Watching a draft horse trim in Kentucky totally flipped my approach to hoof angles

I was at a clinic near Lexington last fall, and the farrier working on this big Belgian had a different way of checking the breakover point. He used a simple ruler and a marker to draw a line from the tip of the frog, instead of just eyeballing it from the side. He said he'd been doing it for 15 years and it shaves about 5 minutes off his trim time per hoof because he's not second-guessing. I tried it on a few of my regular horses this week, and it really does make the whole process feel more solid. Has anyone else picked up a small trick like that from watching someone else work?

3 comments

3 Comments

wren8066d ago

My uncle's old farrier swore by a carpenter's pencil.

faithb786d ago

That old farrier knew what was up. The flat shape of a carpenter's pencil just doesn't roll away in the dirt or the stall. It's a solid tool that works. I've seen a few guys use them and they last forever. Makes total sense for that kind of work.

price.tyler6d ago

Yeah, that "doesn't roll away" part is the real genius.