Opinions Matter

c/farriers

12

fiona330•5h ago

Tried that new hoof boot on a tough case last week

I had a horse with a bad quarter crack, been fighting it for months. Threw on a set of those adjustable hoof boots after a trim, figured it would give some extra support. Horse went totally sound in three days, which I did not see coming. Owner was thrilled but now I'm wondering if I've been overthinking these rehab cases. Anybody else had a weird success with something you almost didn't try?

27

tarac16•2d ago

PSA: Found out horse hooves grow way faster in wet weather

I was looking up some old farrier records from last spring and noticed I was seeing the same horses every 4 weeks instead of 6. Turns out there's a study from Cornell that says hooves can grow up to 1/4 inch more per month when it's rainy. Has anyone else noticed their schedule changing with the seasons?

9

morgan.charlie•5d ago

Heard a young farrier at the clinic last Tuesday say he never checks the collateral cartilages on a front foot.

Made me think about how easy it is to skip that step when you're in a hurry, but I told him I've caught two hoof cracks starting there just this spring alone, have any of you had a problem come from ignoring those?

28

tarac16•7d ago

That old horseman who showed me a better way to pull a shoe

I was working a barn outside of Lexington about 10 years back, and this older guy, must have been 75, walked over while I was struggling with a stuck front shoe on a big Percheron. He just stood there quiet for a minute, then said "You're fighting the hoof, not working with it." He grabbed my hammer and showed me this one specific angle to tap the clip that broke it loose in about 3 seconds flat. I still think about that moment every time I hit a shoe that doesn't want to come off. Has anyone else had a trick like that passed down from an old timer that totally changed your approach?

19

park.riley•8d ago

Shoutout to that old timer at the Kentucky farrier clinic last spring

I was at the Bluegrass Farrier Association clinic in Lexington back in May. An older guy named Hank watched me struggle with a tricky hind foot on a draft cross. He pulled me aside and showed me how to brace my leg against the horse's thigh instead of fighting it. I tried it on the next horse and my back didn't ache for the first time in months. Any of you folks ever get a tip from an old timer that just clicked?

15

robert_rodriguez66•8d ago

Old timer told me to soak my rasps in vinegar overnight... I thought he was nuts

Guy named Hank at the Oklahoma State Farrier Conference last year swore by it. Said it eats the rust and gunk without ruining the file. I figured what the heck, left my two favorite rasps in a bucket of white vinegar for about 10 hours. Pulled em out, rinsed em off, and holy cow they cut like new. No scrubbing, no wire brush. Just gotta oil em after so they don't flash rust. Has anyone else tried this or am I gonna wreck my tools long term?

11

abby_chen•9d ago

I told a client their horse didn't need those fancy wedge pads

Had a woman come in last spring with a gelding she swore needed $80 wedge pads because the vet said he was 'off balance.' I pulled the shoes, checked his angles, and told her straight up that his feet were perfectly fine without them. She got defensive, said I was cutting corners, and took the horse to another farrier three counties over. Two months later she tracked me down at a clinic in Lexington and admitted the other guy charged her double and the horse still looked off. I'm not against pads when there's a real issue, but sometimes people want solutions that don't exist. Anyone else have a client who insisted on unnecessary extras just because someone sold them on the idea?

1

kim_hart7•9d ago

Watched a master farrier tack on a shoe in 8 minutes flat last Saturday

I was at a clinic in rural Ohio and an older farrier set a shoe on a big draft horse in under 8 minutes. No rushing, just smooth movements and every hammer strike landed perfect. After struggling with a tricky hind foot on a mare myself, I asked him about his approach. He said the key is reading the hoof wall before you even pick up the rasp. Has anyone else realized they spend too much time thinking instead of watching first?

16

emmam67•11d ago

Rant: That hoof crack repair took me 3 hours longer than it should have

Had a mare last Tuesday with a deep quarter crack that I figured would be a quick patch and shoe job. But the crack ran up past the coronet band, so I spent like an hour just trimming and prepping the sole before I could even think about the repair. Ended up using some acrylic patch from the local feed store in Lexington and it took 3.5 hours total, way more than my usual hour for a shoe. Anyone else deal with cracks that just keep going deeper than you think?

7

rosep87•12d ago

Spent 45 minutes trying to get a shoe to sit right on a draft horse with a club foot

Had a big Belgian draft come in last week, near Lake Placid. That club foot was throwing me off bad, the shoe just kept rolling to the inside no matter what I did. Finally realized I had to tweak the heel angle way more than usual, like a 5 degree shift. Felt like an idiot when it clicked but man that was a frustrating shoeing. Anyone else hit a wall with draft feet that just dont cooperate?

14

the_wyatt•12d ago

Had a hoof trimming revelation last week after 8 years of doing it my way

I always trimmed the back of the hoof first because that was how my first boss showed me, but a client in Kentucky mentioned her old farrier did it front-first and I tried it on a tough quarter crack. The horse stood way steadier and I got a cleaner cut in half the time. Has anyone else switched up their order of operations and seen a difference?

1

wendygrant•14d ago

Just hit 1,000 shoes in one season and my thumbs are wrecked

Reached 1,000 shoes nailed this summer alone and I didn't expect it to hit me like that - my thumbs feel like I've been hammering rocks for six months straight. Has anyone else had to change their grip or technique to avoid the joint pain?

16

rosep87•14d ago

Just realized cheap rasps aren't worth the hassle

I was always skeptical about spending $60 on a new rasp when the $15 ones at the farm store seemed fine... but after fighting with a dull cheap one on a draft horse last Tuesday, I finally caved and got a Nicholson. Three shoes later and I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner. The way it cuts through hoof wall without all that extra effort is night and day. Has anyone else made a tool upgrade that they put off way too long?

8

anderson.jason•14d ago

Tried a cheaper forge welding flux after using the name brand for years, big mistake

I ran out of my usual 20 Mule Team borax last month and picked up some generic store brand flux from the local feed store here in Lexington. First three welds on a set of draft shoes all failed at the anvil, never happened before with the borax. Switched back to the real stuff and everything stuck perfect again. Has anyone else had issues with generic flux not getting hot enough?

30

tarac16•16d ago

My client's old gelding taught me a lesson about hoof angles I won't forget

I had a buddy (who's not even a farrier, just a horse owner) call me out last Tuesday after I finished trimming his 18-year-old gelding. He said something like 'you sure that toe isn't too long? he's been stumbling on the trail.' At first I got a little defensive (you know how it is). But I pulled out my hoof gauge and checked, and sure enough I had the angle at 52 degrees instead of the 55 I should have been aiming for on that breed. I ended up re-doing the whole trim right there in his driveway, and the horse walked off way smoother. It stung my pride a little but it made me realize I've been rushing my angle checks on older horses with worn feet. Has anyone else had a non-farrier teach them something about their own work?

14

the_kevin•16d ago

Spent 2 hours fighting a front shoe on a tricky hoof yesterday

Had a mare with a quarter crack and a club foot that kept throwing me off. I tried my usual approach with the clip placement but the shoe just wouldn't sit flush. After 45 minutes of resetting and adjusting, I finally realized the toe was too long and I needed to reshape the foot first. Total time from start to finish was almost 3 hours for one shoe. Has anyone else run into a foot shape that completely threw your normal process off?

32

linda_murphy•16d ago

A client called me out on my nail clinching and I had to rethink everything

Been shoeing for 12 years and thought my clinches were tight enough, but this old timer at the barn in Lexington pulled me aside after a trim and said 'son, those are just decorative.' I switched to a heavier hammer and started filing the nails flatter before turning them, and the difference in hold was insane the very next reset. Anyone else get feedback that made you totally rework a basic step you thought you had nailed?

1

casey_lane73•18d ago

Took me 3 years to figure out a better way to set hind shoes on a tricky horse

I had this one mare last week that always fights me on her hind feet. Shes got a narrow heel and flares out on the inside wall. For 3 years I kept fighting with clips and trying to shape the shoe perfect on the anvil. Finally last month at a clinic in Billings a old timer told me to try setting the shoe hot and just let the hoof tell me where it wants to sit. I did that last Thursday and it fit dead on in like 2 minutes. Felt stupid for not trying it sooner. Anyone else have a horse that made you totally change your approach to shoeing?

9

white.seth•19d ago

Hand forging vs pre-made keg shoes - no comparison after 6 years

I used to buy pre-made keg shoes from the supply house for years. Figured hey it saves time on a busy day. Last spring I had a draft horse with a nasty quarter crack and those pre-made shoes just wouldn't fit right no matter how much I modified them. Spent 2 hours hand forging a set from a 5/8 blank bar and that shoe stayed on perfect for the whole reset cycle. Hand forging takes more time upfront but I spend way less time fighting with adjustments and pads after. Has anyone else switched and seen better hoof health from hand forged stuff?

17

richard_sanchez43•19d ago

I finally switched my clinch cutter technique after an old timer called me out on it

Guy named Bob at a clinic in Salem watched me struggle for a minute and just said 'you're fighting the nail, not cutting it' and showed me to tilt the blade a few degrees so now I don't bend half my clips on stubborn shoes anymore has anyone else gotten a tiny tip like that that saved them hours?

18

jasonc50•20d ago

Overheard a young farrier at the clinic say 'rasps are disposable now' and it got me thinking about how we used to sharpen them by hand back in the 90s.

He spent $40 on a new one after one horse and I just wondered if anyone else remembers trading stories with the old guys over a file jig or is that era gone for good?

18

lee627•20d ago

Tried a different nail clinching angle after a clinic last month

I've been clinching at a 45 degree angle for like 8 years. Old timer at the clinic showed me a 30 degree angle and it holds way better on these thin soled horses I've been dealing with. Anyone else mess with their clinch angle or am I overthinking it?

1

elizabethwhite•20d ago

I finally learned why my nippers kept chipping after 6 years

Been using the same brand of nippers for ages and they'd chip every few months. Last Tuesday I watched an old timer sharpen his and realized I was grinding at the wrong angle the whole time. Anybody else figure out they've been doing a basic thing wrong for years?

21

parker_jones50•21d ago

Found out draft horse hooves grow way faster than I thought

I was reading through an old issue of American Farriers Journal last night and saw a study that said Shire horses can grow a whole inch of hoof wall in just 30 days. That's nearly double what I'd been estimating for my regular clients' drafts. Has anyone else been trimming on a shorter schedule for their big horses?

9

parker_jones50•21d ago

Tried a new rasp brand from a trade show last month and the thing wore down before I finished two hooves

Spent $45 on that fancy forged rasp from the Midwest farrier expo and it went dull halfway through a draft horse, has anyone else had that happen with a supposedly premium tool?