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?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavin_hill2722d ago

Ever notice how the simplest jobs can turn into the biggest messes? Your story about the hoof is a perfect example of that, where one stuck part can wreck the whole thing. Makes you respect the guys who do that work every day.

kelly38522d ago

@gavin_hill27 it's not just stuck parts, that whole hoof wall was already weak from being too long.

kim69317d ago

You're right about the weak wall from being too long. I had a horse last year with the same problem. I found that taking off the extra length in very thin slices worked best. If you try to take off too much at once, the whole thing can just crumble. It takes more time, but you save the wall. A good rasp is key for cleaning it up after.