c/farriers

Chat with a dressage rider made me rethink how I trim feet

Old horse trainer in Kentucky told me I was wasting time with my hoof angles

I had a talk with a 70 year old horse trainer down in Lexington last month who told me I was overthinking hoof angles. He said I spent too much time trying to get the perfect number on my gauge and not enough watching how the horse actually moved. At first I wanted to argue because I've been doing it my way for 8 years. But he watched me trim a mare and pointed out where I was taking off too much heel based on the toe wear pattern, not the gauge. It hit different because he had decades of experience and zero interest in fancy tools. Now I'm second guessing all the time I spent lining up angles by the book. Any other farriers here had an old timer call them out on something basic?

Why does nobody talk about how hard the 100th horse is vs the first one?

I hit 100 shoes nailed last month and figured I'd feel like a pro by then. But honestly my back hurt worse than when I started 3 years ago. Some farriers say you get faster with experience but I'm still taking 45 minutes on a simple front pair. Is the milestone just a number or does it actually mean you've made it? Curious if other folks felt the same at that point.

Saw a barefoot trim in Kentucky that changed my angle on hind feet

I was watching an old timer work a crooked-hocked mare in Lexington and he barely touched the inside heel. Told me he learned that from a ranch in Wyoming where they let the hoof tell him what to trim, not the other way around. Anyone else find themselves taking less off the medial side on hind feet?

That cheap rasp from the farm store cost me 40 bucks and 2 hours of fighting

Picked up a no-name rasp at Tractor Supply for $12 and it went dull halfway through the third hoof. Anybody else had luck with just sticking to the name brands for rasps?

Watched a guy at a ranch in Wyoming work a hoof with just a rasp and no nippers

I was out near Laramie last month helping a buddy with a big draft horse. This old farrier showed up with a beat up rasp and nothing else. He spent a solid 20 minutes shaping a front hoof on a Shire, never once touched nippers. Said he learned it from his dad who did it to save on tool costs back in the 70s. I tried it on a saddle horse this week and my hand is sore but the hoof looks cleaner than usual. Has anyone else run across a technique like this or is it just a regional thing?

My decision to switch from handmade to machine-forged shoes cost me a client

After 12 years of using only handmade shoes from a local smith in Kentucky, I tried a set of machine-forged ones from a catalog to save time on a busy October. The fit was off on two hooves and the owner noticed the horse moving different at the next ride. Has anyone else made the swap and gone back to handmade?

Rant: Watched a farrier in Kentucky ruin a hoof with a cheap rasp

I was down in Lexington last month watching a guy work on a thoroughbred, and he was using some no-name rasp that couldn't hold an edge for more than five strokes. He ended up overworking the wall and left the hoof looking choppy and uneven. It made me wonder, why do guys risk their reputation saving 10 bucks on a tool that's literally your main line of defense? Has anyone else seen bad work come from cutting corners on gear like that?

Shoutout to the old farrier who let me shadow him for a day back in 2012

I was over at the Blackburn Arena in Lexington last weekend and saw this young guy shoeing a horse like he was in a race - no feel for the hoof at all. Makes me wonder, do they still teach the old rasp-and-feel method at any of the farrier schools these days?

Tried a barefoot trim on a horse with chronic laminitis and it actually worked better than I expected

I've been a farrier for about 8 years now and always went straight to shoes for laminitis cases. Last spring I had a client in Boise whose mare kept pulling shoes anyway. Owner asked me to try barefoot with some heavy rasping and a bevel. Three months later that horse is sounder than she was with shoes. Made me question a lot of what I learned at school. Any other farriers had a case where going against the standard protocol paid off?

Hand-forged vs. factory shoes on a wet track

I used factory keg shoes for years until I tried a set I forged myself on a client's horse with bad feet. The hand-fits held grip way better through a muddy spring - horse didn't slip once. Anyone else notice the difference in traction?

Old timer told me my rasps were dull and he was right after 6 months of struggling

I was at a clinic in Lexington last fall and this older farrier named Tom came over during a break. He asked to see my rasp and just laughed when he handed it back. Said I was working twice as hard as I needed to because I was too cheap to replace my worn out farrier rasps. I had been using the same Nicholson for almost a year thinking it was fine. He let me try one of his fresh ones and the difference was night and day. Trim on a front hoof took me like half the time. Now I swap rasps every 3 or 4 horses and my hands dont ache near as much. Has anyone else had a vet or another farrier call them out on something basic like that?

Switched to flat shoeing for my trail horses 3 months ago

I used to always put keg shoes on everything that came through my shop, thinking they needed the extra grab. Then I had a client in Billings ask me to try flat shoeing her gelding after he kept tripping on rocky trails. I watched her horse move way better over a rough patch of ground and it totally changed how I think about traction. Now I'm flat shoeing most of my trail horses unless they really need the bite. Anyone else made the switch away from kegs for certain horses?

Saw a guy at a clinic try to use a 15 degree shoe on a horse with a collapsed heel and wanted to scream

I was waiting for my turn at the vet clinic last Tuesday and this younger farrier was talking to the vet about a horse with a collapsed heel. Dude straight up said he was gonna slap a 15 degree wedge on it. I held my tongue but man, that's just asking for more problems. The heel needs support not elevation in that case right? Has anyone else run into stuff like that where you just wanna step in but it's not your client?

Just realized I've been missing something obvious about hoof angles

Had a long talk with an old timer at a clinic in Waco last week who pointed out I was setting my front shoes almost 3 degrees too steep because I was relying on the bars instead of the pastern. He said 'you're shoeing the shoe, not the horse' and it hit me different because I've been doing it for 8 years now and never noticed. Anyone else have a moment where someone pointed out a basic thing you were screwing up for way too long?

Took me 3 years to try aluminum shoes on wet horses

Old timer in Kentucky swore by them for soggy pasture work. I figured they'd wear out in two weeks but I'm still on the same set after a month and the horse is moving better. Anyone else switch materials for a specific footing type?

I finally changed my approach after a horseman in Oregon showed me his method

Warning: Those $400 'precision' forging hammers wrecked my hands in a week

Bought a set of fancy Swedish forging hammers thinking they'd up my game. After 3 days my wrist was screaming so bad I couldn't finish a single shoe. Swapped back to my old $30 hammer from the hardware store and finished the job no problem. Anyone else blow money on tools that looked good but just didn't work for the actual farrier work?

Watched a guy transform a club foot in about 40 minutes last Wednesday

I was shadowing an older farrier up near Lancaster, Pennsylvania and he showed me how he trims a horse with a club foot. He took off maybe a quarter inch from the toe and shaped the heel differently, and the difference in the horse's stance was wild. Has anyone else tried the rolled toe shoe on a club foot instead of a wedge?

PSA: That 'quick-set' acrylic filler for hoof cracks is a bad bet on wet ground.

I had a job last week on a wet pasture in Tillamook, had a quarter crack to patch. The owner had some 'Fast-Fix' acrylic filler, said it set in 90 seconds. I figured I'd give it a shot to save time. The ground was damp, the hoof was damp, and the stuff just would not stick. It peeled right off like a sticker, didn't bond at all. I had to stop, dry everything with a torch for ten minutes, and go back to my regular two-part epoxy. Learned that some products just can't handle real world moisture, no matter what the label says. Anyone have a go-to filler they trust for soggy Pacific Northwest conditions?

A shoeing job in Boise made me miss the old forge

Last week I was working on a big draft horse near Boise, Idaho, and the owner wanted aluminum shoes. Three years ago, I would have shaped those by hand at my own coal forge, which took time but felt right. Now I just pull a pre-made pair from my truck and bend them a little with the propane rig. It gets the job done faster, but I don't get that same quiet hour of heat and hammering anymore. Anyone else feel like some of the craft is getting lost with all the ready-made stuff?

My uncle told me to always check the frog before trimming a draft horse

He said draft horses can hide thrush deep in the central sulcus, and if you don't pick it out, you'll miss it. I worked on a Percheron last week and sure enough, the frog looked fine from the top, but when I really dug in with the hoof pick, there was a nasty black spot. It smelled bad too. If I hadn't checked, I would have just trimmed over it. How do you guys handle deep sulcus thrush in big horses?

Showerthought: My old Mustad pull-offs gave out after 15 years of service

I was finishing a shoe on a big Percheron over in Millerton last Thursday when the whole thing just snapped at the hinge. It was my fault, really, I'd been putting off replacing them because they were so reliable. Had to finish the job with my backup nippers, which was a real pain. Anyone have a favorite brand for pull-offs that can take a beating?

PSA: My truck's alternator died halfway through a 10-horse day in Laramie last week

Honestly, had to call a buddy to bring his rig and finish the last three trims in a borrowed apron. Anyone got a reliable mechanic in Wyoming they'd trust with a work truck?

Heard a guy at the auction say 'just rasp it flat' for a bad quarter crack

I was really skeptical about that quick fix, but a vet in Lexington showed me a case where they used a pour-in acrylic patch after proper cleaning. The horse was back to light work in 8 weeks with no issues. Made me rethink some of the old 'just trim it out' advice I got early on. Has anyone else had good results with those newer patch materials?