c/farriers

Saw a clever hoof stand hack at a clinic in Kentucky

Last month I stopped by a farrier clinic outside Lexington and watched a guy rig a homemade hoof stand from an old tractor weight and a welded bracket. He said it saved him from bending over all day on the heavy draft horses. I tried it on a big Belgian and it held steady at the right angle, way better than my usual crosstie setup. Anyone else built their own stands or found a cheap shortcut that works?

A barn manager in Lexington made me rethink how I trim

I was doing a routine set of trims last Thursday at a small barn outside Lexington, and the manager came out to watch. She said, "You're shaping the hoof before you check the leg, aren't you?" She was right, I always start with the toe and work backwards. She had me watch a horse move first and see how the heel landed, then trim to match that pattern. It felt backwards at first, but the horse moved smoother after. Has anyone else tried adjusting their sequence based on gait analysis first?

Realized after 3 years I was nailing shoes on the wrong hoof angle for club feet

That one client who taught me to trust my rasp over theirs

Last fall I had a guy in Billings with a draft cross whose feet were a mess from a previous guy. He kept telling me to take more off the toe, but I measured twice and argued my side for 5 minutes. I stuck with my usual 7mm trim instead of the 10 he wanted, and 6 weeks later he called saying the horse finally stopped tripping. Has anyone else had a moment where pushing back on a client's instructions ended up being the right call?

Old mare's owner watched me work for 10 minutes and completely changed my angle

Had a client in Austin who just stood there while I was trimming her mare's front feet. She didn't say anything for like 10 minutes, then asked why I was holding my rasps so close to my body. I told her it was for control, and she just shook her head and said "you're gonna wreck your shoulders by 40, try opening up your stance." I thought she was full of it, but I tried it on the next shoeing and it honestly felt way looser. She used to be a barn manager back in the 80s and apparently watched dozens of farriers come through, so she knew her stuff. Has anyone else gotten good advice from a horse owner that actually stuck with you?

Bought a $250 hoof stand from a catalog and it wobbles like crazy

I needed a new stand for those long trim sessions so I grabbed one off the catalog page. Looked solid in the picture but the legs are uneven and the tray slides. I've been kicking it level with a wood shim but that's not gonna cut it for the long haul. Has anyone found a stand that actually stays put without breaking the bank?

Found out the hard way how fast concrete nails rust on a barn job

I was doing some shoeing work at an old dairy farm near Lebanon, Tennessee about two months ago... nice family operation but the barn floor was pure concrete. I figured I'd just use some 1.5 inch concrete nails to hold down a rubber mat where a horse kept pawing. Two weeks later I came back for a reset and those nails were already rusted halfway through and the mat was loose. I didn't think moisture would get to them that fast but the barn stays humid from the cows. My buddy Bill who's been to 40 years told me to use stainless steel or coated masonry nails next time. Now I'm wondering how many other folks out there learned that lesson the same way I did or if you've got a better trick for keeping mats down on concrete floors.

PSA: That cheap rasp I bought on Amazon cost me twice as much in the long run

Picked up a $15 farrier rasp from some no-name brand online thinking I was being smart with my money. After about 10 trims the teeth were totally dull and I ended up having to redo a few hooves because the finish was rough. Had to buy a proper Nicholson rasp for $45 at my local tack shop and it's still going strong after 3 months of daily use. Anyone else get burned by cheap tools from online marketplaces?

Old timer told me to quit using nails on draft horses, I didn't listen

Guy named Hank at a clinic in Kentucky said I'd regret using standard nails on a Percheron with thin walls. Sure enough, I popped a quarter crack on a front hoof last Tuesday and had to glue on a composite patch. Any of you run into issues with heavy breeds and nail placement?

That time a horse flinched and I finally got it

I've been shoeing for about 8 years now and always thought I had a pretty good handle on balancing a foot. But last month I was working on this old thoroughbred, real gentle guy, and he flinched hard when I set the shoe. The owner said he'd been doing that for a while. I took a closer look at my prep and realized I was leaving too much heel on every single shoe I nailed up. Made a small adjustment to trim more heel away and the horse stood like a statue. Has anyone else had a moment where one horse just made you rethink your whole approach to trimming?

Does anyone remember when forge welding was the only way to make a shoe?

I was helping a younger farrier last week and he reached for his welder before even thinking about fire welding a set of keg shoes together. Don't get me wrong, I use my MIG for plenty of things too. But there's something about getting the heat just right in a coal fire and hammering that joint closed that you just can't replace. That high carbon steel from a forge weld holds up way better on a heavy draft horse than a tack weld ever will. Has anyone else noticed more farriers skipping the forge these days?

Heads up on those cheap rasp handles from the farm supply store

I had a guy come in last month with a nasty gash on his palm from a handle that split mid-rasp on a draft horse. Turns out the screw-on ferrule on those $15 ones loosens up after 3 or 4 uses, and the tang can pop right out. Anyone else run into this or found a budget brand that actually holds up?

Can we talk about how overrated glue-on shoes are?

I see everyone raving about glue-on shoes at the convention in Louisville last fall, but I tried them on a standard pleasure horse back in March and it was a disaster. The glue failed after just two weeks when the horse walked through a wet paddock, and I spent an hour scraping residue off the hoof wall. Why does nobody talk about the cleanup time or the fact they don't work in damp conditions? Has anyone else had a glue-on job go sideways on them?

Shoutout to the old timer who showed me a better way to pull shoes

I been shoeing for about 5 years and always used the same method my first mentor taught me for pulling front shoes. Last month I was at a barn in Enumclaw and this old farrier with a beat up apron watched me struggle on a tough draft cross. He walked over and showed me a different angle with the pull-offs that made it come off in one piece no prying. I was skeptical cause his way looked slower but it actually saved me time and the horse stood way calmer. Anybody else had a random tip from a stranger that totally changed your routine?

Old timer told me to rasp the heels first on a tricky hoof

This 70 year old farrier at a clinic in Lexington said I was wasting time doing the toe first on a club foot. Tried his way on a nasty foundered pony last week and the shoe sat way flatter. Anyone else had luck flipping the order like that?

Spent $120 on a shoeing apron that fell apart in 3 months

I bought this heavy leather apron from a catalog last spring thinking it would last years. After maybe 60 horses the stitching started coming loose on the pocket where I keep my nails. By month three the whole bottom hem was frayed and the rivets popped. Anyone else have bad luck with those fancy aprons or is it just me?

That old farrier told me to stop using keg shoes and I should have listened sooner

I been shoeing for about six years now and always figured keg shoes were good enough for most horses. But this old timer named Hank at a clinic in Lexington told me I was cheating myself and the horse by not shaping more from bar stock. I thought he was just being old school and stuck in his ways. Took me about 8 months to finally try it on a few problem horses. Now I'm kicking myself for wasting all that time on pre-made stuff. Has anyone else had a similar experience where you ignored advice for way too long?

My anvil stand finally gave out after 15 years

I was shaping a heavy shoe on Wednesday and my old wooden anvil stand just split right down the middle. It was a pine stump I cut back in 2009 and it got me through hundreds of horses. I spent the rest of the afternoon building a new one out of oak with some cross bracing this time. Cost me about $40 in materials and 3 hours of my time. Has anyone else had a stand fail on them mid-job and had to cobble something together quick?

That buckling at the Texas State Fair last month taught me a hard lesson

Ngl, I was rushing through a set of four trims and missed a small crack in a hoof wall. Horse came up lame two days later and the owner called me out in front of a bunch of folks. Has anyone else had a public screw-up like that change how they double-check their work?

I finally stopped rasping my heels flat after a client called me out on it

I had a client last month who's been around horses for 40 years. She watched me trim her gelding and said 'you're taking those heels down too level with the sole, they need more shape'. I thought she was just being picky at first. But I took a closer look and realized she was right. My heels were too flat and I was leaving the frog sitting too high in the back. Now I leave a little more heel height and shape it into the bar area. Has anyone else had a horse owner spot something you were missing? I'm still new to the trade, only about 3 years in, so I'm trying to learn from every set of eyes.

I finally got told my nail clinching was too shallow by an old timer at a clinic

He just looked at my work for a second, pointed at a back hoof, and said 'son, that clinch won't hold through a standard tire.' I was using a 3/8ths nail set and barely tapping them over. He showed me to drive the nail a solid 5/16ths up before clinching, and use a heavier hand with the clincher. My shoes have been staying on way longer, but I still catch myself going too light. Anyone else get a piece of feedback from a mentor that felt humbling at first but made a huge difference later?

Watched a farrier demo at a county fair that went sideways fast

I was at the Kern County Fair last Saturday and stopped by the livestock barn where an old timer was doing a shoeing demo. He was telling the crowd about how he's been at it 40 years and never uses nail clinching pliers, just his hammer. Then his horse shifted weight and he nearly took a hoof to the shin. The crowd gasped but he just laughed and said 'that's why I wear steel toes.' It got me thinking about how many of us pick up habits from guys like him that might be more about ego than safety. Any of you ever watch a demo and spot something that felt a little too cowboy for your taste?

Barefoot trim turned a wild mustang into a teddy bear in 8 months

I've been working this BLM mustang that came in with hooves all chipped and cracked. After 8 months of consistent barefoot trims and letting him move on varied terrain, his feet completely transformed and his attitude did a 180. Has anyone else seen that big of a behavior change just from fixing the feet?

Old horseman in Virginia taught me something about hoof angles I still think about

Shod a draft horse with square toes vs regular keg shoes last week and wow what a difference

I had this big Belgian draft horse come in, maybe 1800 pounds, and the owner wanted me to try square toe shoes instead of the usual kegs I always use. He said his old farrier swore by them for draft horses that work on pavement. I gotta say, I was skeptical because I've been using basic keg shoes for 15 years on all my drafts. But after I nailed those square toes on, the horse moved way better in the driveway. Less stumbling and he seemed to track straighter through the stride. The owner told me his last farrier charged $200 per set but the horse was lame in 4 weeks. I did these for $180 and the horse is sound after 6 days. Has anyone else tried square toes on heavy breeds and seen better movement or is it just me?