I am not sure I understand why any horse owner would be totally cowtowed to
any other "professional" especially when it comes to feet. I am the one who
rides and cares for my horse every day of the year - a farrier comes in once
every 4-6 weeks and does a great job doing what I ask him to do. We have one
mare coming home in a week who for whatever reason has the crummiest feet - but
she is a heck of an athlete! To ride her with regularity, she needs shoes. So
now I need to find a good farrier who can put shoe son her without wrecking her
feet (not easy out here!). Our regular farrier (barefoot) is excellent, and in
fact my 21 year old mare just completed her first LD in 5 YEARS (my injury not
hers) BAREFOOT! Not a mark,a bruise nothing. She went beautiful. But this
mare coming home - she just plain needs shoes. Boots? Tried them. Boas. They are
great for trail moseys - but I don't feel good enough in them to compete or
condition properly. I am concerned that the peculiar traction and iffy security
in them might re-injure a now-healed SLIGHT suspensory injury.
Bottom line is - I ride my horses, condition them, care for them, and
ultimately, since I am responsible for their well being - not my vet and not my
shoer - I get to choose. So you get to choose. I am appalled that just because
someone owns the property that THEY have ANY SAY WHATSOEVER in the choice of
shoes or no shoes. So they pay property tax, buy hay and collect board. So what?
Sounds like discriminatory management to me. I live in California. lol!
