I got this message on my phone yesterday from a nice man with a very thick middle eastern accent.
"Hi. I'm looking to buy a horse shoes horse shoe. Please give me a call my cell phone number ###-###-####, I'm looking to buy shoe horse shoes."
So I call the guy back.
me - "Hi, this is Tom with Blackburn Forge Farrier Service returning your call. How may I help you?"
Him - "Hi Tom, I want to buy used black horseshoe."
me - "Do you mean an old used horseshoe that you can paint black and use as a decoration?"
him- "No, used black horseshoe."
me - "What are you going to do with the shoe?"
Him - "I must put it on front of house right away. Must be black horseshoe from black horse."
me - "Ok, so you want a used horseshoe that came off of a black horse?"
him - "YES!"
me - "Where do you live?"
him - "About 45 miles north . . . I will come right away to meet you and pay you for a used black horseshoe."
me - "I will be shoeing a black horse tomorrow morning in Maryland. That is about 60 miles from you. But next week I will be working a lot closer to your area, I could save you the old shoes I take from the black horse I work on tomorrow. We could meet when I am closer to your area. It will save you driving and gas. And you can have the shoes for free."
him - "Next week is too long. I must buy two black horseshoes very soon, very important."
me - "Well, if you want to drive all the way down to the stables in Maryland, I'll be there at 09:00hrs. You can have the old shoes and meet the horse that wore them. He is a very nice horse."
him - "That is good. I will be there at nine o' clock."
me - "You got my number from the web site?"
him - "Yes."
me - "Send me an email from the web site. I will reply with directions to the stables."
his email -
"Hi Tom,
It was nice talking with you on phone. I am looking for two black horseshoes.
Please email me on *********** address where we can meet tomorrow to get horse shoes.
Thank you very much,
********
********"
I replied with a Google map address to the boarding stables.
This morning I show up to shoe ol' Lucas. A 20yr old OTTB.
Guy shows up. I introduce him to the horse and my client (client has been forewarned of this special situation, we're both curious . . .)
him - "That is very very big black horse."
me - "He is 16.2 hands. His name is Lucas, he is 20 years old and retired from racing. Bigger than the average race horse, but not big for the breed. He is a very nice horse, would you like to pet him?"
him - "No, he is very big. I watch. You get shoes for me."
I get to work, pulled the shoes (Classic Roller #2 front w/side clips.) I asked him if he wanted me to clean up the shoes in the forge. He said no, he was "in hurry," but he did let me grind off the clips when I told him it would only take 2 minutes.
So I hand the guy the shoes and he insists he MUST pay me for them. HE MUST BUY THE BLACK HORSESHOES!
Guy stuffs a $10 bill in my hand, thanks me profusely, jumps in his car and drives away from the stables.
Honest folks, I couldn't make this up, it's just too weired. Not sure, but I think the guy is from Pakistan or India.
Does anybody know of any eastern "belief" regarding shoes from a black horse? :confused: