Finally gave in and tried a hand-forged shoe after years of saying it didnt matter

I spent 10 years swearing factory shoes were just as good until I had a client with a nasty quarter crack on a horse that kept barreling through every keg shoe I put on. The old farrier down the road let me watch him forge one and I could see the steel flowing different, filling the clip slots way cleaner than any pre-made. Has anyone else noticed a real difference in how a hand-forged shoe holds up on problem feet?

2 comments

2 Comments

adamgreen19d ago

That bit about "steel flowing different" is spot on. I've seen hand-forged clips grip the wall so tight they don't budge, something prefab shoes never seem to do on thin soles.

the_patricia19d ago

Read somewhere that old-school farriers say hand-forged steel has a tighter grain structure, which makes sense for that grip Adam mentions. @adamgreen, you ever try a set from that guy down in Arkansas? Heard he does them right.