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?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_riley10d ago

Man, have I been there. It stings in the moment but that's the kind of feedback that actually sticks with you. I had an old timer watch me set a shoe once and he just said "you're leaving way too much nail head, that shoe is gonna walk off before lunch." I thought I was being careful but he showed me how to set the nail deeper and it changed everything. It's funny how those little corrections from someone who's been doing it forever just click after you get humbled by it. Now I catch myself checking my clinches twice before I even hand the hoof back.

angelamurphy10d ago

Oh man, wasn't that the truth? I had a similar wake-up call when I was trimming a draft horse for the first time. Old farrier just watched me file the hoof wall, didn't say a word for ten minutes, then finally goes "you're rounding off the toe like it's a show pony. That animal needs a straight breakover or he's gonna stumble all day." Felt like a total idiot but he was right. Made me slow down and actually look at the horse's movement instead of just following some rule book.

the_drew10d ago

Old Bill down at the local feed store told me about a time he watched a guy try to trim a Percheron with the same angles as an Arabian and the horse nearly went lame in a week. @angelamurphy, it's wild how much the little differences in how they move change the whole job.

rowan_ross10d ago

Percherons don't actually have a totally straight breakover, they need a bit of a roll to help them through the stride just not as much as a lighter breed. That straight edge trick works better on some of the heavier drafts like Belgians.