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Ngl hand forging vs machine made shoes - I'll take the anvil every time
Been at this 12 years now, mostly in Kentucky around the track horses. Everyone I know swears by those pre-made keg shoes from the catalog, says it saves time and the horses don't care. But I've been hand forging my own for the last 8 months on this old Thoroughbred named Ned, and the difference is night and day. His gait got smoother, he stopped tripping in the back, and the farrier checkups went from every 4 weeks to almost 6. The machine shoes just don't account for the little twists each horse has. Any other hand forgers still out there or am I just being stubborn?
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coleman.henry3mo ago
Hear you out, but I think you're overcomplicating something that doesn't need to be that deep. A good farrier with a file and a heat gun can tweak machine shoes to match most horses just fine without the extra time and effort. If it works for your horse though, stick with it, but don't act like it's the only real way.
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aaron_gonzalez3mo ago
Three farriers I've worked with all said the same thing about custom versus machine shoes. People overthink stuff all the time just like this, whether it's horse shoes or fixing a fence or changing your truck's oil. Everyone wants to believe their way is the only right way when half the time simple and cheap gets the job done just as well.
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