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Since 2008, the farriers at Shod Steed have provided the highest quality in horse shoeing and hoof care for horses throughout the central Piedmont region in North Carolina.

11/07/2025

Harry’s Hospital Plates

Every now and then we come across a case that challenges us to really think outside the box, and Harry was one of those cases. Harry is a rescued OTTB who was sent out for training and had his front feet shod by the trainer’s farrier. Unfortunately for Harry, this shoe job resulted in every nail being improperly driven into sensitive tissue.

Harry’s owner called us out and we immediately pulled the shoes, but the damage was done. Every nail hole abscessed, with the toe nails abscessing repeatedly. Two painful months of endless soaking and wrapping later, the abscessing finally resolved but Harry was still left with open wounds in the toe of each foot that reached all the way down to the sensitive tissue beneath the sole.

The situation called for hospital plates: special shoes with a removable cover to keep medication packed in and dirt and debris out. But after his last ill-fated ordeal with a farrier, Harry was terrified to have his feet worked on (can you blame him?). Nailing a shoe on was out of the question. What to do?

The farriers at Shod Steed put their heads together, and with a little help from friend and mentor Benny Howard, this is what we came up with:

Since nails were out of the question we opted for a glue-on shoe. We chose a style with an aluminum core that we could drill bolt holes into to secure the hospital plate to the shoe. Since both abscess pockets were near the edge of the toe, we carved out a little bit of the shoe in that area to make sure the wounds would remain accessible for treatment.

Once the shoes were securely glued on, we needed a way to keep dirt and debris from getting under the hospital plates at the heels. Using a little ball of dental impression material to block off the wound site, we filled in each shoe with a pour pad. Once the pour pad was set, we popped the dental impression material out, and were left with a perfect little pocket to pack medicated cotton balls into. Now all Harry’s owner has to do is unscrew the plate, change the dressing, and screw it back on. No wrapping, no diapers, no duct tape.

It was a complicated process, but we love a chance to think outside the box and come up with a creative solution to help a horse feel better. We will continue to monitor Harry’s healing journey and wish him a speedy recovery!

17/06/2025

Let’s talk bell boots!

If your horse has a tendency to pull shoes, you’ve probably heard your farrier ask for you to put them in bell boots. Also called overreach boots, bell boots create a barrier to help stop your horse’s hind hooves from striking the heels of their front hooves and/or stepping on the heel of their front shoes and pulling them off. There are hundreds of different brands and models of bell boots available on the market, but from a farrier’s perspective the most important thing to consider when buying bell boots is the fit. A bell boot that doesn’t fit properly isn’t going to do its job. So how do you tell if your bell boots fit?

In these photos we have an example of a boot that is too small and a boot that fits just right. Notice that the teal bell boot in the first photo does not cover the heels of the shoe - there is a gap between the bottom of the boot and the ground. This bell boot is too small! While it covers the heel bulbs, it will not protect against lost shoes.

Now let’s look at the black bell boot on the other foot. You can see in both photos that this boot just barely touches the ground behind the foot, covering the heels of the shoe. This is a perfect fit! While it’s not a guarantee that the horse won’t pull a shoe, the chances of a hind foot reaching forward and catching the shoe are greatly reduced.

The style of bell boot you choose is up to personal preference. Whether you choose pull-on or Velcro, rubber or neoprene, patterned or plain, the most important consideration is whether they fit correctly!

29/05/2025

The art of horseshoeing has been around for thousands of years. While many aspects of the trade haven’t changed, living in the modern era gives us access to new ideas and materials that weren’t available to our predecessors. At Shod Steed we are open to trying out new techniques and products if we think they could benefit our clients’ horses.
Recently the Shod Steed farriers attended a clinic to learn about a new style of horseshoe called the Twin Shoe, which is a steel shoe split down the toe to allow more natural expansion and flexion in the heels while still protecting the foot. As more data is collected we will be keeping a close eye on this shoe as an option we may potentially offer to our clients. Stay tuned!

For more info on the Twin Shoe visit https://www.bartekequine.com/products/twin-shoes/

21/04/2025

What is a multi-farrier practice?

While the multi-farrier business model is by no means a new phenomenon, they aren’t commonplace in the horse world nowadays. Most clients are accustomed to seeing farriers who work alone, so when our truck pulls up and two or sometimes three farriers hop out it can create some confusion. Let’s clear some of that up!

A multi-farrier practice is pretty much what it says on the tin: one company with multiple farriers working under it. Doing business this way has some major advantages, namely that it allows us to share the costs of work trucks, fuel, insurance, tools, etc. It also means that we have the flexibility to cover sick days and allow each of us to take vacation time without throwing off the schedule.

Depending on the schedule for the day, you may see one, two, or all three of us! Having multiple farriers allows us to serve a larger client base and work together or split up as needed. As many of our clients appreciate, it also makes our turnaround time for lost shoes much quicker. Instead of waiting a week for the farrier to tack on a lost shoe we can usually get to you within a day or two.

And when we say multi-farrier, we do mean multiple qualified farriers. While we do take on apprentices now and then, the apprentice’s role is much more limited and closely supervised. While Geoff manages the business, Ezra and Stefani also have years of experience shoeing horses. We just choose to work together instead of working alone! So whether it’s Geoff, Ezra or Stefani working on your horse, you can be assured that their hooves are in capable, professional hands.

20/04/2025

Shout out to our clients at Mark Eq Stables for their amazing rides at Tryon Welcome 3! Bruce, DJ, and Mario are a pleasure to shoe and we love to see them and their riders doing so well!

08/04/2025

Our books are open! We are a reliable team of farriers who pride ourselves on quality work and communication.

We do barefoot trims, hot and cold shoes, glue on shoes, and we are happy to work with your vet for therapeutic shoeing.

To schedule an appointment please call our scheduling manager Judy at 919-264-4735.

07/04/2025

A little hot shoeing to chase away the rainy Monday blues 🌧️

25/03/2025

As much as we love the warmer weather that comes with spring, there are some not-so-nice things that come with it. Along with endless shedding comes rain and mud, and the wet weather inevitably brings thrush.

What is thrush?
Thrush is a common bacterial/fungal infection of the frog, identifiable by its characteristic black gunk and foul smell. It generally starts at the superficial layers of the frog and can eat its way deeper into sensitive tissues where it can cause pain and bleeding if it progresses far enough. It is generally thought that wet, unsanitary conditions and a lack of hoof care predispose a horse to thrush, but horses living in dry, clean environments can also get it.

How to treat and prevent it?
Regular hoof picking and farrier care play an important role in treating and preventing thrush. Clean your horses’ feet daily and do your best to keep their environment clean and dry. Your farrier will cut away any ragged flaps of frog that might trap bacteria and create an opportunity for thrush to set in.
Regular treatment with topical anti-thrush medication according to package directions is necessary to stop thrush once it sets in. Just putting medication over the top of the frog won’t be enough though; if there is a deep cleft present between your horse’s heel bulbs, you need to get the medication down in there where the bacteria is trapped. A good way to do this is to pull apart a cotton ball and use a hoof pick to (gently) push it down into the cleft, then soak it with thrush medicine. This will deliver the medication to where it’s needed while blocking out dirt and debris. Be sure to change out the cotton balls daily.

Many anti-thrush products contain copper sulfate. While copper sulfate is very effective at treating thrush, be aware that if your horse’s thrush is deep into sensitive tissue, copper sulfate may be too harsh and caustic. (For this same reason we do not recommend using bleach to treat thrush.) Your vet can prescribe a treatment called Tomorrow that is very gentle on sensitive tissue but very effective against thrush.

If you’re unsure whether your horse has thrush, ask your farrier; we’re here to help!

01/02/2025

White Line Disease: What is it and how do we treat it?

The Merck Veterinary Manual defines white line disease as a condition affecting the deeper layers of the stratum medium of the hoof wall, leading to crumbling decomposition of the horn at the white line and separation of the hoof wall. The separation creates telltale pockets at the white line that fill with dirt and debris. Some horses seem to be more prone to white line disease than others. While the exact cause is not well understood, anaerobic bacteria and fungi (those that thrive without oxygen) are widely believed to be a contributing factor. A wet, muddy, manure-filled environment can also contribute by weakening the hoof wall and giving bacteria and fungi the opportunity to enter.

White line disease does not usually cause lameness, but if left untreated the separation can make its way up the hoof wall towards the coronary band. In severe cases like these mechanical founder is possible, where the wall-sole junction is so badly compromised that it can no longer withstand the weight of the horse and the pull of the deep flexor tendon, causing the coffin bone to rotate.

The best way to treat white line disease is through a combination of debridement and topical antifungal treatment. Debridement, also called resection, involves your farrier or vet cutting away the infected tissue until healthy hoof horn is reached. Topical treatments on their own may not reach deep enough into the affected hoof to kill all of the bacteria. It is essential to remove dead tissue and expose the affected area to oxygen, since anaerobic bacteria cannot thrive in the open air. For this reason it is not recommended to apply glue or a patch over the resected area, as covering it seals in any remaining bacteria and allows the white line disease to progress. Oxygen exposure together with regular topical antifungal treatment and keeping the affected area clean should kill off the white line disease and allow the horse to grow back a normal hoof wall.

While hoof resection may look scary, it often looks worse than it actually is. Most horses can continue to work as normal while being treated for white line disease. More extensive resections may require a shoe to support the hoof while it grows out. Make sure to keep the resected area as clean as possible and apply your antifungal treatment of choice according to package directions. Chlorine dioxide v***r soaks such as White Lightning are very effective for treating white line disease, though they are labor intensive. If soaking the foot is not an option, a topical treatment will suffice.

The best way to prevent a severe case of white line disease is catching it early. Cleaning your horse’s hooves daily and maintaining regular hoofcare appointments will help prevent any nasty surprises.

21/11/2024

Continuing education is something we at Shod Steed pride ourselves on. From hoofcare to horsemanship, we believe that the more we learn the better we can serve you and your horses. We would like to thank Jim Thomas of Bar T Horsemanship for coming out and giving us a great clinic, and a huge thank you to Misty Hill Farm in Mebane for hosting us!

03/09/2024

Have an older, arthritic horse or a horse with mobility issues that make farrier visits a challenge? We as farriers often need to get creative with our body position to try and keep our equine customers comfortable, but there are things you can do as the owner to help make hoofcare visits easier on your horse.

First and foremost, the use of anti-inflammatory and/or pain management medication as prescribed by your veterinarian before your farrier arrives can go a long way towards reducing your horse’s discomfort.

Secondly, if your horse is stiff and creaky coming out of the stall first thing in the morning, a little light exercise (as appropriate for your horse) may help loosen up those stiff joints. Even a few minutes at a walk is enough - “motion is the lotion,” as the saying goes.

Whether it be from age, an injury, or a conformation issue, taking a few extra minutes before your farrier arrives can help manage your horse’s discomfort. Your horse - and your farrier - will thank you!

27/08/2024

A new little helper stopped by to see us today! She didn’t stick around long as there were sadly no snacks to be found in Stefani’s tool cart.

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https://www.shodsteed.com/

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