Berkshire Farriers Ltd

20/08/2022

02/05/2020

Great product.!

Feeding their foot health

Balancing the diet correctly – for example adding a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement to horses fed little or no compound feed - will help many horses grow healthy hooves, but there are some who benefit from extra supplementation. The nutrients for hooves are given in what we call ‘supra-optimal’ levels, which means they are much higher than would be found in a normal balanced diet.

These nutrients are:
• Biotin – a B complex vitamin that is fed at at least 30 mg daily to aid hoof health. Biotin is involved in the keratinisation process of hoof horn formation and in the synthesis of intercellular glue
• Methionine – an essential amino acid that may be short in the normal diet and which provides the sulphur necessary for the bonds in the hoof horn cells
• Zinc and copper – two essential microminerals which are key for skin and hoof horn function. Research has shown higher rates of white line disease in horses with dietary zinc and copper shortages, and low body zinc has been associated with reduced hoof horn hardness and strength

Other nutrients which may be included in hoof supporting supplements include:
• Lysine, the limiting essential amino acid meaning the one most likely to be short in the diet, and which is key for all tissues in the body
• MSM (methyl sulphonyl methane), a source of biologically available sulphur which is important for the bonds in hoof horn cells
• Calcium, magnesium and iodine, minerals which can be marginal in some diets
• Omega-3 fatty acids, which are a key component of the integrity of keratinized tissues including hoof and skin

https://www.readysupp.com/hoof-aid-p10

24/03/2020

⭐Client Notice⭐

During these difficult times I am following the advice of the Farriers Registration Council and the Worshipful Company of Farriers, and of course the government.

At present I will continue to shoe as normal and honour appointments booked in. Please be patient if i need to make changes so to accommodate everyone. I may, where possible try and bring appointments forward if a total lockdown is imminent but the diary is pretty booked up and may be utilising the extra daylight to do this so some appointments may be very early or quite late.

As long as your horse is ok I’m happy to help myself as long as they are in the stable and easily accessible and good to catch. I will be following the social distancing guidelines and expect my clients to do the same. There is no need for me to have any human contact or close interaction when going about my daily rounding.

Until it is illegal for me to carry on my business I will on the grounds of animal welfare. If I develop symptoms of course I will have to stop for a short while. Thank you in advance for understanding.

All the best and stay safe

Luke silcock a.w.c.f
Berkshire Farriers

21/02/2020

Lee using his awsome shoemaking skills! today.

07/08/2019

Dressage Hub

05/08/2019

Joe Carby Equine Physiotherapy

Interesting fact

Every 1cm of extra toe length results in an extra 50 kg of force acting on a horses tendons.

-1 degree drop in the sole angle where the Deep Digital Flexor Tendon inserts into the coffin bone can lead to a 4% increase in strain exerted by the DDFT on the Navicular bone

This just highlights how important it is to keep your horses regularly shod and also how important it is for your farriers, and physios to work together.

24/05/2019

At Berkshire farriers we believe in education to keep us up to date and current in the farriery industry.

Had a great time giving a talk to Berkshire Farriers yesterday evening. We looked at hoof capsule distortions!

21/05/2019

Cricklade Osteopathic Health Practice

Cricklade Osteopathic Health Practice

Spent a really interesting Saturday morning with my nephew Luke who is a farrier. He was helping my friend Steve fulfill his ambition of making a horse shoe. We were hugely impressed by the level of skill and physical effort involved. It's not surprising that a number of our patients are farriers. Thank you Luke. We are both in awe of your talent. Jo

06/03/2019

Wishing Beth all the best for the future on her last day with team BF! 💐😀

23/01/2019

Great to see one of our amazingly talented clients getting the recognition she deserves . Well done Tatiane from all at BF!

Tatiane Mauree has been awarded the NAF Shining Star for January after being nominated by Oxfordshire and Berkshire Lead Coach, Sharon Quant.

For the full report go to: http://www.britishshowjumping.co.uk/news/tatiane-mauree-from-berkshire-is-januarys-naf-shining-star

12/01/2019

'Ridiculous' – Mick Easterby blasts BHA over new rule on shoeing

'Ridiculous' – Mick Easterby blasts BHA over new rule on shoeing

Veteran trainer Mick Easterby says he will defy the BHA by refusing to comply with a new rule demanding all runners in jumps races be fully shod

01/01/2019

Wishing all our clients a very happy and prosperous 2019 🐎 🥂

29/12/2018

25/12/2018

Merry Christmas to all of our clients and all the best for 2019! 🎄

18/12/2018

We are looking to recruit additional apprentices to join our team . If you have a passion for horses and the desire to become a world class farrier please get in touch by emailing your details to [email protected]

08/12/2018

The BF Christmas tree is back!

11/11/2018

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, we will remember them....

07/11/2018

BF case of the week is a classic case of white line disease.
It is important that you remove all the effected area otherwise it will continue to get worse.
In this case we bonded an aluminium shoe to the foot and a partial hoof wall rebuild to support the hoof leaving the top exposed to allow for medication to be applied.
We expect a great recovery in this case.

03/11/2018

Berkshire Farriers believe it is important to reduce any excess wear on the joints, especially when dealing with elite horses. With simple shoe modification this can be easily accomplished.

25/10/2018

Equine at Donnington Grove Veterinary Surgery

As of 1st October 2018, all horses must now be microchipped by law. Owners of horses born before 30th June 2009 have two years to ensure their horse is microchipped. Horses born after this date are already required by law to be microchipped. It is hoped that these new laws will result in greater protection against theft, the spread of disease and neglect of equines.

Microchipping is a routine and generally very well tolerated procedure. Please contact the equine office on 01635 39039, or email [email protected], if you would like to discuss this further or wish to get your horse booked in.

To clarify, the law as of 1st October 2018 is that all equines must be microchipped by 1st October 2020. All horses born after 2009 should already be microchipped.

https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/equine-microchip-passport-law-2018-666409

01/10/2018

Some times we overlook the basics!

Keep it simple is our philosophy at Berkshire Farriers.

28/09/2018

Sharon Johnson Equestrian

Sharon Johnson Equestrian

Huge relief, 2nd farrier visit from the lovely Chris at Berkshire Farriers Ltd for jazz and this morning, first time jazz had been sedated and was still absolutely terrified of life, 7 weeks on and Chris managed to do all 4 hooves with only a smidge of 😱 from jazz, not sedated this time just for info 🤗
Chris was incredibly patient and relaxed with him which is invaluable when dealing with a genuinely worried yearling, and complements for the way in which jazz is learning how to horse!
If you are looking for the ultimate professional farriers, you should really look no further, Luke and his excellent team are the ones to call 😊

24/09/2018

Remember to try and find any lost shoes,
avoiding your horse finding them!

06/09/2018

Wishing Caroline and El Niño the best of luck at WEG!

WEG update! They have been released from quarantine, well the horses have! All looking and feeling great...Psyches is now ready to see some of the stunning scenery around North and South Carolina and the Blue Ridge Mountains in his pre-ride prep...

29/08/2018

No need to panic if you see your horses frog starting to exfoliate or the sole coming away this is due to the weather changing and the time of year and is perfectly normal

20/08/2018

The early signs of canker!
(Often mistaken for thrush)
The bulbs of the heels are affected in this case.
If left untreated can be prolific, and difficult to get rid of.

Make sure you do daily inspections of all your horses hoof, and let us or your vet know if you have any concerns.

31/07/2018

Worth considering the effects of trimming and shoe placement.
And what effect it has on limb position.

10/07/2018

Definitely worth thinking about!!
Maybe cheaper in the short term.

Something to remember! Also, leaving a horse longer than 8 weeks between trims alters the joint angles, causing microdamage each time, which is cumulative and a potential cause of arthritis.

By Fox Run Equine Center

02/07/2018

Sometimes things are not always as simple as they look!
Hind limb deviation can be tricky to deal with, the application of lateral extensions are generally applied, and may well cause leverage and excess pressure on the joint.
We can not change conformation in a mature animal but we can be sympathetic in our approach.

28/06/2018

Consider shoeing intervals.
Excessive foot growth can influence posture and increase stride length, resulting in decreased performance.
This picture demonstrates the difference between the trimmed and untrimmed foot and the influence it has on limb position.