c/farriers

Pro tip: A little beeswax on the clinch block really helps in cold weather

I was working on a draft horse in Vermont last winter and the clinches just would not set right in the cold. My old boss, Jim, told me to rub a thin coat of beeswax on the face of my clinch block. I tried it, and the nail points slid and folded over so much cleaner without that dry, grabbing feel. Has anyone else used a different trick for cold weather nailing?

I thought those new composite pads were just a gimmick until a client insisted on them

A regular client in Bend, Oregon, asked me to put them on her two trail horses last fall. I was sure they'd crack in the cold or wear out fast. After six months of rough terrain, I pulled the shoes and the pads looked almost new, no packing issues at all. Has anyone else had a good run with these, or did I just get lucky?

Finally got a clean clinch on a draft horse after three tries last week

The owner in Bellingham said his Percheron always pulls shoes, but I watched the horse move and saw the issue was in the heel. I used a wider web shoe and took my time setting it. Anyone have a go-to shoe for heavy pullers on soft ground?

I just trimmed my 500th hoof this morning and the number kind of blew my mind

I was cleaning up my truck after a full day and decided to count up my logbook entries from the last two years. I mean, I knew I was busy, but seeing that exact 500 written down felt different. It's not just a number, it's all those horses and all that trust from their owners. Has anyone else hit a personal milestone that made you stop and think about the work?

Back in '08 I dropped nearly $500 on a set of those newfangled composite shoeing boxes.

They were supposed to be lighter and last forever, but the first real cold snap we had up here cracked the lid clean through. Now I'm back to my old steel box, wondering if anyone else had gear fail when the temperature really dropped.

Can we talk about the shift from hot fitting to cold fitting for corrective work?

I've been seeing a big change in the last five years or so, especially with the younger farriers coming up. It used to be that most corrective jobs, like for a club foot or a bad breakover, meant heating and shaping the shoe right there at the anvil. Now, I see more and more folks using pre-made, cold-fit plates and just grinding to fit. The main push seems to be from clinics and online groups focusing on speed and less stress on the horse's hoof from the heat. I'm not totally against it, but I miss the craft of a custom hot fit. Has anyone else had clients ask specifically for cold work over hot?

Just dropped $800 on a new forge and it's already giving me grief

I saved up for a year to buy a bigger propane forge, thinking it would make shaping shoes way faster. Got it set up in my shop last week, and the burner keeps flaming out if I turn it down at all. I have to run it full blast just to keep it lit, which is burning through fuel like crazy. The company says it's 'operating as designed' but there's no way this is right for general forging work. I'm about ready to take a sledge to the thing and go back to my old coal set up. Anyone have a good propane forge brand they actually trust for daily use?

Found a weird trick for a tough clinch on a draft horse

I was working on a big Belgian yesterday, the kind with feet like dinner plates, and I just could not get the clinch to sit right on the last nail. My usual method of a quick tap with the clinch block wasn't cutting it. Out of ideas, I called up my old mentor, Frank, who told me something I'd never heard: try a drop of hoof oil on the clinch point before you drive it. I was sure he was messing with me, but I had a bottle of Fiebing's in my truck. I put one tiny drop on, drove the nail, and it folded over smooth as butter on the first hit. He said the oil reduces just enough friction to let the metal bend without cracking or springing back. I've been shoeing for a while and never thought of that. Has anyone else used a little lube for a stubborn clinch, or is this some old-timer secret?

The great hoof pick debate at the county fair

I was at the Clark County Fair last week and saw three different people trying to clean a hoof with the pick backwards, like a tiny garden rake. It matters because you can't get the packed dirt out of the frog that way, you're just scratching the surface. I finally walked over to one guy and said, "You're holding it upside down, the hook goes toward you." He looked at his hand like it had betrayed him. How did this even become a thing?

Finally got that tricky quarter crack on a draft horse in Spokane to hold

It took me three separate visits over two weeks to get the patch and shoe combo right, way longer than I thought. Anyone have a go-to method for those deep lateral cracks that just won't quit?

Had a draft horse with a really low heel that kept pulling shoes

I was about to give up and just do a glue-on, but I tried a rolled toe and a wide web shoe with a full pad. The pad was just plain pour-in stuff, but it gave that heel some support it needed. Anyone else had luck with this combo for a low heel?

Had a horse with chronic quarter cracks finally hold a shoe after switching to a heart bar

This gelding at the barn in Springfield had quarter cracks on both fronts for like 8 months, and nothing we tried kept a shoe on for more than 3 weeks. Last month, the vet and I decided to try a heart bar shoe with some acrylic filler. Just saw him yesterday, and it's been a solid 6 weeks with no issues and the hoof wall is finally growing down smooth. Anyone else had a tough case turn around with a specific shoeing change?

Shoutout to the old farrier I met at the Calgary Stampede in 2010

I was there just watching the draft horse show, and this guy named Hank saw me struggling to get a shoe to sit right on a big Belgian. He pulled me aside and showed me how to use a crease nail punch to open up the nail hole in the shoe before driving it, something I'd never been taught. I've used that trick on probably a hundred heavy horses since. Anyone else pick up a game-changing tip from an unexpected place like that?

Tried a different way to set a shoe on a nervous quarter horse in Spokane

The owner said he always kicked out during the final nails, so I tried holding the hoof between my knees instead of the stand for that last bit. He stayed calm and I got the shoe set clean in one go. Has anyone else found a better way to handle a horse that hates the stand at the end?

Vent: My buddy in Boise swore by a 3/4 inch rasp for draft horses. I always used a 1 inch.

He said the smaller file gives you more control on the big, flat feet. Tried it on a Percheron last month. Way easier to keep the foot level. Anyone else use a smaller rasp on drafts?

Saw a horse with a really odd shoe setup at the county fair in Salem

I was walking through the draft horse barn at the Oregon State Fair last weekend and spotted a Belgian with these wide, flat shoes that looked almost like plates. The owner said his farrier in Eugene made them custom to help with a persistent sole bruise, using a special bar across the heel. It got me wondering about different corrective approaches for heavy breeds. Has anyone worked with a setup like that before?

Update: my old boss in Tulsa taught me a trick for fitting a shoe on a horse with a really low heel.

He said to rasp the hoof wall at a sharper angle before nailing, and after trying it on three tough cases last month, it actually worked better than anything I'd done before.

Tried a new rasp on a quarter crack and it went sideways

I was working on a quarter crack on a draft horse in Kentucky last week and switched to a new 10-inch rasp I'd just bought. The rasp grabbed way harder than expected and actually took off more hoof wall than I wanted in one spot. Has anyone else had a tool change up their usual results on a tricky repair?

The way some folks set a hoof on the stand drives me nuts

I watched a guy at a show in Springfield last weekend just plop the horse's foot down flat on the stand and start rasping. No angle, no support under the frog, nothing. The whole foot was rocking with every stroke. It matters because you can't get a clean, even trim if the foot isn't stable. My mentor hammered that into me day one: 'A quiet foot is a true foot.' How do you all keep the foot still for those final passes?

Was sure a hoof stand was a waste of money until a vet in Boise said something.

I was trimming a big draft horse for a client and the vet, Dr. Miller, was out for a checkup. He watched me hunch over and said, 'Your back's gonna be shot by fifty, man. That stand isn't for the horse, it's for you.' I bought a basic one the next day. How many of you guys use one regularly, and did it take you a while to get used to it?

Just wasted $200 on a 'universal' hoof stand that wobbled like crazy on my first trim job

I figured a stand from a big catalog would be fine, but the base was too light and the clamp wouldn't hold a draft horse's hoof steady, so what's a good heavy-duty brand that won't tip?

Had a close call with a horse in Eugene last week because of a loose shoe I missed

Watching a draft horse pull a shoe at the county fair made me switch up my clinch work

I saw a big Belgian pop a shoe clean off in the pulling ring last month, and the farrier there showed me how he'd been setting the clinch a quarter inch higher on the inside branch. I've been doing it that way on my heavier clients since then. Anyone else adjust their clinch placement for different work?

Changed my mind about using a rasp on a really hot shoe

I mean, I always thought you had to let the shoe cool way down before you touched it with a file, especially on a big draft horse. But last week at the Fairfield County draft pull, this older farrier named Bill showed me his trick. He dips the hot shoe in his water bucket for literally one second, then rasps it right away. The steel is still hot enough to be soft but the quick dip stops it from wrecking the file's temper. I tried it on a Percheron's hind shoe and it saved me like 10 minutes of waiting around. Anyone else do something like this, or is it just asking for trouble?

Bought a cheap anvil stand from an online auction, lost $200 when it cracked after six weeks