Redd,
You ask how many handmades I make? I explained I am doing some all the time getting ready for a test. This is one I did today. Usually on weekends I will make a few shoes Sat and Sun. This one of for an Icelandic horse I will do this week.

Mikel

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beslagsmed wrote: Mike can you make the picture bigger
im only getting a small picture

Smitty,
Here ya go. I am getting the hand of posting pics.
Mikel

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Nice shoe Mikel,
I hope that I will be able to do forge work that well. I get a little time with my forge each week. I did get to forge a pair of square toes for my mentor. I started with a bunch of diamond shoes to get my sequences and stance right and then switch to eventers. It took me an hour or so but after bent up diamonds anda few beat up eventers I had two pairs of shoes that I thought would be satisfactory. he used one pair that day and kept the other pair for later. I was pleased that he used a pair.
Redd

beslagsmed wrote:

Mike do you have a pic of a hind shoe
its interesting to see different styles in fullering

that is where you start and stop with your fuller
also different styles in heels

what type of clip do you use Mike on them
what heel lenth do you give when shoeing

with this type of heel and section
if you have a pic of the foot job
you where going to do

like to see

smitty88 wrote:
Smitty,
When I do my shoes at home, I leave them a little long - will finish the fit when I get to the horse. I usually have about 3mm length which seems to work as the shoes grow forward.

Many times I don't use clips. I never used clips when I was working in Idaho. Came to Denmark - everyone uses clips, so I have learned to do them. I don't believe every horse needs clips.

Yea, my fullering needs some work to get both sides looking the same. I am left-handed, so a nice tail comes out on one branch and not the otheras well. Am getting better at hole placement.

No don't have a pic of hinds shoe right now. Next time I make some will get one.

Will try to remember pics when I am done with the job.

Mikel

smitty88 wrote:
Smitty,
Looks like I need to spend some time with you making shoes. Great looking shoe.

Mikel

Smitty ,
if possible could you get pics of good caulk and wedges on feet. Please.

cheers

smitty88 wrote: Why not? Or is this done basically only as a forging exercise?

Rick Burten wrote: years ago every hunter in Ireland would have had calkings ad wedges on behind

but now only the few old timers get them on
they get pins or road studs riveted in

in competitions seldom seen C/W fitted to the foot
and hunter fit in front

it seems to catch every body out with the heel lenth
it can be easier fitting a 3/4 fullered in front
you can shoe him with a bit of lenth and get away with it

but when you have to put penny on penny in front
and same behind your commited

I just shod some Fox hunters yesterday. My question is why do they have smaller caulks on the inside?
Also, it seems like these people who fox hunt are only concerned with keeping shoes on. The horses I shod yesterday had really crumy feet and a tight fit didn't go well with me and I didn't do it. However, I was warned by the owner that her horses can't be loosing shoes. If so, I'm fired. Not that I care but It seems ridiculous.
Nice work Smitty.


Andrew Grimm

Andrew Grimm wrote: They also like the horse to stay on all 4's while they are barreling through ankle deep mud, snow drifts and frozen rivers .... thus the traction devices they all seem to love so much

The fox hunters I do are fit a little tighter than say a dressage horse, but they still get expansion room, etc....these horses are run through some awful footing in all kinds of weather at 90 mph and they aren't all as athletic as the owners believe them to be, so shoe pulling is a distinct possibility

beautiful work Smitty

Derin

As an inveterate foxhunter I can assure you that not only do I like staying upright, I like doing it on healthy feet. My wife and I are on staff at our local hunt so we can not afford to have horses down from lameness issues or bad feet. Lost shoes put us out of the hunt and we can’t be out of it. Because of this I keep our horses on a 5 week schedule during the hunting season and I’ll reset one in a heartbeat if a shoe gets loose. The most common reason I see people loosing shoes out hunting is that they are to cheep to have their shoes done on a regular schedule that is short enough to keep them tight.

I shoe our hunt horses very full. I use drive in studs. P11 & P13 Mustads. Heals only in the front, heals and one shorty in the toes of the hinds. Too much traction is just as bad as not enough. Yes we have trappy ground and rocky footing, but if you have done your job and schooled your horse in the summer they are fit enough to hunt and they are handy with their feet. Lots of dressage during the summer is the ticket in our barn.

Andrew, personally I'd tell the lady that threatened to fire you if her horse lost a shoe to grow up and get a life. If she has questions tell her to talk to me, I'd be glad to disabuse her of the idea that she can abuse her farrier.

Ronald E. Kramedjian wrote:

Ronald,
Thanks for the info. it's very interesting to learn about foxhunting. It's even more interesting to talk to a farrier who foxhunts himself.
As far as the owner goes, I don't care. I did what I felt was right and that's what really matters. These horses feet sucked big time. Thanks for the support. It's appreciated.

Andrew Grimm