t work, it just must only be used as a band aid. I have shod many great horses this way but I think it is flawed to expect a horse to continually land with uneven heels.
We know there are four phases of a stride basically. These are known as the:
Phase 1... the phase of impact (landing),
Phase 2... skid (soft tissue damage),
Phase 3.... maximum peak strength (midstance),
Phase 4.... tendon rebound (roll over),
Basically, as farriers, the roll over/break over is one of the most important phases as it is one of the few phases we try to control. But the first phase being the phase with the most concussion, it is a sick sight to watch a horse land slow motion when it has an uneven heel buttress. I am working on developing a programme to film the horses I shoe and be able to break the stride down to show trainers the damage and impact this is causing. A higher heel will hit the ground first, resulting in a massive change of load onto the other heel then loading the toe adding four additional phases to the whole stride instead of landing with even heel buttress which results in a clear unharmed stride.
My Hoof Line used in conjunction with my trimming methods help eliminate lameness by correcting long toes/low heel problems or high heel/short toe problems. It eliminates flares which are a major cause of hoof distorting. It helps correct contracted heels which result in minimal frog contact and also eliminates the need for remedial shoes which often exacerbate the problems.
It even saves further time by allowing the farrier to take the measurements to the anvil and shape the shoe according to the measurements of the finished hoof.
The major advantage is that this method takes the guesswork out of hoof preparation.
Hoof-Line is the first accurate tool in the world for achieving hoof balance while under the horse without the need for x-rays (unless a rotated pedal bone is suspected) or gauges .
Adam White farrier
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Adam White - The unsung NZ Cup hero
Behind every New Zealand Cup champion there's always a harness racing story of an unsung hero - a person behind the scenes who does his bit to ensure glory. For two years Southbrook farrier Adam White has done just that.
The 33-year-old horseman admits Monkey King isn't his favourite horse when it comes to shoeing, but he readily admits he's by far the fastest.
"I had a tear in my eye when he and Ricky (May) crossed the finishing line last Tuesday (Cup Day - November 9). It doesn't get any better than this. To see him win last year was huge. To do it twice well that it was just unthinkable. I'm still living the dream," White told Harnesslink.
A trainer and driver with a small team at Andrew Stuart's Rangiora racetrack stable, White now admits he will probably have to give away his training and driving duties to concentrate fully on his blacksmith job.
"The workload is increasing and if you want to be good at something you have to go full-on. It's a trade where you never stop learning.
Monkey King, the 8-year-old black Sands A Flyin gelding, who has won 38 of his 77 starts and $3,404,998, had his last race for Steven Reid and Graeme Rogerson's Hamilton stable on March 6 last year.
Nineteen days later Brendon Hill took over the training at Kaiapoi. That is when White became the champion's official farrier
"Sam's (nickname) the complete racehorse but he can be a real b..... to shoe. He bites and one day he even urinated on me. Nothing surprises me with him. He kicks out and always looks at me as if he's the boss," White said.
He insisted Monkey King never got any special treatment.
"I shoe him along with half a dozen or so every two to three weeks at Brendon's Dancingonmoonlight stable. He doesn't get preferential treatment. I don't do him first or last but when I do shoe I know who I'm shoeing and I make sure I do a better than good job," White said.
Does he what!
White has steadily built up a reputation as being one of the finest, most thorough/articulate and promising blacksmiths in the South Island. He is doing 10 or more horses a day for numerous trainers throughout Canterbury. He also shoes hacks and some gallopers.
"I have a lot to learn in this game. In fact you never stop learning. This weekend for example I will be studying frozen legs in a freezer and cutting them up to suss out where problems like club foot, pastern alignments and laminitis stem from. There are always ways to advance and undertake better corrective shoeing techniques," White said.
Asked if had suffered any injuries through his job White replied:
"About three months ago a yearling kicked me in the jaw. I was knocked out and spent a night in hospital, but was released the next day without any serious injuries or repercussions. I was a bit out of it. I remember when I came too I was raving on about Haley's Comet for some reason."
When asked who was the second best horse he had shod, White instantly replied - 'Kiwi Ingenuity'.
"Undoubtedly she's the best mare I have shod and probably one of the most satisfying too because she has had a lot of problems with her gait. I was really chuffed when she won the Harness Jewels Final at Ashburton last year. We got it right that day. She flew in 1:52.1 and came home in a tick over 55. Those sorts of days you never forget," White said.
But even eight day's after New Zealand's biggest race White said he was still buzzing over "Sam's" second consecutive New Zealand Cup victory.
"It's something that I will take to the grave with me. To do it once made all my dreams come true, but to do it twice - well even today it's still a bit hard to take in.
"I remember when I was 16 I used to sit on a bucket and watch Murray Edmonds shoe his horses. I used to work for him before and after Lincoln High School. I remember him saying to me as a joke:
"'One day son you will be as good as me'. I still laugh at that. Maybe one day I will," White said.
By Duane RANGER (editor) Harnesslink
Big bids for harness great's shoes 
By MATT MARKHAM - South Canterbury
06/05/2010
Last year's New Zealand Trotting Cup winner Monkey King has helped line the pockets of many punters this year with an outstanding season on the race track, but now the speedster pacer is giving a little bit back.
A framed set of the harness racing great's shoes have been framed and are up for auction on Trade Me with proceeds going to Cure Kids, which supports research into life-threatening childhood illnesses.
The idea came from Monkey King's farrier Adam White. He and his sister, Abbe, have seen what was originally going to be a good deed for a friend grow into something much larger.
"Originally we thought about giving the money raised to a friend of Abbe's who has a daughter who has cancer in her liver," Adam White said.
"We then decided that Cure Kids would be the best option because we would hopefully be able to help a lot of kids.
"I was shoeing Monkey King one day and said to his trainer, Brendon Hill, that instead of just leaving these shoes lying around they should be put to good use, and he agreed."
As the winner of last year's New Zealand Cup and a host of other major races around New Zealand and Australia the popularity of Monkey King was never going to be too much of a problem.
With the help of Colin and Ayjay Berry, of Race Images, who did the framing and display of the shoes, White said the end result was fantastic.
"We have been very lucky in the fact that Colin and Ayjay were so keen to help us out, and to have the full support of everyone involved behind Monkey King as well.
"Everyone I have talked to has said how great it looks, and I think that has shown in the amount of interest in it already."
The framed shoes, which also display a picture of Monkey King and details of his past season, have already reached almost $3000 on Trade Me with the auction due to close on Saturday.
White is hoping that over the last couple of days things may pick up again. "It's hard to put a price on it really, it would be nice to see it go up some more because it is such a great cause, but you don't really know how much interest for something like it is out there."
The listing can be found in the sports section of the website under sports memorabilia.
Cure Kids, formerly the Child Health Research Foundation was established over 30 years ago.
With more than $25 million invested over that time the research has helped save hundreds of young lives and has improved the quality of life for thousands of children.
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