by John Dowd
Recently, the 1 Horse at a Time Draft Horse Rescue received a large donation for a desperately needed trimming table. The need for the table arose from the rescue losing reliable access to a farrier with a trimming table. Jasmin Shinn, founder and president of the non-profit, announced last Friday that the organization was going to purchase their own farrier’s table and make it available to the public.
According to Shinn, the table was needed because many of the rescued horses are difficult to work with. This is because many have been abused and cannot be trimmed in the traditional fashion. “It’s really a safety measure for both,” said Shinn, referring to the horses and the farriers. Farriers with tables are extremely hard to find as the tables are expensive and farriers require extra training to use and transport them. To address the need, Shinn reached out to a contact in Texas, where she knew of a table farrier.
It just so happened that the man had family with a steel shop and they could manufacture a table and bring it up to the rescue. However, the equipment would cost over $17,000 for a stationary table. Shinn reached out to an organization that has donated to the rescue before. After sending a request and the story of their plight, the Leslie Alexander Foundation answered with more than was requested. The extra would help with the costs involved in getting the table set up and farriers trained.
The table arrived on Monday, June 19 and the Texas farrier flew up to the rescue to trim the rescue horses and train any interested farriers both Monday and Tuesday.
Shinn is reaching out to any local farriers interested in becoming trained on the table. The idea is, the rescue wants to open the table up to public access. According to Shinn, such a table has numerous uses in the equine world. Not only does it make trimming easier, but it allows for a safer trim on older and injured horses. The table also allows the use of an electric tool, which the rescue will be getting to go along with the setup. This combination turns what can be traditionally an hour long ordeal into a 15 minute process. The table can also be used for medical procedures, including operating, on and caring for, injured feet. Another medical use is for operations such as gelding, which are generally done by laying a horse on the ground. This can lead to safety concerns for not only the health of the horse, but for those performing the procedure. The table allows for more options.
Shinn has reached out to the Tammany Veterinary Hospital, in Corvallis. She has let them know this table is available, and if they need to refer patients to a table, the rescue’s can be used. The rescue is also open to possible medical uses in the future.
The use of the table will require coordinating with the rescue and a farrier trained on the table. The rescue plans only to charge $20 for use of the table, on top of whatever the farrier will charge. The small fee will go back into the rescue. “We are open to providing more training and to making this available to more people,” included Shinn. “I’m volunteering my time, but the $20 is going to be a donation to the rescue.”
For more information on the table, or the rescue, interested parties can visit the rescue’s website, 1horseatatime.com, or they can call Shinn at (406) 493-4978.