My first boss made every shoe by hand, now it's all pre-made. When do you still forge your own?

I worked for a farrier in the late 80s who only used hand-forged shoes. He had a coal forge in his shop and would shape each shoe on an anvil, which took hours but fit like a glove. Today, I rely on pre-made shoes for most clients because they save time and money. But when I deal with a horse with weird feet or a heavy draft, I remember how those custom shoes solved problems better. I have a small gas forge for these cases, but it's tough to fit into my schedule. How do other farriers decide when to forge versus use pre-mades? Are there tricks to keeping the old ways alive without falling behind on appointments?

2 comments

2 Comments

sanchez.simon3d ago

Still forge for weird feet? I do, it's worth it.

valw693d ago

Notice how we put up with generic, off the shelf stuff that never really fits right, from shoe inserts to those weird gaps in clothing. Forging your own path for a perfect fit, even for "weird" feet, feels like a small rebellion against a world built for average. It's choosing the slight hassle of a custom solution over the daily grind of something that almost works.