I've been shoeing out of a 2005 F-150 for 5 years now. Hoof stand in the bed, tools in a milk crate, always digging around for stuff. Last week a buddy let me borrow his custom trailer setup with the fold out work station and organized drawers. I got through 8 horses in 5 hours instead of 7. No joke. The time I wasted walking back and forth to the truck was adding up hard. Anybody else made the switch and feel stupid for not doing it sooner?
Last month I finally cracked 500 shoes in 30 days across my regular route. Didnt think I had it in me but a few clients needed extra work before winter hit. Anyone else hit a weird milestone like that and realize you need to tweak your tool grip or something?
Was at a client's place outside Columbus back in March when their hay barn went up. I lost my best rasps and nippers in the chaos because I had them scattered everywhere. Anybody else keep a dedicated hoof care box with a handle now just in case?
I grabbed one of those cheap farrier rasps from Tractor Supply on a whim last week. My usual brand costs around $45 so I figured this was gonna be junk for sure. But honestly it cut faster than my expensive one on the first few passes. By the third horse though the teeth were basically gone and I had to switch back. So you get what you pay for in the long run but for a one-off job or a backup it actually surprised me. Has anyone else tried the budget rasps and had them hold up better than I did?
Back in 2019 I thought I was doing myself a favor ordering a fancy forge blower from a big catalog supplier. Paid about $350 for it and it just never pulled air right for my setup. An older farrier I know told me he picked up a used one at a farm auction for $40 and it's been running 15 years. I ended up selling mine at a loss and cobbling together a setup from a local metal shop for half the cost. Makes me wonder how many of us overpay for gear that's marketed to us instead of what actually works. Has anyone else had better luck with used or local equipment over catalog stuff?
So last month I was out at a farm in Hudson and this guy in his 70s watches me work for a minute. I was trying to clean up a back hoof after some rain and the hoof was kind of soft. He just goes "son you're just grinding that rasp into mud" lol. Told me to let the hoof dry for 10 minutes or hit it with a heat lamp first. I figured he was full of it but I tried it on the next horse and the rasp actually bit into the hoof instead of sliding. Has anyone else found a big difference working on dry vs wet hooves? I always thought it didn't matter that much.
He showed me how to hit the face of a worn rasp with a vinegar soak to bring the bite back, and I laughed it off. After I ruined a $60 rasp on a draft horse last fall I finally tried it and got three more months out of that same tool. Anybody else have a weird shop hack they fought against at first?
Guy named Jim down at the supply shop in Lexington kept telling me to collect rain water instead of using tap water for my forge. I shrugged it off for like 2 years until I started getting weird scaling on my shoes. Switched to rain water buckets and the difference was night and day after about a month. Has anyone else dealt with hard water messing up their steel?
I was at a trimming clinic near Lexington and this farrier with 40 years experience said most of us leave soles way too thick on front feet. He showed me how to check with a hoof gauge and aim for a quarter inch or less. I tried it on two horses this week and their movement looked looser almost right away. Has anyone else changed how they trim soles after getting feedback like that?
Had a woman in Lexington, Kentucky bring in her gelding last month with nasty rasp marks all down the hoof wall. Said her previous farrier told her it was normal to file into the white line. Took me maybe 10 minutes to explain how that weakens the whole hoof. Has anyone else run into damage from other guys being too aggressive with the rasp?
I was reading through a study from the University of Kentucky equine department last night, and it said that a 1 degree change in hoof angle can add almost 200 pounds of force to a horse's suspensory ligament at a canter. That's a lot more than I would have guessed for such a small adjustment. Made me think twice about how precise I need to be with those toe lengths on racehorses... has anyone else seen that paper?
Had a muddy, rainy day last Tuesday in Cleveland and every single hoof I picked up was slick as glass. Accidentally wiped my nippers on the inside of my sleeve (which was soaked with sweat and rain) and suddenly they had way more grip. Has anyone else found a weird angle or material that works better for keeping tools steady in wet conditions?
Used the same old flat rasp for 8 years straight on every hoof. Picked up a tungsten tip at the Midwest Horsefair last month and damn if it doesn't cut twice as fast with half the effort. Anybody else find a tool that made them feel dumb for waiting so long?
I always thought speed was the most important thing in this trade. Get em done, get em out, move to the next. But last Friday I hit 300 horses shod before noon and it stopped me cold. That number meant I had been rushing through every trim and nail for the last hour. Looked back at a few feet and noticed I left some flares on a couple of those hooves. That convinced me that hitting a milestone like that just means you cut corners. I went back and fixed those two horses after lunch even though the owner said they looked fine. Has anyone else realized a big number like that actually means you need to slow down? How do you balance keeping up with the schedule without losing quality?
I had a client last Tuesday point at my clinches on a front shoe and say they looked like angry eyebrows. I laughed it off at first but then I looked closer and yeah, they were uneven and sticking up too much. I started using a lighter hand with my clinching block and checking each one from the front before moving on. It added maybe 2 minutes per horse but the difference is night and day. Has anyone else had a client call out something small like that that actually made you better?
Was doing a standard reset on a OTTB last tuesday and the whole shoe just collapsed when i hit it with the hammer. Been forging for about 6 years now and always just cranked the forge to max and got it done fast. My buddy jim watched me and pointed out the metal was sparking too much and i was basically burning the temper out of the steel. Now i keep it at a lower temp and take an extra 45 seconds per shoe and the fit is way better. Anyone else figure out the hard way that slower heat makes a tougher shoe?
Was out in the barn at 6 PM trying to rush through this draft horse set, hit the weld wrong with the hammer, and the whole thing split clean in half - has anyone else had luck fixing a forge weld after it breaks or do you just start over?
Tried applying it thin with a brush instead of slathering it on thick like the old-timers taught me, and the hoof held moisture way better through a wet Kentucky spring - has anyone else found that less is more with sealer?
Ngl, I used to be all about glue-ons for my clients, especially on the fancy endurance horses. But after a wet season in Bend last spring, I had three sets delaminate within a week. Switched to Easyboot Gloves for a 50-mile ride and they stayed put through mud and creeks. Anyone else find glue-ons overrated for anything but show ring stuff?
I was driving home from a family visit near Lexington and saw a sign for a working farrier shop off Highway 68. Stopped in for 20 minutes and ended up staying 2 hours watching this old guy shape a shoe with a cross peen hammer I've never seen used that way. He showed me a trick with the anvil's heel edge to rough out toe clips in about 3 swings instead of the 10 I usually take. Has anyone else picked up a weird regional technique from just wandering into a random shop?
I swear I spend twice that long just getting the nails started because I keep using these cheap nippers that don't hold the nail straight, has anyone else found a brand that actually keeps the nail centered?
I thought I was invincible after 12 years shoeing, but a barn near Lexington asked me to do a full reset day on 45 head. By horse 30 my back was screaming and I missed a clip on a front foot that cost me a call-back. Has anyone else hit a number where you realized you need to cap your daily load?
I've been going back and forth between these two brands for like five years you know? Last month I finally grabbed the Diamond for a full set of four shoes on a draft cross. Man the bite is just different, it took way less elbow grease to get the toe squared up. Has anyone else switched rasps and noticed a big difference in how fast you finish a foot?
I was out near Ellensburg on a Tuesday afternoon, doing a trim and reset on a draft cross, and the front shoe just popped clean off while I was pulling the clip. No warning, just a loose shoe and a horse giving me the side-eye. I tried the old trick of bending the clip over a cold shoe with my hammer, but it didn't hold like it used to. Anybody else notice the newer steel doesn't bend the same as the stuff from 20 years back?
I used to do all my rasping by hand, it took forever and my hands would ache bad. Last month I finally bought a used stand grinder from a guy in Boise, and I tried it on a set of keg shoes. It cut my time from about 20 minutes a shoe down to maybe 8, and the fit on the hoof is way more even. Has anyone else made that swap and found a big time savings?