The week I had to shoe a draft horse with a bad case of thrush

Last Tuesday, a regular farm out near Redmond called me in for their Percheron, and the poor guy's feet were a mess from wet spring ground. I spent over three hours just cleaning out the deep central sulcus on each hoof before I could even think about trimming, and the smell was something else. Some farriers I know say you should just do a basic trim and let the owner handle the treatment, but I'm in the camp of doing a full clean-out and packing the area with copper sulfate while you're there. What's your take on how much we should step in when a shoeing job turns into a hoof care fix? I'd rather not leave a horse in pain, but it also eats up a whole afternoon.

3 comments

3 Comments

caleb_price11d ago

Honestly, that's a tough call. Gotta respect your time and the business side of things. A full surgical clean-out for thrush is vet work, not farrier work, in my book. I'd do a solid trim, show the owner exactly how to pack it, and bill for the extra time on the trim. They need to learn to manage it between visits, right? Where do you draw the line on taking on vet-level care?

the_nathan5d agoMost Upvoted

Totally agree with @caleb_price, but that horse needed you right then.

milessmith11d ago

Man, that sounds like a rough day... thrush in a big horse is no joke. I'm with you on the full clean-out, even if it takes hours. Leaving that deep gunk just feels wrong when you're right there with the tools. It's tough when the clock is running, but the horse can't fix it himself.