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TIL I was completely wrong about how I was nailing horseshoes
Honestly, I had this old timer named Jim watch me work a front shoe on a draft cross at his barn in Fort Collins. He stopped me mid-swing and said "son, you're driving those nails way too shallow, they'll bend every time." Changed my angle to about 10 degrees steeper and I haven't had a clinch pop since. Anybody else gotten a simple tip that fixed a bad habit overnight?
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robinp721mo ago
you're driving those nails too shallow, they'll bend every time" - yeah Jim probably would've had a heart attack watching me my first few years. I was the guy who'd pound them in at like a 45 degree angle and wonder why the hoof wall would chip off like bad drywall. Got told by a farrier at a clinic that I was basically making my own horseshoe removal system with how loose those clinches were. Took me about a dozen more horses to get the angle right without that stupid nail poking out the wrong side and making me feel like a total hack. Still have a shoe with a bent nail hanging in my shop as a trophy of my former idiot self.
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theasmith28d ago
Switching to listening for the change in pitch as the nail seats was what finally clicked for me. Started tapping the head lightly to feel the resistance through the hammer instead of just swinging away. That "clink" sound when it's going straight versus that dull thud when it's about to blow out saves so much frustration.
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juliag101mo ago
Hold up, I actually see it a little different. A 10 degree steeper angle works great on some horses but can be a disaster on thin soled or flat footed breeds. I've had more luck paying attention to the white line and adjusting nail angle based on how the hoof wall actually looks rather than following one rule for everything. Had a mustang cross last year where Jim's advice would have put a nail straight into the sensitive laminae. Those old school tricks work on a lot of horses but they're not universal.
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