-1

A client in Columbus told me my nails were too short and it bugged me for weeks

I used to keep shoes tight with short nails because I thought it gave better hold, but he showed me how it was actually pulling the hoof wall down. Switched to longer nails with a slight angle on the clinch and now shoes stay put way longer with less damage. Has anyone else gotten pushback on their nailing technique from an old timer?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_karen29d ago

Old Jimmy from the tack shop in Eugene gave me the same talking to back in 2017... I was pounding those short nails in like I knew what I was doing. He had me switch to a #5 nail with a good 15 degree angle on the clinch and it made a world of difference, shoes stopped dropping off on the back end of a trim cycle.

william_henderson29d ago

You been using short nails on a trim cycle? That'll do it every time. Long toes need a longer nail to bite into the hoof wall properly. @the_karen is right about the 15 degree clinch angle too, it keeps the shoe locked in even when they're moving on soft ground. I had the same problem with draft crosses back in 2019, switched to a size 6 and never looked back. Also make sure you're hitting that nail head square, not leaning it forward or back. A bad angle will let the shoe shift no matter what size you use.