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Skip to - What is Good Horseshoeing? - Table of Contents Free Horseshoeing GuideProper horseshoeing is one of the foundations of your horses health. A horse that is shod properly will avoid a vast number of lame conditions. A horse that is not shod properly is exposed to a wide array of lameness and health problems. Here's just a few conditions that can occur due to improper horseshoeing:
As a horse owner, you must be able to assess the quality and relevance of your horses horseshoe settings. This is a must needed skill. It's very hard to find the answers to questions regarding a proper horseshoeing job. There are so many different opinions out there for the horse owner to come upon, it's important to point out the solid foundational knowledge that has been evolving over the years. Farriers are blessed with a huge amount of informational sources, some historical, some from recent scientific developments. It is with this knowledge a farrier is able to professionally asseses each horses situation and provide horseshoes adhering to proper size,shape, angle, traction and numerous other factors for the fit. Obviously, the task of learning the intricacies of the art of farriery is not the goal of every horse owner, but as horse owners we can learn to assess the quality of a horseshoe setting. There are many indicators and signs to look for when a farrier does a horseshoeing job of poor quality. All it takes is the knowledge of these signs and you will take your horse ownership to the next level - potentially increasing your horses health and lifespan as a result. Taking proper care of your horses hooves means to not willingly allow him or her to be subjected to a poor horseshoeing job. 
A blacksmith with over 40 years experience has decided to give back to thecommunity by making some of the observations and insights he has found during his career available. His name is John Emsley and here are just a few of his experiences:
As a horse owner, we all want to know true, sound principles for keeping our horses lives healthy, long and enjoyable. John saw the need for relevant information addressing specific issues that he or a fellow horse owner had. Being a farrier and educator, John has developed a way of cutting to the root of the problem and addressing the question specificly without confusing the issue. Over the years, John has taken note of many questions and through the experience of caring for 10s of thousands of hooves, keeping in mind the greater good of overall equine health and well-being wrote many an insight into the horse industry. As far back as 1975 - John wrote a guide named "What is Good Shoeing?", and continued to write for several newspapers and magazine publications across the Canadian landscape. Currently John has brought his "What is Good Horseshoeing" book up to date - fully revising for clarity, updating in knowledge, and electonically digitizing. It is now available to you online right here and only here. This is a short interview with John explaining his profession to the newVR news correspondent.
John Emsley Interviewed on Horseshoeing
To quote the front page of 'What is Good Horseshoeing?' - "Written especially for horse owners in layman's language." John has constantly fielded a barrage of questions regarding his profession. From educating horse owners in the proper care of their horses in clinics, public events and general barn talk, to educating farriers that take up this profession, John has constantly made an effort to explain things in simple terms that anyone could understand. There are 15 key topics in this book that a horse owner should know when assessing a horseshoeing setting. Additionally, John has created a horseshoeing check list and shoeing record for horse owners to print out and take to the barn for reference when looking at a particular shoeing job.
Without further introduction:
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