Leg Anatomy

Jeff Carolan

Tuesday evening, 1/25, Jeff "Paco" Carolan was our guest speaker.  Jeff is a local farrier who has been trimming and shoeing horses in the area for over 11 years.  Jeff brought along 2 preserved horse legs from RCTC, different styles and sizes of shoes and his farrier tools.

The group reviewed leg anatomy using the preserved legs and posters that Jeff brought with him.  We also learned about different shoes and when to use them.  Next we learned about diseases of the legs and hooves.  Navicular, laminitis and white line disease were just some of the diseases affecting legs and feet that we discussed.

Jeff goes over leg anatomy

Jeff also talked to the group about the tools that farriers use.  We learned the proper names for each tool and what each tool is used for.  This was great practice for the Hippology portion of Horse Jamboree that the kids will go through in March.


Thanks, Jeff, for a great discussion and teaching us more about leg and foot anatomy and farriers.

January 18th Meeting

The agenda for the Tuesday January 18^th meeting included three guest speakers, some demonstrations and visual aids, and (of course) FUN! Our guest speakers were Carmen Milliren and Kate and Brian Speer.

Carmen Milliren, a former 4-Her, who now trains and shows horses in English and dressage and gives English lessons, covered all things English. She brought with two different kinds of saddles; dressage and jumper. She explained the difference between the two and showed us the different parts. Then she explained the different jumping events, for example, cross country. She passed around different bits and we learned how they work and what their names are too. Thanks Carmen! We really enjoyed having you talk to us!

Kate Speer securing a mantie

Next up was Brian and Kate Speer. They came to talk about mules and packing. Brian showed us different parts of the pack saddle and Kate showed us how to mantie our gear. They shared with us the basics of packing, how important balance is, and packing trips they’ve taken to the mountains of Wyoming. Equipment and it being used safely on the animal was another little interesting bit. Thanks Brian and Kate! We enjoyed learning about packing!

Brian Speer explaining proper packing

Afterward we had a quick tack game and everyone was headed home.  Don't forget, next week - the 25th - Jeff Carolan will be our guest speaker on hoof and leg anatomy and may have a very interesting visual aid for us.