🐿️Pinecone Attack

c/farriers

15

thompson.tyler•13d ago

Spent 45 minutes shaping a shoe only to realize I had the measurements backwards

Working on a draft horse over in Springfield last Thursday. Big fella, maybe 1,600 pounds. Owner gave me the measurements and I wrote them down but somehow swapped the left and right hoof dimensions in my head. Got the shoe all set, hot fit it, nailed it on, and it sat about a quarter inch too narrow. Had to pull the whole thing and start over. The horse was patient surprisingly. Just stood there chewing on the cross tie while I cussed under my breath. My mentor always said measure twice, forge once. Guess I learned that one the hard way. Any of you guys had a similar brain fart moment where you messed up something obvious in front of a customer?

21

juliam40•14d ago

That week in July 2019 when I nailed 14 perfect shoes in a row, never had that luck since

Every horse stood like a statue, no wind kicking up dust, all four feet clean and balanced. I wish I knew what made that week special so I could bottle it up for the rainy days when nothing goes right. Anyone else ever have a streak like that or am I just chasing a ghost?

6

the_sarah•18d ago

Showerthought: just realized my grinder wheel has been spinning backwards for 2 years

Caught a random video from a farrier in Oregon last night and noticed their sparks were flying the opposite way than mine always have - double checked my angle grinder and sure enough I've been running the wrong direction this whole time, anyone else ever make that dumb mistake?

4

stella_lee•18d ago

Last Thursday was one of those perfect days where everything just clicked

I had a client with a tricky draft horse who usually fights me on her fronts. Normally I brace for a rough hour, but she stood like a statue. I got both fronts done in 25 minutes flat, which never happens. Then the owner handed me a $60 tip on top of my regular fee. She said I was the first farrier who didn't make her mare nervous. Next stop was a barn I'd never worked at before, and the horses were all good. No swishing tails, no leaning on me. I finished my whole route by 2pm instead of 5pm. Has anyone else had a day where the horses just decided to cooperate out of nowhere?

30

rivera.susan•18d ago

Had a chat with an old horse owner who changed how I look at hoof angles

She pointed out that my last three trims were half a degree off compared to her 20-year-old photos, and now I'm wondering if I've been messing up other horses too - has anyone else had a client call you out on something so small?

9

spencerw72•20d ago

Had an old shoer tell me I was burning the horn 5 years ago

Watched a guy who's been doing this since the 70s watch me work one day. He just said 'you're laying that shoe on like you're mad at it, son. Slow down and let the heat do the work.' I was hammering the hot shoe down way too hard, making it contact too fast. Changed my whole approach to setting shoes. Proper heat and a light touch saves me so much filing time now. Has anyone else had a specific piece of advice from an older farrier that completely flipped your process?

7

ross.jason•1mo ago

I swore by aluminum shoes for years until a client's horse slipped bad on wet pavement

After that fall cost me a $600 vet bill and three weeks of rehab, I switched to steel with borium studs and haven't looked back - anyone else had a boss or owner push back on the cost difference?

17

seana14•1mo ago

Just figured out a trick for dealing with those stubborn front feet that won't stand still

I've been fighting with this one horse for months now, a big draft cross named Gus, and every time I go to work on his fronts he shifts his weight around like he's dancing. Tried everything - tying him short, having the owner hold a front leg up, even tried those calming sprays that never do anything. Then last week I ran into an old farrier at a clinic in Columbus and he told me to try putting a little pressure on the shoulder with my knee while I'm picking up the foot. Honestly thought it sounded dumb but I gave it a shot this morning and the horse just stood there like a rock. It's just about shifting their balance before you even reach down. Anyone else pick up little body language tricks like this that make a huge difference?

16

nancy_owens•1mo ago

Had a horse's shoe get stuck on a railroad tie at a show in Kentucky last month

The tie had a loose spike and the shoe caught on it mid-stride, took me 20 minutes to cut the nail out with hoof nippers. Anyone else run into random debris issues at unfamiliar barns and have a go-to way to prep for it?

3

terryj45•1mo ago

Shoed a mare in Bakersfield last Thursday that had hooves like iron

Took me three hours and broke two new rasps before I got it done. Anyone else run into horses with hooves that hard?

21

karen_sanchez10•1mo ago

Wasted $200 on a set of 'custom' rasps that went dull after three horses...

Bought them off a Facebook ad claiming they were forged in Sweden but they couldn't even hold an edge through one full reset, has anyone else fallen for those flashy online tool deals?

24

mia_fox98•1mo ago

Tried a different angle on my anvil stand and it saved my lower back

I've been shoeing horses for about 8 years now, mostly out of a trailer in rural Oregon. Last spring I started getting this nagging ache in my lower right side after a long day of welding and shaping. I figured it was just part of the job, you know, getting older. But then I swapped out my old wooden anvil stand for a taller one with a slight tilt toward me, maybe 10 degrees. I took the idea from a guy I met at a clinic in Bend who said he did the same thing after a back injury. First week I noticed I wasn't hunching over as much, and the ache faded almost completely. Has anyone else messed with stand height or angle to fix posture issues? I'm curious if it's just me or if this is a known thing.

9

nancy_owens•1mo ago

Realized I had been heating the nail wrong for 8 years

I was at a clinic in Missoula last month and the instructor watched me for about 30 seconds before asking why I was cherry red on the tip. I always thought you heated the whole nail head, then quenched the tip. He just shook his head and showed me how you only heat the top half and let the rest stay cool. All those hot nails sliding right out of the hoof... Makes me wonder what else I'm doing backward. Anybody else have a moment like that where a simple fix changed your whole day?

27

derek_burns•1mo ago

Question about cleaning old forge scale off shoes

Been dealing with a stubborn build up on some shoes from a retired draft horse. Tried a wire cup on an angle grinder, took forever. Ended up using a vinegar soak for 2 hours then hit it with a stiff brass brush. Came off way easier. Anyone got a faster method for this?

6

seana14•1mo ago

Watched a young horse go from refusing to pick up a back foot to standing square in 3 sessions. Here is what changed.

Had a 3 year old coming in last month that would nearly fall over when you touched his hind legs. First visit took me 45 minutes just to get him to lift that back foot for a second. I focused on positive reinforcement with a carrot after each time he let me hold the foot. By the third session he was standing square and letting me clean and trim without a fight. The owner was shocked but it was just taking my time and rewarding small steps. Has anyone else had luck with this approach on a nervous horse?

24

theagarcia•1mo ago

Old timer told me to soak my rasps in vinegar overnight...

A farrier I met at a clinic in Ohio swore that soaking my rasps in white vinegar overnight would keep them sharp way longer than just wiping them down with oil. I tried it for two months and honestly my rasps are lasting maybe 50% more shoeing before they need replacing. Anyone else ever tried this or am I just getting lucky so far?

18

kevin_sullivan•1mo ago

Hot take: old timers aren't always right about hoof angles

My mentor told me to set front feet at 50 degrees no matter what, but after three horses went lame last summer I switched to matching each horse's individual conformation. Has anyone else had better luck ditching the one-size-fits-all angle rule?

8

patricia_king23•1mo ago

Found an old trick for pulling front shoes on tricky feet

Been seeing more horses with those flat walls and underrun heels lately... finally tried that method an old farrier from Kentucky showed me back in '98. You file a small notch into the toe clip and run your crease nail angled forward instead of straight down. Tried it on three horses this week at the Miller farm and all of them held tight through a muddy paddock. Anybody else use that clip notch trick or have a better way to keep shoes from shifting?

16

wesley873•1mo ago

Took me 8 months to figure out why my hind shoes kept twisting

Kept having this problem where my hind shoes would shift laterally after about 3 weeks. Drove me nuts. Tried different nails, different clips, nothing worked. Finally I watched a guy at a clinic in Lexington and realized I was leaving too much heel on the shoe. Trimmed it back a quarter inch and boom, no more twisting. Has anyone else dealt with something that simple making that big a difference?

23

faith_perez•1mo ago

Switched from keg shoes to natural balance plates after 3 tries and my horses are way happier

Ive been shoeing for about 6 years now and always used traditional keg shoes on my ride horses. Last month I got a client whos mare kept tripping and landing on her heels. Tried keg shoes twice with different toe clips but she still stumbled. Switched to natural balance plates on her front feet and the difference was night and day after just 2 weeks. The mare is moving way smoother and the owner said shes not tripping at all anymore. Has anyone else seen a big improvement switching to a wider web shoe on problem horses?

31

theagarcia•1mo ago

Was dead set against glue-on shoes until I tried them on a foundered pony

I've been a traditional nail-on guy for 15 years. Always thought glue-ons were just a gimmick for rich horse owners who want to look fancy. But last month I had this old pony with laminitis and his hoof walls were so thin and crumbly I couldn't get a single nail to hold. Client was desperate so I finally caved and used a set of glue-ons. Honestly that pony moved better after a week than he had in months. The glue held solid for 6 weeks too. Made me rethink my whole attitude. Any other farriers out there changed their mind on something they swore they'd never do?

24

stellat87•1mo ago

Switched to a flat rasp for hoof prep after 8 years of using a curved one

My horses kept getting quarter cracks till my mentor Bill at the Oklahoma clinic told me to try flat and now I haven't seen one in 6 months has anyone else made that switch?

19

roseb47•1mo ago

That week last July when nothing went right with shoes

Had a horse last summer that just would not stand still no matter what I tried. Took me 45 minutes just to get the fronts done because she kept shifting weight every time I got close with the rasp. Then my forge propane ran out halfway through heating the back shoes and I had to drive 30 miles to the nearest supplier to refill. By the time I got back it was pushing 95 degrees and the horse was sweating worse than me. Has anyone else had one of those weeks where you question if you picked the right trade?

22

angela_park•1mo ago

Old mare last week taught me a lesson about patience

I had a call last Tuesday out near Springfield to shoe a 20 year old mare that was supposedly easy. The owner said she had been fine for years. Soon as I picked up her front hoof she jerked away and nearly knocked me into the stall wall. I spent 20 minutes just letting her sniff my tools and getting her to relax. Finally got all four done but it took twice as long as a normal shoe. Any of you dealt with a horse that just suddenly changes behavior like that without warning?

14

simon_davis•1mo ago

Six months of using my new forge and finally got a consistent heat on a full set of shoes.

Switched from a coal forge to a propane one back in April and after ruining a dozen shoes from uneven heat I finally nailed the airflow and got all four fronts and backs uniform in one session, anyone else struggle with the propane learning curve?