c/farriers

Showerthought: an old client's comment about my nail clinches

About ten years back, a client in Lexington pointed out my clinches were always a bit too proud on his hunter's front shoes. I started setting them just a hair deeper, maybe a millimeter, and it made a huge difference in how clean the foot looked and moved. Anyone else get a piece of feedback that stuck with you like that?

Tried a different rasp on a draft horse with a tough hoof wall

Had a big Belgian with hoof walls like concrete last week. My usual rasp was just skidding off, so I grabbed a coarser one from the bottom of my box, a 10-inch I hadn't used in years. It cut in way faster than I expected and I ended up taking off more material than I meant to in just a few strokes. Had to slow way down and be way more careful with the pressure. Anyone have a go-to rasp for really hard feet that doesn't bite too aggressively?

A vet in Bend told me my quarter crack patches were failing because I was trimming the foot too short first.

I started leaving more sole and wall for the patch to grab onto, and my success rate went way up. Anyone else find they were over-prepping a foot for a specific repair?

A chat with an old rancher changed how I see hoof balance

I was trimming a horse for a client near Bozeman last month, and her father, a guy who's been around horses for 60 years, was watching. He said, 'You know, you can get that foot level with a rasp, but true balance comes from the horse standing on it.' I've heard versions of that before, but the way he said it, pointing out how the horse shifted its weight on the gravel, really clicked. I spent the next 20 minutes just watching that horse stand and move before I picked up my nippers again. It made me slow down my whole process. Has anyone else had a simple piece of advice completely reframe a basic part of your work?

My old way of setting a shoe was costing me an extra 15 minutes per horse

For years I'd just eyeball the fit after shaping, then nail it on and hope for the best. Last month I started using a simple trick I saw an older farrier do at a clinic in Lexington. He'd hold the shaped shoe up to the trimmed hoof and mark the exact nail hole spots with a piece of chalk before he even picked up his hammer. I tried it on a tough draft cross last week. Instead of my usual back-and-forth adjusting, I had the shoe set and clinched in under ten minutes flat. The chalk marks gave me a perfect guide, so every nail went in right where it should on the first try. It sounds small, but over a day with six horses, that's over an hour saved. Has anyone else picked up a simple trick like this that cut down their time on a basic job?

My old boss in Kentucky swore by a specific rasp for quarter cracks

He always said, 'Use the 10-inch Heller, not the 8-inch, for better control.' I finally tried it on a tough case last month and the longer handle made a huge difference in my pressure. Anyone have a different go-to tool for that kind of work?

Update: Tried a different rasp on a tough quarter crack case

I was working on a big draft horse with a deep quarter crack and decided to use my old Heller rasp instead of my usual one. The cut was way smoother and I finished the job in about 15 minutes less than I expected. Has anyone else found a specific tool that just works better for a certain kind of hoof problem?

Back in '08 I'd try to hold a hoof still with just my knees, but after a Shetland pony in Bend named 'Trouble' sent me into a water trough, I bought a proper hoof stand.

Anyone else have a 'learning the hard way' moment that finally made you upgrade a basic piece of gear?

I thought trimming a hoof with a heavy toe callus was fine until a horse in my care went lame for a week

Had a horse kick the shoe clean off while I was clinching up

I was finishing a front shoe on a big draft cross in Bend last Tuesday, just starting to set the last clinch. The horse shifted its weight and kicked out, sending the shoe flying across the barn aisle. It bent the clip and snapped two nails. I had to start over completely, reshape a new shoe and pull the broken nails. Took an extra forty minutes and the owner was getting impatient. What's your go-to move to keep a horse still when they get fidgety at the very end?

I thought those magnetic hoof testers were just a gimmick until a vet in Boise showed me one.

He found a subtle abscess my regular testers missed, and now I keep a set in my rig. Anyone else have a tool they doubted that actually earned its keep?

Just finished my 500th shoeing job at the county fairgrounds

It was a big draft horse named Gus, and his owner said the fit was perfect. I started keeping count about three years ago, and hitting that number made me feel like I'm really getting somewhere in this trade. Anyone else keep track of their jobs like that, or is it just me?

Pro tip: Don't try to trim a hoof with a dull rasp

Honestly, I used to just keep going with my old rasp until it was totally smooth, thinking I was saving money. Then last month in Boulder, I spent 45 minutes on one foot and the horse got so annoyed it tried to sit on me. I sharpened my tools the next day. Anyone else have a horse pull a weird move when you're taking too long?

Had a horse with persistent thrush that wouldn't clear up for months, so I started packing the clefts with a mix of copper sulfate and diaper rash cream.

I finally saw what happens when you skip the hoof testers on a new client

Took on a horse from a farm near Lexington last month, owner said he was just a little off. Did a quick look, trimmed him, thought it was fine. Two weeks later he came back lame and we found a deep abscess that a hoof tester would have caught right away. How do you guys make sure you check everything when you're in a rush?

PSA: My hoof knife sharpening went from a 10-minute chore to a 2-minute job after I switched to a diamond plate.

I was using a standard whetstone for years, but the 600-grit DMT plate I got last week cuts the steel way faster. Anyone have a favorite angle guide for keeping that bevel consistent?

Had a client in Bend who insisted on aluminum shoes for his draft horse

Spent a whole day trying to explain why steel was the better call for that workload. He finally listened after I showed him a cracked aluminum shoe from a similar horse last season. Anyone else run into this with new owners lately?

I finally saw a working forge at the old blacksmith shop in Lancaster

They had a guy there last weekend who still shoes horses the old way, with a coal fire and hand tools. It made me realize how much we rely on gas forges and electric grinders now. Do any of you still use a coal forge for your daily work?

Update on that glue-on shoe system I doubted for a rehab case

I had a client with a foundered pony in Boise who needed a break from nails, so I tried the Equi-Pak and glue-on combo after seeing it online. After three months of turnout, the shoes held solid and the hoof wall looks way better than I expected. Has anyone else had a glue-on job last that long on a tough pasture case?

Had to pick between a regular shoe and a heart bar for a laminitis case

This old gelding in my care had a bad flare up, and his owner was really worried. I could have gone with a standard wide web shoe, but I chose a heart bar to give more support to the coffin bone. After two weeks, he's walking way better and the owner is super relieved. Anyone else have a go-to method for these tricky front foot cases?

Tried a standard hoof knife versus a curved blade for a nasty underrun heel, and the difference was huge.

Working on a draft cross with some serious heel contraction. My go-to straight knife just wasn't getting the right angle to clean out the bar and seat of the heel without feeling like I was digging. Switched to a curved blade I'd had for a while but never really used, and it followed the contour perfectly. One clean scoop versus like five awkward jabs. What's your preferred blade shape for that kind of work? Or is it more about the grind?

PSA: Heard a client in Boise call a hoof pick a 'horse nail cleaner' last week.

Made me realize how much of our everyday language just sounds like gibberish to folks outside the trade. What's the weirdest name you've heard for a tool?

Just dropped $400 on a new hoof stand and it's already paid for itself

I was working on a big draft horse last week and my old stand was wobbling so bad I could barely rasp. I bit the bullet and got a heavy-duty one from a local supplier. Used it on three horses yesterday and the difference was night and day, my back feels way better and I got through the jobs faster. It was a big chunk of cash upfront but I should have done it years ago. What's the one tool you guys bought that you wish you hadn't waited so long to get?

Switched from a standard rasp to a diamond-coated one for a tough quarter crack on a draft horse in Lancaster.

The diamond rasp cut through the dense hoof wall in half the time and left a much smoother finish, so what's your go-to tool for dealing with really hard hoof material?

Spent two hours on a simple quarter crack because I missed the nail clinch

Had a horse come in with a small crack on the inside quarter. I prepped it, filled it, and thought I was done in 20 minutes. The owner called back two days later saying the shoe was loose. Went back out and found I had missed the clinch on the medial nail because the foot was so upright. Had to pull the shoe, reset the nail, and do the whole job over. Anyone else get tricked by a foot angle like that?