Dean Cameron Farrier Services
4791 Teather Road V1X7V5 Kelowna, BC, Canada

First time I shod this girl, she was shod 5 weeks previously, I don't know her rate of growth at all, but did leave her plenty to grow too. I am not worried at all about the extra support I left. If she pulls the shoe, I will go ahead and put it back on. I do not want her growing over her shoe in 5 weeks, or the shoe coming off. It happens for sure, nobody is ever going to change that fact. I feel if I shoe her too tight so as not to have her pull a shoe I am not doing her an...y favors down the road. So I shoe her for her best opportunity for support, for down the road. My feeling is what are we afraid of? having to put another shoe on? Been there, done that thousands of times. I am willing to put my money where my mouth is and let her have the extra shoe for growth down the road support, and know well how to put another shoe on if required. See more

Well winter is coming to an end, it has been a snowy one in our end of the country. For those of you who have been riding all winter, I thank you for the continuing support! You are all maintaining a schedule, and your horses are ready for the coming spring! For those of you who leave your horses off for the winter, now is the time to start getting your horses hoofs in shape for spring 2017. I am starting to book up pretty good, but will make sure to fit you into the rotation. I look forward to hearing from you. I still have some room to expand my practice, and would be appreciative of any referrals. HAPPY RIDING!

Great hoofs! I like big symmetrical hoofs, this horse is about 16.2 hands, size 2 fronts 1 hinds. Very nice text book hoof patterns. First two are nice broad weight bearing fronts, next are very nice narrower at the toe hind patterns.

Look at the frog, how far forward this shoe is, giving no heal support whatsoever, after 6 weeks growth. Once more, first time I shod this horse. I do not know the growth pattern. I do suspect when this horse was last shod the hoof was not trimmed enough, I suspect the shoe did not support the entire hoof structure like I set up (shown in the second photo), or this horse would still have coverage similar to one I shod after 8 weeks shown in a previous post with full hoof cove...rage allowance for future growth. If you dont see your entire hoof not surrounded by shoe as shown in the second photo, you likely will have the presentation of the first photo. with the frog so far out of the shoe support. A long toe and upon maximum load creates intense pressure on the navicular bone, (which is a fulcrum for leverage of the boney column weight bearing, and taking a pressure beating with a long toe and under run unsupported heal), it is no wonder damage, and lameness happens as the years go by. To the point you have a permanently lame companion. No foot no horse folks. This type of presentation in the first photo is the bane of my existence. Please do not allow it. I hate to be critical, but i enjoy less seeing so many opportunities to be so critical. Also note how narrow the quarters are on the first photo, and how rounded and broad the new shoe is. The reason is a hind shoe was modified on the first photo and installed on what is supposed to be a broad front pattern for more weight bearing load. The narrow quarters of a hind hoof are because essentially that is the steering from behind. Front pattern is normally broad and round, hind pattern narrower at the quarters is the norm. When the hoof grows too long it narrows, a proper trim and toe back up re-establishes a proper weight bearing hoof pattern for a front shoe. One of the reasons I suspected the hoof was set up wrong was when I saw a hind shoe on a front hoof......we all need to educate ourselves what to look for. One reason I insist on the owner at the head while I am shoeing their horse is this purpose. See more

First time I shod this girl, she was shod 5 weeks previously, I dont know her rate of growth at all, but did leave her plenty to grow too. I am not worried at all about the extra support I left. If she pulls the shoe, I will go ahead and put it back on. I do not want her growing over her shoe in 5 weeks, or the shoe coming off. It happens for sure, nobody is ever going to change that fact. I feel if I shoe her too tight so as not to have her pull a shoe I am not doing her an...y favors down the road. So I shoe her for her best opportunity for support, for down the road. My feeling is what are we afraid of? having to put another shoe on? Been there, done that thousands of times. I am willing to put my money where my mouth is and let her have the extra shoe for growth down the road support, and know well how to put another shoe on if required. See more

Previously shod this fellow 8 weeks ago, I left plenty support at the heal to grown into. As you can see after 8 weeks he has not grown over his shoe support. In my opinion this is what you should see, support during the entire shoeing duration if possible. Horses heal pain came back after a month or so. Vet suggested a closed heal bar shoe. Horse has not been diagnosed with any condition, no radio-graphs either. So we will call this horse "presenting with heal pain" only. I put an aluminium egg bar shoe with a two degree wedge on him. The idea is this will take the tension off the flexor tendons, reducing the stress in the navicular area. He did appear to like the shoes (applied to both fronts) We will go a step at a time with this boy.

Foundered Mare, stood up with foam pads until the acute faze is past.Body weight is good, Low sugar diet was already in place, low starch hay fed. Owners are very astute with care, appear to be doing everything right. Flew to Tucson to work on this girl. Vet thinks might have been a heat related trigger. I am having hay tested to make sure it is what it is sold as. Vet has done blood work to find out what the levels are also, waiting results. At least she is stood up and amb...ulatory. My focus is to get her moving on all four, not spending most her time laying down. So far so good. Not by any means out of the woods yet. We need to nail down conclusively; if possible, the cause to prevent re-occurrence. The old adage an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure was never so accurate. That being said the owners did an excellent job, but an extreme heat in the region presented with other like founder cases, pretty hard to counter Mother Nature sometimes. I have her moving about bearing her weight at the heal primarily. The function of these special pads is to compress to a mirror image of the entire bottom of hoof to create an equal weight bearing opportunity for the horse. After initial compression the pad is cut behind the sensitive area behind that which the coffin bone is closer to the sole. We dont want pressure in that area, we want her to load behind. Partly to negate the chance of further rotation by supporting her weight bearing using all other structure possible, but as gently as possible to reduce pain and allow her some small mobility. Laying down will help with the pain of weight bearing for sure, but she needs to keep mobile and be able to stand up to promote healing. She is able to munch, get to her water, and move about in a shady enclosure with about 3 inches of good sand, and a water mister set up to keep her cool. She matriculates to the water mister during the heat of the day. Radio-graphs show the rotation, only the one limb appears affected at time of x-ray. Second photo shows what hoof looks like after the initial pad is compressed, then cut to the area behind where it is sensitive to pressure with the coffin bone rotated, then a second pad compressed on top of the first, then trimmed to the hoof size. liberal duct tape to create a boot. As required we can modify the foam pad pressure for now to maintain the best comfort possible to get past the acute faze and into the next therapeutic faze. See more

Who says a silk purse cant be made from a sows ear?...First time I have shod this fellow, he put us to the test, but patience prevailed. Very nice mover in his new "Reeboks" too!

Continuation of shoeing regarding my post, and photos from April 17 "Extremely long toes, under run, unsupported heals" This horse had dramatic changes the first time, and was sore for a couple weeks. This time no soreness at all, horse is stood up much better. At times you need to weigh the potential damage done by not making changes right away, nobody wants a sore horse after shoeing, especially me. If the horse has to have changes made for the greater long term good, then... we need to be sure to take it easy with the horse as they adapt to the changes in balance. In this case the horse owner got it, and did not push her horse during this faze of treatment. The potential for serious long term damage by very long toes, and under run heals, with the frog completely out of the hoof capsule, and no heal support with the shoe, is too great to ignore. Even if your horse seems fine now, the damage is being done daily each ride a little bit at a time. It creeps up so slowly you dont notice until it is pointed out, or your horse becomes lame. You will see it pop up as more permanent as the horse ages, normally between 11,12, 13 or so years old, is the norm from my experience. Long toes, low, under run heals are very very bad. Contracted heals, suspensory tears, bowed tendons, flexor tendon pulls, check ligament damage, navicuar pain,mechanical induced road founder, etc etc sound familiar? Please take it very seriously. I have been attempting to correct this type of work for a few decades, the sad reality is nothing seems to have changed. See more

Experimental shoe modification sent up by Gene Ovenick to try. The shoes he sent were a size too small, of course he would not have modified them that size if the horse was in front of him. I simply used Genes design to modify a size larger shoe. I like Gene is always thinking, this fellow seemed quite comfortable with the shoes, great news! . Im not going to get into what he is working on because it is his work, and his thinking. What I care very much about is horses benefit because Gene tries so hard to help them.

Was hoping this fellow would stay barefoot, but at 6 years old, and matured, he couldnt continue without support and traction. I have trimmed him barefoot for years, this time after trimming as usual he presented as tentative instead of moving forward bold. Rather than cut him back any further to allow for an even fit to the shoe, I undercut the sole to negate the potential for sole pressure when shod. The shoe space around the shoe showing is where i had rounded the hoof fo...r a barefoot trim. Tried shoeing just the fronts, it appears he will now need to be shod in the hinds for a speed issue. He is very forward with the comfort of the shoe up front, but tentative behind now in comparison. He will get four shoes now, the difference with the front is actually amazing under saddle, i have high expectations with the hinds shod now. A feral horse is a completely different animal exposed to natural selection (survival of the fittest). To try to sore him into soundness is retarded, feral and domesticated breading are two different animals, for one they do not support riders, and are not expected to perform at their peak What we ask them to do with a rider is diametrically different than running and foraging for food. . We tried hard to make this fellow go "natural" but nature "domesticated" had other ideas This horse has about the toughest hoofs I have seen in over 20 years. Lets let the horse establish the agenda, not a book, or an "ideal" based on a false comparable. The horse will tell us, if we choose to observe and be prepared to do what is necessary for his (or her) comfort, and soundness, the horse wins. I do not believe in forcing my agenda on an animal that will feel the discomfort of my choices 24 and 7. They have no choice when we do not react to what they are presenting with their movement. See more

kind of neglected, heal too long on the opposite side my hand is. Heals brought into balance cleaned up as best i could, the hoof was rock hard. Brought the break over back, nice healthy frog. The horse was sound when he walked up with the hoof on the left , really only balance work needed. Remember the hoof does not need to be cut and pared to look like our definition of pretty. Sound and comfortable in their environment is the key. If we cut the hoof to make it pretty and the horse is lame it makes no sense. I dont care about pretty, I care about pretty sound. It is not a contest of what you take off, it is what you leave that is important.

Client provided natural balance shoe. Did not take a before photo(got talking haha). The heal was quite long, and the hoof was well overgrown. Final fit looks great, lots of support and expansion available at the heal to leave the hoof fully supported until next shoeing. The aluminium shoe will wear to compensate for growth, this way the horse will be in balance the entire shoeing cycle. Great shoe design, easily fitted.

Client provided natural balance shoe, I fitted the shoe full at the heal for support, and left plenty expansion. Break over set back, frog is inside the weight bearing parameters.

Horse was shod four days prior, with a reverse shoe for a navicular issue over a year ago. Any corrective shoeing should only be temporary. The idea is the horse is to heal, or to get the horse past the acute phase, then re-assess. Horse was lame from the pre-load of the shoe, nothing had been done to address the long toe as the photos show. It doesnt matter what shoe is put on, or prescribed, if the trim is not correct as possible first, or the shoe is incorrectly applied.... I pulled the shoes off as quickly as possible, I did not stop to take a photo of the application as the horse was in pain, the priority is the horse. Horse was landing toe first as it limped towards me at first presentation, trying hard to keep its weight from the heal. Horse was trimmed to balance, then a shoe was applied to fit the already trimmed and balanced hoof. You do not simply apply a shoe then rasp the hoof to match the shoe. There were deep rasp marks left in all four hoofs, no effort had been made with the finishing side of the rasp to clean it up. This is simply unacceptable. After the horse was properly balanced and shod, the horse walked out heal first and was sound. There is no room for long toes and under run heals, it cripples horses. When horses become lame from this type of shoeing, to continue shoeing with this method will not allow correct healing to take place. When properly trimmed and shod, your horse will stand a fighting chance to heal sooner, and stronger. If shod correctly every time, you have greatly negated the chance of damage and lameness. If your horse looks like any of the before photos, it is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when the damage being done right now will present as lameness. See more

Extremely long toes, under run, and heal unsupported with shoe, all four hoofs. Horse experiencing heal pain, landing toe first walking. Lateral heal high and distorted gait. Heals brought back to the wide point of the frog and leveled, toe backed up as much as possible in first shoeing. Heal supported with shoe. Horse now landing level and heal first comfortably. It likely will take a few shoeing appointments to completely correct. Frog is not trimmed, it is ready to exfoliate the outer callous, I do not want a new callous growing on a diminished trimmed frog size. I want as large a frog as possible to help with blood pumping. Once I get the frog I am after I will carefully remove only enough to allow a hoof pick to clean out.

Before, long toes, low heels and flaring/cracks on the sides. After natural balance trim, horse is stood up nicely. This was the first trim on this horse. More pictures to come, heal position has been corrected