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Had a hoof get infected after a bad nail placement last Tuesday | Farriers - The Community Guide

Had a hoof get infected after a bad nail placement last Tuesday

I was shoeing a 5 year old quarter horse in Austin for a client I've worked with for 3 years. Everything went smooth until I drove a nail a hair too deep on the inside quarter. Didn't think much of it at first but the owner called me Thursday saying the horse was dead lame. I drove back out Friday morning and found heat in the hoof and a nasty abscess brewing. Had to pull the shoe and dig out the infection with a hoof knife. Took about an hour to get it all drained and cleaned. The horse is on stall rest now with a poultice pack. Made me feel like crap for messing up. Has anyone else had a nail go bad and how do you handle telling the owner?

2 comments

2 Comments

bell.emma3mo ago

It's funny how that moment of "it's fine, just one more tap" translates to the same pattern we all have with power tools or even cooking - you push one second too far and suddenly everything's a mess. Being honest about it is really all you can do, just like owning up to burning dinner or over-tightening a bolt.

robinson.matthew3mo ago

Man that exact thing happened to me about two years ago on a mare I'd been shoeing for ages. I drove a nail a little too far forward on the inside and she blew up with an abscess three days later. I felt like such a jerk having to call the owner and admit I messed up. What worked for me was just being straight up with them right away, no excuses. I told the owner exactly what happened, how I was fixing it, and what the recovery looked like. Most people appreciate the honesty more than anything and in my case the owner actually said she'd rather know than have me hide it. I also offered to come back for free to check on the poultice and change the bandage for that week. Ended up keeping that client and now I'm way more careful with those inside quarter nails lol.