Realized I've been shaping my toe clips backwards on draft shoes for like two years because an old-timer in Kentucky just pointed and laughed at my setup.

He walked over, said 'son, that clip's facing the wrong hoof,' and showed me how the wear pattern on the old shoe proved it, which totally explains why those big guys kept throwing shoes last winter, huh?

3 comments

3 Comments

kimmurphy21d ago

Watching that happen makes you see it everywhere. People install ceiling fans that push air down in the summer instead of pulling it up, because they never flipped the switch on the motor. They plant trees right against the house because the sapling looks small, not thinking about the roots in ten years. You just follow the basic steps you know, missing the one trick that changes everything. It takes that old hand who's seen the long-term result to point out the obvious thing you're doing backwards.

the_tyler21d ago

Man, that hits home. I once had a farrier stop me cold because I was setting a shoe with the toe clip on the INSIDE branch. He just shook his head and said my horse was basically walking on a can opener. No wonder she was forging so bad. You don't know what you don't know until someone who's been there points it out.

miles_hall21d ago

Oh man, that's such a perfect example. It really is the tiny detail that seems right until an expert like that farrier shows you the disaster you're making. @the_tyler, I can just picture that moment of him shaking his head and it all clicking for you. Your horse must have been so relieved. It's crazy how we can follow all the steps but miss the one thing that makes it all work, or in your case, not hurt the animal. Those lessons stick with you forever.