Sometimes when a horse pulls their shoe, they can damage the hoof wall tremendously. The repair can be both time consuming and costly--as well as requiring a knowledgeable farrier who knows how to restore the hoof using hand drawn toe-clips and a restorative plastic. When done correctly, the finished product will look and function as though the horse had never injured the hoof.
Horseshoeing is an art form. Just as some artists prefer to use watercolors and others oils, some prefer to hot shoe, while others prefer cold shoeing. Cold shoeing is both faster and cheaper, so why would anyone want their horse hot shod?
Overall - the benefits of hot shoeing have to be weighed with the cost and efficiency. Most horses are just fine with a trim or cold shoeing, so going the extra step and paying the additional money may be unnecessary. If you want to know what's best for your horse, talk to your farrier or veterinarian.
Psalm 86:5 - For You, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive, rich in faithful love to all who call on You.
Hold no grudges. Expect the best, even as you prepare for the worst. When horses are first being trained, they will make mistakes, they will show signs of fear and frustration as they learn what is expected of them. But it’s up to the trainer to be patient and to forgive every offense. If they spook in the corner every time, the trainer must behave as if they never have. He must ride through that corner without changing the way he rides. If he protects himself against being hurt, he’ll tense his body and cause an incident to happen. It’s only through patient repetition—going through that corner over and over again with no bad incident—that the horse will learn to trust his trainer even when he’s afraid. Sometimes we wonder why God doesn’t just correct us before we sin. But the reality is that if he were to do so, we’d resent it. Horses and humans are both rebellious by nature. If we don’t learn to do things ourselves, to make our own mistakes, we’ll resent the heavy hand of protection. God’s nature is to guide us through the corner of our mistakes. To be there for us over and over again. He doesn’t protect himself from the heartache and pain we cause Him in our learning process. This is patience and faithfulness ~ always ready to forgive. *** Excerpt from the upcoming book Faith In Training by Pauline Creeden For more devotionals like these, check out Christian In Training. Psalms 3:5-6 - I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that have set themselves against me round about.
Horses who have faith in their handler are fearless. When a horse trusts their handler completely, they will charge into war, run through fire, even leap from a tower to dive into water. But when they start out, they are full of fear. In the wild, they are prey for carnivores. Many things will attempt to eat them. So their fear instinct is what keeps them alive. Even though horses in captivity don’t need to worry about lions, tigers, and bears, most of them still do. They spook at plastic bags, shadows in the horse trailer, even the wind whipping through the bushes next to the riding arena. But if they develop trust in their handler, they can overcome any fear. Often before we become Christians, we live in fear. We worry about our futures, and so many things we have no control over. Until we turn to our Savior and trust Him to handle it all, we will continue to live in fear, even if we don’t live in the “wild.” The only way to let go of this fear in both horse and Christian, is by spending time with the handler and learning that he will keep them safe. Only by spending time with his handler can a horse learn to trust them. Through diligent study and prayer, Christians get to know God and will learn to trust Him. Being a Christian doesn’t mean that you will no longer go through tough times, it just means that you will have Someone to lean on as you go through them. Someone trustworthy to guide you through even when you are afraid. Excerpt from the upcoming book Faith In Training by Pauline Creeden For more devotionals like these, check out Christian In Training. |
Jim CreedenJim Creeden, Farrier, has a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Tech and has been working as a professional farrier for 20 years. Archives
February 2016
Categories |