I have space in my books for a few more horses in coastal Georgia and South Carolina. If your pony, donks, goats, cows or drafts need new shoes or just a trim up please reach out on here or at 912-312-9029
Please reach out if your in coastal Georgia and need a farrier. #anvilandspade #farrier #horseshoeing
Nailing a keg shoe on #farrier #horseshoe #coastalgeorgia #anvilandspade
Sometimes you just gotta have a talk with them #farrier #horseshoe #coastal #Georgia
If your looking for a farrier in the coastal Georgia region please reach out
Pour in pads are a great way to support the horses foot. If you are looking for a farrier in the coastal Georgia/south Carolina region please reach out.
Just a quick run through. #farrier #anvilandspade
As we go into the new year I’m taking on new clients. Anyone looking for a farrier in Connecticut or Rhode Island please reach out.
A little pony I’ve been working on for a few months now. #farrier #anvilandspade
Dressing a foot this chilly afternoon #farrier #horseshoe #trimming #trim
There are some basic questions that get asked by clients and others, so I figured I’d try and answer a few. I’ll pick a part of shoeing and post as much information as I can. Starting with nailing and blocking.
The most common question asked is “Does it hurt the horse? Can they feel it?” In short, no the hoof is made of keratin. It is basically the same as your fingernails, as long as the nail drives through the outer layer of the hoof and not into any sensitive structures there is no pain. Now some horses (and I say horses but it is true for any hoofed animal) may flinch or move when you drive the nail in but that is just them feeling the tapping and pressure. Like your finger nail, you can feel when pressure is applied but it takes a lot to hurt the foot through the hoof. So they can feel it but it does not hurt.
“How do we know the nail is going to come to the outside of the hoof?” The nails we use are not the same as the nails you pick up at your hardware store. They are beveled on one side so that they drive the direction we want. That is why you may see a farrier look at the nail before putting it in. We also use the shape of the hoof and the angle we drive the nail to control where it will come out.
“Why do we use 4, 6, or 8 nails and why do we put them where we put them?” This varies depending on the hoof the horse and the farrier. If a hoof is damaged it may regulate where we put nails and how many we can drive. How many we drive on a healthy hoof is based on how many we think the horse needs to keep the shoe on. If the horse is known for pulling shoes off or is in an event that may cause the shoe to come loose we will use more; if we know the horse is not going to loose the shoe naturally we may use less.
“What is blocking and why do some of you use it?” Blocking is placing a clinch block snug against the nail where it came out of the top of the hoof and hammering on the head of the nail. This helps set the nail and tightens the sho
