Shoutout to the old timer at the Kentucky Horse Park who showed me my clinch was wrong

I was shoeing a big draft horse there last fall, and this retired farrier named Hank watched me for a minute. He said, 'Son, you're driving that nail like you're mad at it.' I realized I was clinching too high on the hoof wall, leaving a weak hold. He showed me how to set the clinch lower and roll it over properly. Anyone else have a simple tip that fixed a bad habit you didn't even know you had?

2 comments

2 Comments

angela_dixon12d ago

Oh man, that clinch height thing is so easy to get wrong. I saw a guy at a county fair who was doing the same thing, and his clinches were just popping right out on a restless horse. It's one of those things you don't notice until someone points it out. Getting that nail set lower and rolling it over smooth makes all the difference for a solid, safe hold. Those old timers have seen every mistake in the book.

price.jake12d agoProlific Poster

Wait, the clinches were popping out on a restless horse? That's wild, @angela_dixon. Honestly sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.