Mark Milster: Farrier accolades "mean nothing" if the horse isn't happy

 

The Oklahoman newspaper and newsok.com tracked down former World Champion farrier Mark Milster for a nice interview and video. The video gives a peek into Mark's shop, which should make toolhead readers happy. 

And the story of how Mark worked his way to the top of the farrier profession should inspire us all.

Video: Oklahoma Tornado Tragedy's Legacy is Both Tragedy and Inspiration for Veterinarians and Horsemen

Please allow time for videos to load.




You know things are bad when CNN dedicates a segment to injured horses in a natural disaster, but that's what happened on Friday when the global news network aired a story by newsman Gary Tuckman, who was on hand with Oklahoma's Joe Boecker, DVM to show in graphic detail what a tornado can do to a horse.

Hoof Blog readers around the world who think that the Oklahoma victims are strangers in a far-off place should know that someone very familiar to this blog was deeply impacted by the storm. An earlier tornado hit Shawnee, Oklahoma, including property of Michael Steward, DVM.

Oklahoma Farrier, Victim of Trailer Theft, Boosted by Fellow Viet Nam Veterans

Please wait for the remote video clip to load.

Sometimes when bad things happen to good people, it brings out the best in other people.

Horseshoeing Trailer Heist in Oklahoma Devastates Veteran Farrier's Ability to Work

Shoeing trailers make a lot of sense, both economically and efficiency-wise. Some are really clever designs and all of them allow farriers to use a truck or hauling vehicle for something other than a work-related rig.

But it looks like thieves love them, too. This is not the first shoeing trailer that I have heard of being stolen. This news report amazed me when I saw that Mr. Ward had stamped all this shoes.

Oklahoma Zebra with Foot Infection Loses the Battle

This video is a window on the earlier treatment of Zephra, a Grevy's zebra with a serious hoof infection at the Oklahoma City Zoo; video courtesy of The Oklahoman. The video may take a little while to load. (sorry about the ad)

For quite a while now, I've been following the travails of a Grevy's zebra at the Oklahoma City Zoo. Zephra has reportedly been treated for laminitis for the past three months or so. Carrie Coppernoll, a journalist with the local newspaper, the Oklahoman, was willing to share her report and the paper also has a video, which details treatment of an abscess or infection.

Carrie's reports have been beautifully illustrated with photos by the Oklahoman's photographer, Paul Hellstern. 

Today Carrie Coppernoll shared the outcome of the case.

Sadly, Zephra didn't survive her foot problem. Carrie has kindly shared some of her report, which appeared in The Oklahoman today. Carrie attributes her information to Jennifer D'Agostino, director of veterinarian services at the Oklahoma City Zoo.

Dee Corley (left), Zoo Equine Podiatrist, Animal Keeper Brian Whitsitt, and Senior Veterinarian Jennifer D'Agostino attempt to take an X-ray, as work is done to treat an abscessed hoof on "Zephra", a Grevy's zebra at the Oklahoma City Zoo  on Tuesday, October 25, 2011. By Paul Hellstern, © The Oklahoman

In August, Zephra was diagnosed in August with laminitis of unknown origin. According to D'Agostino, the zebra's pain was temporarily relieved when the zoo's farrier applied a shoe to the hoof.

Carrier writes: "But Zephra began to limp again, and a more extensive exam revealed a painful abscess. She was immobilized several times so experts from throughout the state could help treat her. Because Grevy's zebras are wild and aggressive, Zephra had to be anesthetized for each treatment.

A bird's eye view of work done to treat an abscessed hoof on "Zephra", a Grevy's zebra at the Oklahoma City Zoo on October 25, 2011. By Paul Hellstern, © The Oklahoman

'Despite treatment, her pain and the infection wouldn't go away,' D'Agostino said. 'The tip of the bone inside her hoof was dying. The only solution was surgery'."

Henry Jann, an equine surgeon from Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, performed the surgery November 10. 

According to Coppernoll's report, the surgeon created an opening into the sole of the zebra's hoof, removed the dead bone, packed it with antibiotics and wrapped it in a hard cast.

Senior Veterinarian Jennifer D'Agostino (right) and Dee Corley, Zoo Equine Podiatrist, work to treat an abscessed hoof on "Zephra", a Grevy's zebra at the Oklahoma City Zoo on October 25, 2011. Photo by Paul Hellstern, © The Oklahoman

Coppernoll continues: "Zephra showed a lot of promise for the next week, D'Agostino said. 'She was doing great, She was walking without hardly any limp.'

However, Coppernoll reported, Zephra quickly deteriorated. She wrote "The infection got worse and her foot began separating from the hoof. Zoo officials cleaned her and gave her another day. 

"But when they unwrapped the bandages on November 23, they knew the problem was too much for her to overcome."

D'Agostino said. 'As soon as we took the bandage off,' she said, 'we knew'.”

Zephra was euthanized.

In this video, a zoo zebra in Tokyo paws a steel plate.

Coppernoll continues: "Zephra's body has been donated to Skulls Unlimited. Her bones will either end up on display at the Museum of Osteology or become part of an educational exhibit, D'Agostino said.

She quoted the veterinarian: “The whole time we thought it was all going to be fine. The infection got the better of her,” she said. “We knew that this was the road it could go down.”

Dr. Jennifer D’Agostino, senior veterinarian for the Oklahoma City Zoo, looks at an X-ray, as an abscessed hoof is treated on Zephra at the Oklahoma City Zoo. Photo by Paul Hellstern, ©The Oklahoman Archives

Many zoo animals receive infrequent hoofcare services because of restraint issues and the danger involved. Some zoos have elaborate training projects to improve the quality and frequency of their hoof trimming for the animals.

Another encouraging post script to the Oklahoma story is that many of the glue-on and strap-on products used on horses have been adapted for zoo animals so that their hooves can be supported or stabilized with minimal trauma. In the past, it was difficult to figure out how to apply a brace, for example, that could be used on zoo animals.

Shoot big game...with hoof adhesives.

Vettec adhesive and supportive urethane-based products have been used quite a bit in zoos, as have PMMA adhesive products, I know, and I would imagine that casting tape would come in handy.

Will hoof boots in sizes and shapes to fit exotic animals be the next thing on our new products page?

In the months to come, Hoofcare + Lameness will be exploring some of the advances in zoo husbandry and medicine. I look forward to seeing the first business card reading "Equine and Exotic Podiatry Services"!

If you have photos or experiences or opinions or innovations to share, please contact Fran Jurga.

Hoofcare Publishing thanks Carrie Coppernoll, Paul Hellstern and The Oklahoman for their excellent reporting and their assistance with this report.

 TO LEARN MORE

Read the full newspaper article about the zebra's earlier treatment in Oklahoma City, with additional photos.
Read Carrie Coppernoll's full article about the zebra's final prognosis during the week of Thanksgiving, published November 29.
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Read The Rhino With the Glue-On Shoes by Lucy Spelman DVM to learn how the Forging Ahead farrier practice in Virginia sent an unflinching Randy Pawlak to help Mohan, a 5000-pound rhinocerous, with the tools he uses for sport horses.

Click on the photo to learn more and order your poster.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.  
 

Follow Hoofcare + Lameness on Twitter: @HoofcareJournal

Read this blog's headlines on the Hoofcare + Lameness Facebook Page

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

New Oklahoma State Board Would Make Veterinary vs Husbandry Decisions for Professional Practices

There have probably been simpler times to be in the animal care field. Now you not only have to know what you're doing, but if you can legally do it.

As states continue to grapple with definitions of what the practice of veterinary medicine actually entails compared to the routine practice of animal husbandry, national attention turns again to the state of Oklahoma, which was recently wrenched by a battle over whether floating teeth and other aspects of what has come to be known as equine dentistry should or could legally be done by non-veterinarians in the state.  That fight spilled over to other routine practices, particularly related to animal reproduction, that are performed at livestock facilities in the state.

It was a short-lived victory for ranchers who don't want to have to hire veterinarians for routine artificial insemination procedures, or for non-veterinarian professionals in the state who wanted the assurance that they were performing their work legally; the governor quickly signed emergency rules proposed by the Oklahoma State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners to prevent non-veterinarians from performing some tasks.

http://www.oklahomafarmreport.com/wire/news/2011/01/02677_Rehash3202AnimalHusbandry01212011_064424.php

This audio report from the Oklahoma Farm Report summarizes steps that led up to this week's action in the Oklahoma legislature.

To the state lawmakers and vet board's credit, a compromise has been put forward in the form of House Bill 1310, which would create a new board, tentatively called the Animal Technology Advisory Committee, made up of three veterinarians and three non-veterinarians, and chaired by a non-voting veterinarian. This board would examine procedures and decide whether they fall under the practice of veterinary medicine or animal husbandry.

HB 1310 passed out of committee yesterday and now is headed to a vote by the entire legislature.

The legislature has not made the text of HB 1310 available to the public on their web site yet.

The composition of state veterinary boards varies from state to state. In some states, the board includes non-veterinary members. In Oklahoma and Florida, five of six members are listed as veterinarians; in Ohio, four of six; in Massachusetts, four of four; in California, four of eight.

 © Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.
 

Follow the Hoof Blog on Twitter: @HoofcareJournal

Join the Hoofcare + Lameness Facebook Page

Tweet

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Oklahoma Legislation Defines Equine Dentistry as Husbandry, not Veterinary Medicine; Passes House, on to State Senate

7 March 2010 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog at Hoofcare.com

I think you'd better watch these little video news clips from Oklahoma, and read some news from that state.

That's one way to look at this issue. I'm not sure why equine dentists would need access to cough medications and Ketamine, but there may be something in the bill that could be a loophole. And if people in Oklahoma want to lose weight quickly using a horse drug, shouldn't they try Lasix?

Across the state, a different television station has a completely different, and equally slanted, way of presenting the story to viewers:


Finally, let's hear from the vets themselves. Here's a promotional video from the state's veterinary association, with a demonstration of equine dentistry by Dr. Mark Bianchi. I wonder how many veterinarians in Oklahoma have his level of training in equine dentistry.



It's always important to tell both sides of the story. It's easy to do when the media does it for you so graphically.

Here are the basic facts: In the state of Oklahoma, HB 3202 passed by a vote of 71 to 25 in the House of Representatives on Thursday. Authored by Representative Don Armes and Senator Mike Schulz, the bill clarifies that acts of animal husbandry are not prohibited by the Veterinary Practice Act. It also requires that of the five veterinarian members of the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (Board), one must be an equine practitioner and one must be a large animal practitioner.

HB 3202 also sets up a mandatory certification process for equine teeth floaters under the Board.

The bill must now go before the Senate Agriculture committee and the full Senate before reaching the Governor’s desk.

Earlier, the Oklahoma Farm Bureau passed a resolution stating "Equine dentists, chiropractors and farriers are trained professionals who provide essential services to the horse industry. They should be recognized as such and allowed to continue to practice."

According to a detailed article in The Oklahoman newspaper, which I recommend you all read, the state would require that equine dentists prove they have been through 80 hours of training. They would pay a $200 per year certification fee, and disputes or complaints would be handled by the state's agricultural board, not the veterinary board.

Click here to read the full article.

Click here to read a letter from Dr. Tina Neel, to state legislators; she is one of the veterinarians who is leading opposition to the bill.

Click here to see the legislative progress and download amendments to the bill.

It's amazing to see the resources and energy that have gone into this fight in Oklahoma. The background, of course, includes that teeth floating by non-veterinarians was made a felony, and a popular floater was arrested. He just happened to be a well-known rodeo cowboy as well. So the story made the headlines. Horse owners couldn't believe that it was a felony to run a rasp over a horse's teeth. Since then they've received a major education in the complexity of equine dentistry.

This fight has certainly been a microcosm of many political issues. I have not seen the small type in the bill, but I know that, in some way, the farriers in Oklahoma are probably affected by this proposed legislation as well. And I know full well that other states and other veterinary boards are watching what is going on in Oklahoma, as are groups like the Institute for Justice which often comes to the aid of professions and trades being regulated by legislation.

What will happen in the state senate? Will the abortion ads scare the citizenry into calling their senators and defeating the bill? Or will the don't-tell-me-what-I-can-do mentality win the day? More importantly, what will it mean, a year from now, or five years from now, to the horses and the owners in Oklahoma? There's plenty of chew on here.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask.

Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page).

To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found.

Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.

AQHA Laminitis Download Link for Steward Clog Information

by Fran Jurga | 3 August 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog

Dr. Mike Steward of Shawnee, Oklahoma developed a simple, inexpensive and effective shoeing treatment for laminitis by making a "Steward Clog" out of plywood. Photo by Andrew Knittle, The Shawnee News-Star.

Tomorrow night the town of Saratoga Springs, New York is going to hear all about clog shoes for laminitis. And have a good time doing it. The Hoofcare@Saratoga series will welcome Dr Michael Steward to be the first speaker of 2009, as we kickoff the year at the National Museum of Racing.

Whether you are planning to come or not, here's a chance to download a great article. "Going Dutch" by Holly Clanahan won second place in the American Horse Publications Awards last month for articles published in 2008. The article is about Dr. Michael Steward of Shawnee, Oklahoma and his clog shoe for laminitis.

AQHA graciously timed the first-ever release of a free download of the article to coincide with Dr. Steward's trip to speak in Saratoga. But this article can and will benefit plenty of horses, owners, veterinarians, and farriers who have never heard of Saratoga or Shawnee.

Click here to initiate the download process on the AQHA web site. Thanks to the AQHA for their help with this, and for the exposure they have given to Dr. Steward and his simple, cost-effective treatment. Yes, many of his cases are Quarter horses but this treatment has now been adopted and adapted (for better or worse) by many levels of farriers and veterinarians and is being used on all sorts of cases.

Tomorrow night we will be celebrating the shoes and boots that are on display in the National Museum of Racing lobby exhibit this summer. Among them is what looks like a stray piece of plywood that the exhibit fabricator left behind. That's the Steward Clog. It will be a pleasure to show Dr Steward his shoe in the Museum's collection.

The right foot of this horse is wearing a Steward Clog held in place with deck screws. Casting tape will stabilize the hoof wall and the appliance.

I think it is important to remember that this shoe was originally a simple design that Dr. Steward's clients could afford. Necessity was the mother of invention. For many people, laminitis was not a case of could their horse be helped but could they afford the help? The Steward Clog was an alternative. Now it seems to be in danger of becoming another high-priced boutique shoeing treatment.

The original way--the simple clog--still works and would be a great, cost-effective technique for equine rescue farms to master. I hope they'll be in the audience Tuesday night, along with everyone who cares about real-world laminitis.

I hope we can work toward a day when "lack of funds" will no longer have to be written as the cause of death on a foundered horse's medical record. And I thank Dr Steward and everyone else who is trying to help work toward that day.


© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. No use without permission. You only need to ask.

Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page).

To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found.

Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.

Oklahoma Uprising? Rodeo Star Arrest for Illegal Equine Dentistry Sends Horse Owners to State Capitol

by Fran Jurga | 8 April 2009 | Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog


They say "Don't mess with Texas," but I think there's a PS implied in there: "Or Oklahoma, neither."

I don't usually have much news from Oklahoma but between last year's disease outbreak there, horseshoeing school owner Reggie Kester's recent death, and philanthropist Madeleine Pickens's withdrawal of her multi-million dollar donation to the Oklahoma State vet school because they use live animals to teach surgery, I am singing the Broadway theme song.

Add in the growing popularity of Oklahoma veterinarian Dr. Michael Steward's clog treatment for laminitis, the recent banning of cloned Quarter horses from the state's racetracks and the stiffening of the state's veterinary practice act to classify non-veterinary tooth floating as a felony and I feel like I may as well move there just to report on the news.

But I won't be packing a tooth rasp.

And isn't it tornado season?

In a nutshell, to bring you up to date: Oklahoma's state legislature in 2008 voted to re-classify dentistry work by a non-veterinarian as a felony. It was formerly a misdemeanor. But would they actually arrest someone for illegal tooth floating?

And, if so, which of the state's twenty-odd horse dentists would be targeted?

We found out last month. National Finals Rodeo saddle bronc star Bobby Griswold apparently picks up some money on the side by doing teeth; his downfall came when he sedated a horse and did dental work for an undercover investigator for the Oklahoma State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.

That's the first part of the story and it reads like a tv script: the first person arrested in Oklahoma for violating the beefed-up law just happened to be a celebrity. A celebrity who may be turning into a folk hero if you read the barrel racing and rodeo magazines and web sites.

I think there is interesting information in Bobby Griswold's biography: his town was hit by an F5 tornado in 1999, then five years later, in 2004, another tornado hit his new property in a new town. And now, five years again later, he's caught up in a whirlwind, of a different sort. And tornado season is just beginning.

The rest of this story is that, according to an article in today's edition of the Oklahoman, about 50 horse owners "stormed" the state Capitol yesterday and a state legislator filed an amendment to the veterinary statutes.

To quote the newspaper:
"This amendment would allow equine dentistry and other animal procedures, such as shoeing hooves and transferring embryos in cattle, to be done without a veterinary license. Those practices now fall under the supervision of the state Board of Veterinary Examiners. The amendment would put them under the state Agriculture, Food and Forestry Department."

That's the first time I have seen a reference to shoeing in this matter, and it certainly got my attention. Then I re-read it and, being the editor I am, realized that it technically meant shoeing hooves of cattle, which may or may not have been the intent of the writer.

The rally was organized by the Institute for Justice, an organization that has been actively challenging veterinary practice acts in states like Maryland, where a massage therapist stood up for her rights to rub horses.

Somehow, I don't think this is the end to this story. Stay tuned!

Please read information from many different sources before you make up your mind on this complex issue...and please be sure to stay abreast of developments and changes in legislation status affecting the care and health of animals--and who can do what to them, and where and how--in any state where you work on, show, breed, ride, buy or sell horses.

Click here for information from the Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association (not the state regulatory board, but the association of veterinarians) about equine dentistry and regulations in the state.
Click here for an article in the Journal-Record about the new legislation and the Institute for Justice's involvement.
Click here for the Oklahoman's account of the horse owners' rally and new legislation.
Click here for the Oklahoman's account of Bobby Griswold's arrest for violating the Veterinary Practice Act, complete with mug shot.
Click here for Bobby Griswold's defense fund home page.


© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing. No use without permission. You only need to ask. Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.

Another Silent Anvil: Reggie Kester has died

Horseshoeing school owner Reggie Kester of Ardmore, Oklahoma has died. Reggie owned Oklahoma State Horseshoeing School and has taught thousands of people to trim and shoe horses. His school has always been one of the most popular farrier schools in the United States and Reggie was a leader of independent farrier educators. He called a meeting in 2005 that lead to the establishment of the American Farrier Educators Council; he was elected the first president.

Reggie had cancer and had been hospitalized since Thanksgiving with complications of pneumonia.

I thoroughly enjoyed knowing Reggie Kester and enjoyed working with him in the old days of the informal "farrier educators" group meetings facilitated by GE Tools' Beth Garner. That group grew into the Registry of Professional Farrier Educators (RPFE), which I believe no longer exists. Reggie called a crisis meeting of private horseshoeing school owners in Oklahoma City in 2005 in reaction to a perceived threat or intervention on the ability of private schools to continue to run their businesses, which lead to the formation of the AFEC.

Reggie was a "can do" man who I think of as having one foot in the past and one in the future, while looking the present right in the eye. He started his school in 1975, just before the beginning of the boom in private horseshoeing schools, and his school was very well known. He believed in what he was doing, he believed in being involved in the bigger farrier industry, and he and his family are friendly, genuine ambassadors for farriery. They have launched the careers and advanced the skills of so many people, but they have also enriched many more lives with their enthusiasism and warmth, including mine.

If you would like to write to Marcella, Regan or Kathy, the address is
Oklahoma State Horseshoeing School
4802 Dogwood Rd
Ardmore, OK 73401.


Update: A funeral is planned for Friday, January 2nd, handled by the Craddock Funeral Home in Ardmore, where a complete obituary has been posted about Reggie. You can order flowers from the Yellow Rose Florist in Ardmore: 580 226 5116.