c/farriers

Tried dollar store rasps vs my usual Nicholson ones on a draft mare last Thursday

Honestly I was in a pinch and grabbed a cheap set from the bargain bin at Dollar General, figured how bad could they be for a quick trim. The steel was so soft it barely touched the hoof wall and I ended up having to redo the whole thing with my old Nicholson after wasting 20 minutes. Anyone else ever grab a bargain tool and instantly regret it?

TIL there's a trick to pulling nails from old wooden blocks

Been shoeing for about 8 years and last week a guy at a clinic showed me how to twist the nail head sideways before pulling it on a block that's been sitting in mud for months. The whole thing popped out way easier than just yanking straight up with my nippers. Any of you guys have a go-to method for stubborn nails that doesn't wreck the block?

Old timer showed me a trick with a rasp I'd never seen before

I was at a clinic in Lexington last month, not even a full day thing, just a few hours. This older farrier, must have been 70, was just watching me work on a practice hoof. He didn't say anything for like 10 minutes, just watched. Then he walks over and shows me how he holds the rasp at more of an angle on the pull stroke, almost sideways. I always just went straight across. Tried his way and it took way less effort to shape the hoof wall. Felt like I'd been doing it wrong for 5 years. Has anyone else picked up a random tip from just watching another farrier work?

Hot take: I used to hate on aluminum shoes until a vet set me straight

I always swore by steel for hind shoes on heavy horses, figured anything else was just for show. Then a vet I respect showed me X-rays of a draft cross with navicular changes and explained how the lighter shoe reduced leverage on the hoof wall. Anyone else had their mind changed by a specific piece of science or a pro's feedback?

Old timer told me to soak bent nails in vinegar overnight - saved me $40 last week

Had a customer in Des Moines insist I was using the wrong nails on his mare

He watched me for five minutes then grabbed my hand and said 'those are for quarter cracks not routine trims.' He was a retired farrier from the 80s. I showed him the box labeled for standard shoes and he still argued for another 10 minutes until I pulled out a magnet to prove they were the same alloy as his old ones. Has anyone else dealt with a client who thinks they know your tools better than you do?

PSA: Ditch the hand file for a grinder on old shoes unless you like elbow pain

I used to spend 20 minutes hand filing every old shoe to get it clean before shaping. Then last spring I had a run of 8 horses in one day and my arm was shot for two days after. Now I just zip through with a 4.5 inch grinder and a 36 grit flap disc, takes me maybe 5 minutes per shoe. Has anyone else made the switch or am I just being lazy?

Wasted $80 on a cheap rasp that chipped after 2 weeks

Picked up a no-name rasp off Amazon for $80 thinking I was being smart saving money. After about 15 horses it started chipping bad and now it's basically useless for anything besides rough work. Have any of you guys had luck with the cheaper rasps or should I just suck it up and get a Nicholson?

Dropped $140 on that fancy new forge and wish I had my money back

I bought a portable gas forge from a small online shop back in February. The box showed up with a dented shell and the burner wouldn't stay lit. Called the guy three times and never got a response. Cost me $140 total with shipping. Has anyone else had better luck with a particular brand of portable forge?

Had a chat with an old farrier at a clinic in Boise that changed how I prep hoof walls

Was at a clinic in Boise 2 weeks ago and this guy named Bill who's been shoeing 40 years told me I was overthinking my hoof prep. He said just stick to the basic clean and level and stop chasing perfect angle measurements with a gauge. Tried his way on 3 horses since then and they've been way more comfortable and I finished faster too. Any of you guys ever had someone point out you're making the job harder than it needs to be?

Finally got my first horse to stand perfectly still for a full trim yesterday

I've been at this for about 8 months now, mostly doing work for a few local stables near me in Nashville. There's this one mare, Daisy, who always fidgets and tries to pull her foot away when I get to the hind ones. Yesterday she just stood there like a rock for the whole 20 minutes I was working on her. The owner even came out and said 'I don't know what you did but she's never that calm.' I think it was because I spent an extra 5 minutes just letting her sniff the rasp before starting. Has anyone else found a trick that helps with the nervous ones?

Tried a different nail pattern on a tricky hoof and it worked way better

Been shoeing this one draft cross for a while now and she always cracks near the toe. Last week I switched from the standard 5 nail pattern to a 7 nail pattern spreading them wider around the quarters. I also dropped the nail clinches a bit lower than normal. The shoe held way tighter and the farrier vet came by and said the crack isn't spreading anymore. Has anyone else had luck changing up nail patterns for stress cracks in big horses?

Took me 3 years to realize I was burning my nails with the forge

I always wondered why my shoes kept cracking at the toe clips after a few weeks. Then an old timer at a clinic in Lexington pointed out I was holding my nails in the fire way too long before I even started shaping them. It was like a light bulb went off - has anyone else had a dumb basic habit they didn't catch for way too long?

That one hoof crack I thought would take 20 minutes ended up eating my whole afternoon

I was just trying to patch a small quarter crack on a standard farrier nail job but the horse kept fidgeting and the crack ran deeper than I thought, so three hours later I was still out there with no lunch and a half-done shoe - has anyone else had a simple fix spiral into a full day ordeal?

Took me 4 hours to fix a hoof crack that should have been a 20 minute job

Had a hoof crack that took me 3 hours to patch correctly

I was working on a draft cross last Tuesday with a quarter crack that looked simple but kept splitting as I tried to staple it. After two failed attempts with different patch materials, I finally got it stable with a polyurethane blend and some careful drilling. Ever had a repair that ate up way more time than you thought it would?

Snapped my last rasp blade mid-shoeing on a cranky mare yesterday

I was finishing up the front hooves on this old mare around 4pm when my rasp blade just snapped right at the handle. She was already nervous from the long session so I had to stop, calm her down, and grab my backup which was way too dull. Took me an extra 20 minutes just to get the hoof smooth enough to nail on. Has anyone else had a rasp blade break on them mid-job like that?

Had to pick between forged and machine made nails for a big job last month

I was doing 8 horses for a ranch outside Austin and their old farrier used machine made. I always go forged but they wanted me to stick with what they knew. 3 horses in and I switched to my forged ones anyway. The clinches just hold better and I wasn't about to have a call back on a 400 dollar job. Any of yall deal with clients demanding specific gear that just doesnt work as good?

Used to rasp every hoof down to the same angle on every horse

After a clinic with an old timer last fall I started just reading the hoof capsule and following what the horse gives me, anyone else find their work got more consistent when they stopped forcing a shape?

Drove 4 hours for a shoeing and the horse was perfect

Had a gig up near Spokane last Thursday. 3 hour drive each way. Horse stood like a rock for all 4 shoes. No fighting, no leaning on me. Owner even had coffee waiting. That never happens on a long drive job. Made my whole week honestly. Anyone else have those rare days where everything just clicks?

Dumped a full bucket of nails in the middle of a shoeing at a county fairgrounds near Denton last summer

Heard a guy at the feed store say he trims his own horses and now I'm second guessing paying $60 a pop

He said it's not that hard once you learn the angles and now I'm watching YouTube videos wondering if I should just buy the nippers myself, anyone here start doing their own and regret it or save money?

Had to pick between a hand forge and a gas forge for my new setup in Lexington

I finally got my own shop space last month and had to choose between a traditional hand forge and a gas forge. I've been using a hand forge for 7 years under my old boss, so I know how they work but they're slow. The gas forge costs about $600 more upfront but heats up in 5 minutes instead of 20. I went with the gas forge because I'm trying to do more shoes per day, like 8 to 10 instead of 6. First week was rough, I overheated two bars and had to toss them. But by week 2 I got the hang of the regulator settings, now I'm hitting 8 shoes easy. Has anyone else made this switch and found the gas forge messes with your hammer control at first?

Was dead set against using a propane forge for shoeing...

I mean for like 5 years I was strictly coal only. Thought propane was cheating or something, I don't know. Then I took a gig in Austin last August where the barn had a propane forge set up and I figured I'd try it just to get through the day. Honestly I felt stupid after like 3 hours. The heat is way more consistent, I wasn't fighting with the fire between shoes, and my welds actually held better. Still kinda miss the smell of coal though. Has anyone else made the switch and felt the same way?

I actually like the older shoeing approach over the modern ones

Been working with horses for about 15 years now, and I see a lot of new farriers jumping on these glue-on shoes and plastic pads. A few months back at a clinic in Ohio, I watched a young guy struggle for 20 minutes with a glue-on shoe while I could have nailed a standard steel shoe in 5 minutes flat. The before-and-after difference I noticed was that the glue-on shoe popped off after two weeks, but the steel shoe stayed solid for six weeks on the same horse. I get that technology changes, but why are we making simple jobs harder than they need to be?