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Re: [RC] Interference & Forging - Michelle Aquilino

I am going to try to respond to all responses in one consolidated response, so I don’t clog up ridecamp, ha ha. (and trying to split it into two emails).
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Karen – No unusual incidents.? She doesn’t seem to care which diagonal I’m on.? It seems to matter more than me, lol.? I’ve been on horses that slow down on their “off” diagonal, but my horse moves out at the same pace no matter which way I go, it’s definitely only a factor in me (is that what you were asking?).? Nothing else unusual.? I am not very good at knowing what feet should look like, still lots to learn!? I’d like to try to get a second farrier’s opinion.? My farrier is seeming to plead the fifth, and saying it’s likely another issue aside from the feet.? I have had her for 2.5 years.? We did 3 LDs in 2007 (2 flats, one rocky / big climbs), and 3 this year (2 flats, one rocky / big climbs).? I have been increasing the mileage to try to get ready for her first 50, but I wouldn’t think it would be more strenuous than an LD?? Her forging doesn’t seem to be a factor of how far into a ride we’re in.? And she has never forged or interfered at an endurance ride…? She has a super fast endurance trot, but she’s been doing it for last couple years with no problems.? I have been trying to do more cantering, but not really successful, she prefers to trot, and her fast trot is as fast as my riding buddy’s horse’s canter, ha ha.? She has been shod all the way around during the season of 2007 and this year.? During the winter she is occasionally barefoot, and early in the conditioning season she only has front shoes.? She has REALLY tough feet, I only need to give her four shoes in the endurance season to combat the wear exceeding the growth over all the miles I ride for conditioning.? She is shod every 6 weeks, pretty much on the button.? Her shoes were brand new as of last Wednesday.? This was the first weekend I rode her with the new shoes, which is another reason I feel like it’s the shoes / trim job (or it’s just a coincidence?).? Again, I’m really bad at looking at feet :-/? She looks better than she did before she was shod, and possibly better than the last time she was shod, but I still don’t know…
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Carolyn – I need to try your pictures idea, because I am horrible at telling what the feet look like, how they look different over time (other than the toes, that’s easy), how they should look, etc.? I have only been there twice when he has shod her, because of work.? The first time he had some assistants, they did some of the work, I forget which parts they did and what he did.? This time did seem more rushed, but I don’t know.? I was distracted about how he let go of her feet in a way that they banged down every time he was done trimming it.? Is this normal for farriers?? I just know that I was taught to let their feet down gradually, to give them a chance to take it back, it helps them trust you with their foot?? But yeah, unless someone tells me otherwise, that that’s silly, I don’t know, that seemed uncool to me =P

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