My name is David Richards, and I bring to shoeing a very different perspective than many farriers. I grew up in New Hampshire, the son of a gunsmith, and trained to be a gunsmith and firearms engraver. After serving my apprenticeship in Pennsylvania, I moved to back to a farm in NH and worked as an engraver. Having always been interested in medicine I got involved in ski patrol, mountain rescue and the fire department as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). I became involved in shoeing after I purchased two draft horses to work with on my farm. As luck would have it, a former shoeing instructor at Michigan State University, Edward Grove, came over to shoe my draft horses. In speaking with him, he was interested in carving metal, and I became interested in shoeing horses. We decided to exchange ideas and careers. After working with him and seeing how I could incorporate both my art (engraving, stock making) and hobby (EMT) into one career, I knew a change of careers was in sight. Skills that I had developed as a stock maker and engraver developed my eye for detail, which came in handy as a farrier. In adding a medical approach, my understanding of mechanism of movement and physics has given me an eclectic approach to shoeing.

After working in NH for about ten years, I moved to Southern Pines, North Carolina in 1989. I have been very fortunate in working with many upper level riders, coaches, trainers, and horses of all levels. This has given me a very comprehensive knowledge of a wide range of horses. Having developed my skills to an industry standard and noticing that hoof problems were not improving, I started using different kinds of pads, composite shoes, egg bars and heart bar shoes in hope that this may help with hoof problems. Unfortunately that did not seem to help and in some cases made things worse. After lots of questions, time and computer modeling programs it became apparent we are not dealing with hoof problems but specifically hoof wall failure. Newton’s third law of physics “For every action there is an equal and opposite re-action” helps explains how and why we need to address the hoof wall. When the foundation is not strong enough, or placed in the center of the load, failure is inevitable.

Early in 1990, Dr. Fred McCashin of Southern Pines introduced me to casting as a treatment for a foundered horse he had at his clinic. After seeing the comfort and remarkable recovery that the cast gave this horse (adding support to the hoof wall), and realizing this may be the answer to hoof wall failure, I decided to find an answer. I worked to developed Equicast, a temporary support system to help restore hoof wall integrity and soundness to a failing or failed structure (hoof walls). After working on hundreds, if not thousands, of cases with farriers, veterinarians, trainers, and owners, we have developed a product and process that addresses hoof wall problems. Working with specialists in cloth design and resins, we have developed a cloth and resin that can stand up to the environment and wear that a horse puts on their feet.

While traveling across this country for the last year I have been shocked at the lack of clear and accurate information professionals and owners have in understanding the role hooves play in relation to the soundness of their horse. With this in mind, I have been in touch with Debbie Gaiser and The Equine Herald. Debbie, being an avid competitor and horse owner herself, realized the value in informing readers about how feet affect a horse’s soundness. After many emails back and forth, we thought that a column dedicated to hoof problems and the effect that hoof problems can have on a horse would be a great benefit to The Equine Herald’s readers. An informed owner will make a better decision on what their horse’s needs might be.

I am very aware how dry and boring hoof problems can be, so I will try and keep some humor and entertainment along with education to help unlock the mysteries of hoof problems. I will enlist the knowledge of other professionals both in the equine world and in some cases in every day life whenever I can.

I look forward to hearing from The Equine Herald readers – email us your hoof questions and I will address your topics in this column.