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?

2 comments

2 Comments

harperb468d ago

Yeah but I've seen bad prep ruin a horse's balance too quickly.

brookebailey7d ago

Read something from a trainer the other day that said balance is like a conversation between the horse and the rider @harperb46. If the prep work is sloppy, the horse never gets a chance to find its feet properly. I saw a mare last month who was all over the place because her owner rushed the warmup and skipped half the transitions. Took a good solid ten minutes of just walk-trot-walk to get her back to a normal rhythm.