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Finally figured out why my quarter clips kept failing on a big draft horse
I was working on a Percheron in Lancaster last month and noticed the shoe kept shifting after a week, even with a good fit. The old farrier who owns the shop saw me and said, 'You're driving that nail too steep, it's not grabbing the wall.' What's your go-to angle for a solid clip on a heavy horse?
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margaretshah5mo ago
Oh man, that old timer was spot on. On a big horse with that much wall, I go almost flat, like maybe 10 degrees off parallel to the ground. You want that nail to run in the white line, not dive into the sole. A shallow angle gives it way more to bite into when that weight comes down. It feels wrong until you see how it holds.
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betty_white395mo ago
That shallow angle trick works great, unless your aim is as bad as mine was back in '72.
6
tyler4925mo ago
Gotta disagree with that old school method honestly. Seen too many shoes get loose when you go that flat, especially on hard ground. I aim closer to 30 degrees so the nail has a solid path through the wall without risking a blowout. That shallow angle can make the nail bend instead of bite once the horse really leans into it.
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