When I first started shoeing back in '92, I was apprenticing with this old timer in Kentucky who made me forge every single nail from bar stock. Took forever but man, you learned to appreciate a good nail. Now it's all machine made stuff from China and I swear the QC has gone downhill. Last month I had a batch where half the heads snapped off driving them in. Anybody else notice this or am I just getting old and cranky?
I used to buy whatever farrier tongs were cheapest at the supply store and replace them every 8 months because the jaws would warp or lose grip, but a old timer at a clinic told me to try his welded design with a different steel blend, so has anyone else switched from store-bought to custom tongs and noticed a big difference in wear.
I started tracking shoes after my mentor told me 300 was a good goal for a rookie. At the end of my first year I had 497 and I swear people in my local group called me a liar. Any other farriers track this kind of thing or am I just weird for counting?
I was at the Dane County Fair last weekend and overheard this farrier talking about how he mounts his anvil on a big stump with a rubber mat underneath. He said it cuts down on vibration in his hands after a long day. I tried it on my own rig yesterday and wow, what a difference. Has anyone else messed with their anvil base to make it work better?
Had a young girl at a 4H event last month point at my 15 rasps spread out on a towel and ask "do you really need all those?" I told her no, but each one has a job like my 8-cut for rough shaping and a 10-cut for finish work. Have you ever had someone totally outside the trade ask a question that actually made you rethink your workflow?
I put a set of grooved natural balance shoes on a 12 year old Quarter Horse with mild founder in the fronts. Figured the extra traction would help her roll over easier, but she started tripping on flat ground after 3 days. Anybody else see weird stuff when changing up shoe patterns like that?
I was at a hoof care clinic in Kentucky last fall and the guy teaching let me try his cheap rasp for one pass on a sole and I realized I'd been muscling through with a dull tool the whole time, has anyone else had a brand surprise them like that?
I needed a new hoof tester quick after mine snapped on a draft horse last Tuesday, so I grabbed some off-brand one with 4 stars and free shipping. First few horses I was sure it was bending or the pressure was way off, but then I tested it against a buddy's $200 pair and the readings matched within 2 pounds. Has anyone else had a cheap tool surprise them or am I just lucky so far?
I had a horse come in last Tuesday with what looked like a tiny quarter crack near the toe. Figured I could patch it up in under an hour like usual. After I cleaned it out I found the crack went way deeper than I thought, almost to the white line. Ended up having to carve out a lot more hoof wall and reset the shoe with clips to stop it spreading. Took me from 2pm to almost 6pm start to finish. Has anyone else had a small crack balloon into a huge project out of nowhere?
I was out at a barn near Fort Collins doing a routine trim on a mare I've seen a dozen times. She's usually pretty chill, but this time she locked her jaw and started grinding her teeth as soon as I touched her front left. Took me 20 minutes to get through because she kept trying to pull her foot back every time I lifted the rasp. Turns out she had a tiny pebble wedged deep in her frog that had been bothering her for who knows how long. Has anyone else dealt with a horse hiding a foot issue like that, or was mine just being dramatic?
Been shoeing for about 6 years and thought I had my clinching down. Last month a retired farrier watched me finish a set and just said "your clinches look like they were done with a butter knife." He showed me how to use a lighter hammer and not over-rotate the nail. First horse I tried it on took half the time and the clinches sat flat as a dime on glass. Anyone else get a tip that made you feel like you had been doing it wrong for years?
Had a nasty quarter crack on a client's horse in Nashville, figured I'd patch it and move on, but it took me 8 hours because the old epoxy wouldn't bond with the moisture seeping in from the wet ground. Anyone else run into this where the weather just ruins your whole timeline?
Been shoeing for about 5 years now and thought I had my clinch game down. Last spring Bob, this guy who's been at it since the 70s, watched me finish a set on a draft cross and just shook his head. He said I was pulling too hard and not cutting the nails short enough, making the clinch weak and the foot look like crap. I bit the bullet and let him walk me through it his way, shorter nails and way less force on the pull. First few horses felt weird but now my clinches hold way better and the owners actually compliment the look. Any of you guys ever have to unlearn a bad habit an old hand called out?
I been shoeing for about 8 years now and I finally decided to upgrade my forge. I dropped $400 on a new propane forge from a brand I won't name yet. Thing heats up fast and even. But my buddy swears by his $150 one he got off Craigslist 5 years ago. He says it works just as good and I wasted my money. I got to admit his shoes come out fine. But I feel like mine are more consistent now. What do you all think? Is spending more on a forge actually paying off for you or is it just hype?
Had a mare that wouldn't stand still while I was trying to trim her and my knife slipped right into the white line, ending in a vet bill for $350 and a week of stall rest, has anyone else had a close call with a dangerous cut like that?
Was at a clinic in Lexington last month and an old timer mentioned he only touches the toe and heel with a rasp. He said messing with the side walls makes the hoof brittle and cracks show up in 6 weeks. Anyone else follow that method or stick to a full rasp down?
I was trimming a standardbred last Tuesday when an old timer, been shoeing 30 plus years, stopped by my rig. He watched me pull a shoe and asked why I was still using a 4 pound hammer for everything. He said I was wasting energy and making the horse nervous with all that extra force. Told me to try a 2.5 pound head for most of my work and save the heavy one for cold shoeing only. Has anyone else switched hammer weights and noticed a difference in their hand or the horse's behavior?
I was trimming a mustang for this old guy outside Elko about 3 months ago. He walked over and just pointed at the hoof and said "that angle is gonna make him sore in 2 weeks." I thought I had it right but I checked his notes and he was dead on. Has anyone else had a customer just know more than you about their own horse's feet?
I bought three $15 rasps from a farm supply store last month thinking I was saving money. By day 7 my right hand was so sore I couldn't grip a hoof for two days. Has anyone else had a bad run with budget tools like that?
My friend welded me this fancy adjustable hoof stand that lets you tilt the foot sideways. I figured it would save my lower back on those big draft horse shoes. After 3 tries with a Percheron yesterday in Madison, I ended up hunched worse than before because the stand kept wobbling on gravel. The angle was nice but the base just wasn't wide enough for uneven ground. Anybody else find those portable stands useless outside the shop?
I always thought hot shoeing below freezing was pointless because the shoe would just cool off too fast to seat right. Read a study from the UK farrier association saying it actually helps the shoe grip better on frozen ground. Has anyone else tried it and seen a difference in how long the shoes hold?
I was just getting ready to nail on a front shoe on a big draft cross when the whole stand just gave way. Lucky the horse didn't spook. Turns out a bolt I had holding a leg together had sheared off sometime in the last week. I managed to get the shoe off and calm the horse down, but it took me an hour to rebuild the stand with a backup I had in the truck. Has anyone else had a piece of gear fail on them at the worst possible time?
I was out on a job Tuesday morning up near Salem, trimming a big draft cross with some pretty gnarly thrush. Went to make a clean cut around the frog and my trusty old hoof knife just snapped right at the handle. That thing has been with me since I started shoeing back in 2010, I think I paid like 40 bucks for it at a trade show. I had to finish the trim with my backup, which is a cheap one I hate using, and it took twice as long. Now I gotta find a replacement that feels the same or I'm going to be fighting every trim for a month. Has anyone had luck getting a specific knife model rehandled or do you just bite the bullet and start over?
Had to spend another $80 to get them professionally re-edged and now I just use a basic stone and strop like my mentor showed me - has anyone else had bad luck with those electric sharpening rigs?
I was reshoeing a big draft horse and right as I set the foot down, I heard this loud pop. Looked down and there was a crack running from the top bolt all the way to the base plate. It was a 4x4 oak stand I built myself about 2 years ago, so I honestly thought it would hold up longer. I had to finish the shoe on the tailgate of my truck, which wasn't fun. Has anyone else had a wooden stand suddenly fail on them like that?