c/farriers

Seeing a lot of folks skip the proper hoof mapping before trimming

I've been at a few clinics in the Midwest this season and keep seeing the same thing. People will just eyeball the hoof and start cutting without drawing any lines or checking the breakover point first. It matters because you can pull the whole foot out of balance if you don't find the widest part of the frog and the true heel location. I saw a guy at a show in Springfield last month take off a full quarter inch too much toe on a draft cross because he guessed. How do you all make sure you're starting from the right spot? Do you use a marker or just go by feel?

A farrier in Boise told me my clinches were too high and it changed my whole approach

He pulled me aside after a clinic and said my clinches were sitting a full eighth of an inch above the hoof wall, which could lead to pressure issues. I'd been doing it that way for years, but I switched to a lower, smoother finish the next day. Has anyone else had a simple piece of feedback that made you rework a basic technique?

Remembering that week in October when the rain just wouldn't stop

Got called out to a barn in Springfield where the ground had turned to soup. Every single horse needed a reset, and my forge was set up under a tarp that kept sagging with water. The owner kept apologizing, handing me coffee that tasted like mud, and I was soaked through by 10 AM for three days straight. What's the worst weather week you've ever had to work through?

Remember when you could just find a good, solid anvil at any farm auction? Took me 4 months of searching online and driving to 3 different states to replace my old one after it finally cracked.

Just finished my 500th shoeing job this year and the number kind of stopped me cold.

Just realized I was trimming a hoof all wrong after a clinic in Boise

Was at a clinic in Boise last fall, watching a guy work on a draft cross. He stopped me and said, 'You're taking too much heel off the bar.' I'd been doing it for years. Started leaving more support there, and the horses just move better now. Anyone else get a simple tip that totally flipped your usual routine?

Back in 2019 I switched to using a 3/4 inch crease nail for most of my hunter clients. My buddy in Lexington says that's asking for trouble with hoof wall integrity. Where do you all stand on nail size for regular work?

A talk with my dad about old hoof knives

I was cleaning out my truck last week and found my grandpa's old hoof knife, the one with the wooden handle. My dad saw it and said, 'He could pare a sole with three strokes, never more.' It hit me that I've been using my newer, fancy knife like a power tool, taking way too many small cuts. That simple line made me stop and really think about my technique. Do any of you have an old tool that changed how you work?

I used to think a hot shoe was just for looks until a horse in Bend, Oregon changed my mind

For the first five years, I'd only hot shoe if an owner specifically asked for it, thinking it was mostly a show thing. Then I worked on a quarter horse with persistent heel cracks that cold shoeing just couldn't fix. I finally tried a hot fit, burning the shoe to the hoof wall, and the difference in how the plate seated was immediate. The cracks started to close up within two shoeings. Now I won't touch a problem hoof without the forge. Anyone else have a specific issue that made you switch to hot shoeing as your go-to?

Warning: I picked a Mustad 5 over a St. Croix for a big draft horse job last Tuesday.

The Mustad held up fine, but I'm still wondering if the extra flex in the St. Croix would've been better for that heavy foot. Anyone else have a strong preference for one over the other on big pulls?

Serious question, has anyone else had a week where every single horse seemed to have a different kind of foot abscess?

Last week in Boise, I had three horses with abscesses in three days, one blew out the heel bulb, one was a classic toe abscess, and the third was a weird, deep seated one in the quarter that took two trims to even locate, which really tested my patience and my hoof knife skills.

I used to think glue-on shoes were just a quick fix for bad feet

For years I saw them as a band-aid, something for horses that couldn't hold a nail. Then I had a client's thoroughbred with terrible quarter cracks, and we tried a set of glue-ons as a last resort. After 8 weeks, the hoof wall had grown down almost an inch with zero pressure from nails. The horse moved better than it had in months. Now I keep a glue kit in my rig for specific cases. Has anyone else had a glue-on job completely change their mind on a problem horse?

PSA: I just wasted $200 on a hoof stand that broke under a big Percheron last week.

It was a cheap cast aluminum one I bought online, and now I'm back to using my old reliable steel stand, so has anyone found a good heavy-duty model that can actually take the weight?

Bought a digital hoof angle gauge that set me back $350 and I never use it

I saw it at a trade show and thought it would make my work more exact. After a week, I found it slower than my eye and level, plus it kept needing new batteries. I ended up going back to my old methods and now it just sits in my truck. Has anyone else had a tool that looked good but just didn't fit into your actual shoeing routine?

Had a shoe twist on me while fitting a draft horse near Springfield

I was working on a big Belgian last month, and the shoe I had shaped just would not sit flat on the hoof wall. It kept twisting to the side every time I tried to set a nail. I stopped, took the shoe off, and realized the hoof had a slight dish I had not fully accounted for when I shaped it. I had to go back to the anvil and put a little more curve in the inner branch to match the hoof's shape. Has anyone else had a shoe fight you like that on a wide foot?

I spent three hours on a simple quarter crack because I wouldn't use a patch

Everyone in my shop swears by patching materials for stabilization, but I was convinced I could trim and balance it out with just the rasp and nippers. That stubborn Percheron cross in Granite Falls proved me wrong, and I ended up having to go back for the acrylic anyway. Has anyone else found certain methods just don't work on specific hoof types?

Shoutout to the old-timer who told me to choose a 3/4 inch rasp over a 5/8 for a draft horse's hoof wall

I picked the 3/4 inch and it removed the excess horn way faster without bogging down, so has anyone found a better size for really tough feet?

My old rounding hammer finally gave up the ghost on a big draft horse shoe yesterday

The head just flew off the handle while I was setting a clip, scared the horse and me half to death (it was a Percheron for a client in Lexington). I had to finish the job with my cross pein, which was not ideal for that kind of work. What's your go-to backup tool when your primary one fails mid-job?

Question about the old way of fitting shoes on a draft horse

Last week I was working on a big Belgian in Springfield, and the owner asked me why I was taking so many measurements. It made me think about how my grandpa taught me the trade 15 years ago. He'd just eyeball the hoof, grab a shoe from his box, and start hammering it to shape on the anvil right there. No calipers, no tracing paper, just his hands and his eye. Three years ago, I started using a digital angle finder on tough cases, and now I won't shoe a draft horse without one. The old way worked, but I've seen fewer cases of lameness since I got more precise. It's a different skill set now. How many of you still shape shoes freehand versus using more modern tools?

Appreciation post: I used to think those magnetic hoof stands were just a gimmick.

Saw one at a clinic in Boise about 4 years ago and rolled my eyes. Then my buddy let me borrow his for a tough draft horse job. Held a 12 pound shoe rock solid while I clinched. My back thanked me the next day. Anyone else have a tool they were wrong about?

I was sure my old boss was wrong about trimming a foundered horse

He told me to leave the toe long and rocker the sole on a bad founder case, which went against everything I learned. I tried it on a pony in Cheyenne last spring that was really sore, following his steps exactly. After six weeks, the horse was walking better than it had in months. Has anyone else had a good result with that method on a tough case?

Pro tip: I was trimming a quarter crack for months before a vet pointed out my angle.

I was working on a horse with a persistent quarter crack, trimming it back every few weeks like I always did. The vet, Dr. Miller, was out for a vaccine and just casually said, 'You're cutting that almost vertical, right?' I was. She showed me how a shallower, more gradual bevel from the coronary band down actually lets the hoof wall grow out stronger. I'd been creating a weak spot that kept splitting. Has anyone else had a vet or another farrier catch a basic technique flaw you didn't even know you had?

Remember when a simple shoe pull could turn into a full blown emergency?

I was working on a big draft horse at a farm outside of Lexington about eight years ago, trying to pull a shoe that had been on way too long. The clinches were rusted solid, and on the third hard pull with the pullers, the whole hoof wall just gave way and tore off. It was a huge chunk, about the size of a playing card. The horse went up and I had to scramble back. I ended up having to cut the shoe off in pieces with nippers, clean the mess, and build up a temporary acrylic patch right there in the aisle to protect the sensitive tissue. It took me over two hours start to finish. Anyone else have a shoe pull go that sideways before we had all these modern acrylics on hand?

A simple quarter crack repair turned into a four-hour ordeal yesterday

The horse was perfectly calm, but the old patch material had bonded to the hoof wall in a weird way and just would not come clean. I ended up having to carefully grind it out bit by bit with my Dremel, which took forever. Anyone have a better method for removing stubborn acrylic from a sensitive area without overheating the hoof?

My mentor told me to always carry a spare hoof knife in my apron, and I finally learned why.

I was 45 minutes from my truck on a job near Bend when my main one snapped, and that spare saved me a long walk. Anyone else have a piece of gear they thought was overkill until it saved them?