Phoebe Colton Farriery

08/07/2025

It's never "just" an abscess

08/07/2025

Number 1 skill 💪💪

🦸Standing still is a SUPERPOWER! 🦹

Horses will need regular hoof care throughout their whole life - teaching them the key skill of standing, relaxed is the best gift you can give them.

❗Can your horse reliably stand for their routine appointment? ❗
This foundational skill requires practice, practice and more PRACTICE!

🏆The benefits are absolutely worth it:
✅ Safer!
✅ Less stress for the horse, farrier and owner
✅ More efficient hoof care
✅ Earlier detection of discomfort and proactive management

🐴 Set the environment up for success:
✅ Shoeing area should be clean, dry, level, with good lighting and enough space to move
✅ Free from distractions. Avoid busy times like feeding and turn out times. Free range children, animals and friends with a pocket full of polos should be kept out of the way
✅ Manage the flies!
✅ Have a buddy horse nearby (temperament dependent)
✅ Get the horse moving before the appointment. Exercise to loosen off muscles and burn excess energy. Turn out if you can clean and dry legs in time
✅ Use appropriate restraint if necessary. Talk the options through with your farrier which could include holding the horse, cross ties, Horslyx to reward standing still or sedation

“SAFETY IS NO ACCIDENT”
⛔ 80% of farriers reported at least one injury requiring hospital treatment in their career
⛔ 46% felt injury was avoidable if the horse had better handling
⛔ 30% felt injury was avoidable if the environment was better managed
(BFBA FARRIER INJURY SURVEY (2021))

23/05/2022

🧐

Where has all the grass gone?...

“But there isn’t any grass on the field…” We hear these words a lot at this time of year, from the exasperated owners of fat horses fighting what sometimes seems like a losing battle with their horses’ weight.

Have you ever wondered why horses on a seemingly bare paddock can still gain weight?
It is worth keeping in mind, the picture of the un-grazed side of the field below. Of course, it can be very difficult for owners to monitor what a horse is taking in, but one thing is certain: when that side of the field is full of horses, it won’t look like this! That grass would be nipped off as soon as it poked up high enough to be nibbled!

Sarah Stoneham BVSc Cert ESM MRCVS gives this very good explanation of the problem which helps us to understand and monitor the amount of grass that the horse is consuming.

“UK grass growth figures (grass check GB) indicate that over the last week (ending 16.5.22), average grass growth in the north west has been high. At the moment a small well-managed paddock, the size of a 40x20m dressage arena will be producing an average of 22.5kg of grass per day. The dry matter content of grass is currently only 20% which means it is 80% water, so a 40x20m area produces 4.5 kg of grass on a dry matter basis each day.
This has a calorie content similar to 4.5 kg of a conditioning hard feed. The grass is also high in sugar, 17.1% on average last week. So, the 4.5 kg of grass on a dry matter basis will contain approximately 770g of sugar!
If your paddock is still looking as bare as it did earlier this year it is because your horse has eaten all the new grass each day.”

So, where has all the grass gone?... its inside the horse!

29/03/2021

Happy Monday everybody!

Ps. Remeber your overreach boots, they're all feeling spring in the air!!

09/02/2021

Handmades at the ready whilst the van was getting some care and attention! 💪🥰

01/01/2021

Another year another sticker - 2021 let's go! 💪Wishing everyone a very happy new year 🍾

31/12/2020

Well, 2020 you seem be exiting in pretty spectacular style!

#2020

24/12/2020

Wishing all my lovely customers and horses a wonderful Christmas! 🎄🎅
Big thank you to everyone for your business, wonderful horses and generous gifts, it's very appreciated 🤗🥰

27/11/2020

Ooo look what came through from today 👀👀

Really looking forward trying them out over the next few weeks on your horses.

06/11/2020

Me and Nutmeg rocking the windswept hair look 💨💨💨

04/10/2020

Great clinic in cold and damp Derbyshire yesterday with .moon - demonstrating his approach to shoeing a horse with tricky conformation with handmade heartbars.

And to finish off the day I made and fitted a lateral extension bar shoe 💪