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Saw a neat trick for holding shoes at the county fair last weekend
I was at the Clark County Fair over in Ohio, watching the draft horse pull. After the event, I got to chatting with one of the teamsters while his Percherons were getting their feet done. His farrier was using a simple, old leather belt looped around his own thigh to hold the shoe he was fitting. He'd just slip the shoe into the loop against his leg, keeping it warm from his body heat and right at hand. Said he picked it up from an old timer years back and it beats setting a hot shoe down on a cold anvil or fumbling in a apron pocket. It's one of those small, clever things you only see in the field. Has anyone else seen or used a method like that for keeping a shoe ready while working?
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cora8135mo ago
Seems like a solution looking for a problem. It's just a horseshoe, not a surgical tool. Probably more about looking like an old pro than any real need.
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the_jordan5mo ago
I read a farrier's blog where he said the right tool reduces hand fatigue over dozens of shoes a day. It's not about looking cool, it's about saving your body over a long career. That makes sense to me.
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david_walker973mo ago
You ever try holding a cold horseshoe with numb fingers?
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hannahj495mo ago
I used to think like Cora, that it was just a showy trick. Then I watched my uncle's farrier work on a cold morning last fall. He had that belt loop on his leg and went through eight shoes for two horses without once stopping to warm a shoe back up. His hands never left the horse's hoof. It changed my mind seeing how smooth it made the whole job.
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