Mike Mehak

As advertised, there will be a live shoeing class for convention competition. With special thanks to John Fehely, there will be horses brought in for the compe...tition. This is only possible thanks to his generosity and willingness to volunteer his time and horses. The OFA also now owns 25 stall mats to use for shoeing at this event, and future events. These were graciously provided by our educational partner, System Fence. The OFA is made possible by sponsors, volunteers and its members. Be proud to be part of a group working hard to educate and bring out the best in this industry.

Little tiny feet need love too

Some days you’re shoeing them for the Grand Prix ring, some days it’s to give pony rides for little girls. Every horse is important to someone. They all deserve nice feet. Great clients and great horses are worth travelling for <3

Happy New Years everyone.

Help, my horse pulled a shoe and all his foot with it, what do I do? he shows this weekend! Step one, don’t panic Step two, call your farrier Step three, put some bell boots on... Step four, win ribbons It might not be pretty, but it put shoe where foot should be, and there’s a good change you can get some nails in there. No glue necessary

Hoof care is not optional.

I get to shoe some pretty nice horses. They’re done on a 4 week schedule. They travel to shows all primped and polished all over ontario and even stateside. They have expensive shoes, maybe pour in pads or glue work. It’s pretty awesome. But it’s not all about that, sometimes it’s about the horses. And everyone of them deserves the basics. These two lucky donkeys are now in a place where they will get proper care, nutrition and foot care. The rehab for these feet however wil...l take years before they can be considered normal. It takes the care of vet, farrier, nutritionist and proper husbandry to come back from this. Sedation, pain control, constant trimming is just the start

Interesting case. Horse had persistent abscessing which blew out lateral toe. After a few weeks of treatment, it wasn’t closing so horse was blocked and xrayed more in depth. By blocking the foot, you can get a proper X-ray done. If your vet suggests this, it’s 110% worth the added cost. Findings were a keratoma which is a keratinized mass in the coffin bone- a benign tumor which can be surgically removed. ... His surgery is not for several weeks so I made up a window bar shoe with a new hospital plate. This allows them to pack the area, protect the foot and hopefully make him more comfortable until his surgery.

Thoroughbred feet are not easy, but with proper diet, good management and proper farriery they still can be beautiful and functional. Even our own horses like this guy are kept on proper schedule. That means shoeing this guy at 9pm after a long day- at my expense. If I didn’t think that was important, I’d be home on the couch two hours ago :)

Show season is in full swing, are your horses looking and moving their best? Some shiny new aluminum for this guys first pair of shoes. Good luck to everyone showing this weekend

Now accepting debit on all services. Credit card availability on invoices over $100

Long feet are not always the easiest to recognize.

Hi low and seedy toe The problem with a toe crack, is what lies beneath. Bacteria trapped inside will eat away and continue to anger the crack. The easiest way to stop it, remove any leverage and clean out the crack. Hoof damaging bacteria is anaerobic, for an outdoor horse in spring resection is usually best. A patch can be applied, providing the bacteria track is fully debrided

Little tiny feet need love too

Some days you’re shoeing them for the Grand Prix ring, some days it’s to give pony rides for little girls. Every horse is important to someone. They all deserve nice feet. Great clients and great horses are worth travelling for <3

Happy New Years everyone.

Help, my horse pulled a shoe and all his foot with it, what do I do? he shows this weekend! Step one, don’t panic Step two, call your farrier Step three, put some bell boots on... Step four, win ribbons It might not be pretty, but it put shoe where foot should be, and there’s a good change you can get some nails in there. No glue necessary

Hoof care is not optional.