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Hit 200 horses shod this year and it barely felt like work
I've been keeping a rough count since January and I crossed 200 horses shod last Thursday. That's a new personal record for me in a single season and I honestly didn't expect it to happen this fast. I think it's because I switched to a lighter rasp and started using a smaller anvil on the truck for field work. Has anyone else noticed a big jump in speed just from swapping out one piece of gear?
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alext523mo ago
Hang on, you're saying the smaller anvil is the bigger time saver? I get that it's easier to move around on a truck setup, but doesn't that limit your heel work when you're trying to shape a full set of keg shoes? I've always thought the bigger face gives you more room to hammer without missing, so I'm curious if you're just doing mostly front shoes or if there's a trick to not feeling cramped back there.
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sullivan.quinn3mo ago
I gotta call that out real quick - you said 200 horses shod in a season, but then you said it's your new personal record for a single season and it just crossed it last Thursday. I'm pretty sure you mean calendar year, not season. Farrier seasons are usually spring through fall, and we're still in fall, so if you're counting from January that's a full year thing, not a season. I keep my books the same way, January to December, and it's definitely a year record, not a season one. Anyway, congrats on the 200, that's a solid number no matter how you slice it. The lighter rasp thing is interesting but I bet the smaller anvil is what really saves you time on the truck setups.
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jamesc793mo ago
You said "the smaller anvil is what really saves you time on the truck setups" and I gotta admit, I used to think the opposite. I always figured a bigger face gave you more control for heel work and shaping full kegs. But last season I swapped to a smaller anvil just to try it and you're right. The time I save not moving it around and getting set up faster more than makes up for any cramped feeling. I still do plenty of hind shoes and it works fine once you get used to using the edges more. I was dead set against it for years, but now I wish I switched sooner.
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