Interview+with+Barson+family

__**Interview with Barnson Family**__

Interview via telephone with Mrs. V. Barnson, rancher, Bassano, Alberta. Dated Saturday March 28, 2009 and Sunday, March 29, 2009.

A. Yes, we do. We have 2 Percherons who are in pulling competitions and weigh about 2000 lbs each. We also have our own quarter horses that we ride and work. Our son Jim stables his horses here as well. So we have a floating number of horses between five and a dozen at any one time.
 * Q. Do you still shoe your horses?**

A. Well, Robert checks their feet all the time. As the hoof grows, you check to see if the shoe is still stable and not causing any problems. They must stay dead level to the bottom of the hoof or the horse may become lame, which is a problem to avoid at all costs. The old shoe is removed; the hooves are prepared by trimming and filing them. Then, sometimes sort of ‘footbeds’ of cork are put inside the shoe to line them and make it more comfortable. I guess it would be about once every two months or so, depending on the horse. Then, square profile nails are put through the slots in the horseshoes and nailed into the actual hoof. They’re about an inch plus long. You’ve got to know what you’re doing.
 * Q. How often do you shoe the horses?**

A. It’s steel for the Percherons and aluminum for the quarter horses.
 * Q. What kind of horse shoes do you typically use?**

A. I guess it would, but you would have to be awfully sure that the shoe would stay on. I mean, the ideal for a horse is to go barefoot. But without shoeing, the horse is vulnerable to injury and infection on different kinds of ground. It’s not a perfect world out there. Just think if you had to walk around in all kinds of weather without shoes. You’d probably go a lot faster and be more sure-footed if you had some type of foot gear on, wouldn’t you? I can see using a shoe without nails if the horse had an injury and you didn’t want to put them through the trauma and pain of nailing a shoe onto a sore limb. You wouldn’t want to get kicked for doing it either. I can see that if a horse threw a shoe, and they were wearing one without nails that clamped on, the rider could put it back on. You’d be avoiding possible lameness right there. They’d be able to get back to the barn at least. I bet you a vet would have a few more ideas for using them.
 * Q. Would it be of any use to you to have a shoe that stays on without nails?**

A. Robert shoes our horses, and I help. We have a jig that we created out of a washing machine housing to help hold the horse’s foot steady. It helps them to relax a bit too. They can be very heavy when you’re trying to get that shoe on. Farriers have a tough job. They have to be very knowledgeable and also be very good with the animal so they don’t get kicked or bitten. Farriers don’t generally make the mistake of quicking the nails. [This means driving the nail into the quick or growth area of the hoof bed. Pain, injury and infection can result.]
 * Q. Who does the shoeing of your horses?**

A. No, there isn’t. Each horse is very different. They can look the same but they walk differently, just like we do. Each animal has their own gait. You have to figure out what shoe your horse needs and how to alter it to fit them perfectly. It’s an art that’s for sure. When Cindy was competing in barrel racing with her horse, it needed a certain kind of shoe. When Carl was doing competitive rodeo, his horse needed a different kind of shoe altogether. Our horses in the pulling competitions have heavy duty shoes on, different again. You stock the ones that you need and alter them to suit.
 * Q. Is there a generic type of horse shoe, like one size fits all?**

Q. Thank you for the opportunity to ask these questions.