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?

3 comments

3 Comments

margaretshah11d 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.

betty_white3910d ago

That shallow angle trick works great, unless your aim is as bad as mine was back in '72.

tyler49211d 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.