Chat with an old timer made me rethink my shoeing approach...

I was out at a clinic near Lexington last month and this guy named Bill, been a farrier since the 70s, said something that stuck with me. He told me I was focusing too much on the shoe shape and not enough on how the hoof actually loads when the horse moves. Said he watched me for 10 minutes and could tell I was chasing symmetry instead of function. Hit different because he didn't say it mean, just matter of fact. Now I'm spending more time watching the horse stand and move before I pull out my nippers and rasp. Has anyone else gotten feedback from an older farrier that totally shifted how you work?

1 comments

1 Comment

rose_cooper14d ago

Chasing symmetry instead of function" - I mean, sure, that sounds nice and all, but most horses I work on are crooked to begin with. If I spent more than a minute watching them stand around I'd never get through my day. Bill probably had time to philosophize because he's been doing this since bell bottoms were cool.