Featured Image Credit: Palmetto Carriage Works
Have you ever been walking in downtown Charleston, seen a horse drawn carriage and thought to yourself, “Man, those horses feet must really hurt!”? There is no need to worry, because Palmetto Carriage Works takes special care of all of their animals by providing them with shoes that protect and add traction to their hooves.
Horses’ and mules’ hooves need proper care to prevent abnormal hoof wear and injury to the foot. At Palmetto Carriage Works, this care is proved by a farrier who makes his rounds twice a week to ensure the protect and safety of each of the animals. A farrier is specialized in preparation and fitting of the horseshoes.
A horseshoe is a u-shaped plate usually made of steel but can also be made of aluminum or plastic. Each of the animals comes in different shapes and sizes, which means each animals horseshoes are going to be different. For small horses and mules, the shoe is made of steel and has a plastic covering, while the larger, draft horses have shoes made of steel with plastic bolted in. The horseshoes are nailed into a not sensitive area on the bottom of the hoof.
To insure the best protection of their animals’ hooves, Palmetto Carriage Works askes their farrier to change each of the animals shoes every six weeks. This prevents the shoes from becoming loose and being thrown. In the case that a shoe becomes thrown, the horse or mule will wear a boot until the farriers next visit to the barn so that it may continue working. In the case of an injury to an animal’s hoof, they will see both a vet and a farrier to ensure proper treatment can be decided, whether it is a special shoe or time to rest.
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