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That horse threw a shoe on a trail ride and I had to make do with what I had
Last Saturday I was out on a 6 mile trail ride near Mill Creek and a horse lost a shoe about 3 miles in. No spare shoes, no truck, just my apron and a few hand tools I keep in my saddle bag. I ended up using some duct tape and a piece of leather from a broken rein to rig a temporary boot that got us back. It held for about 2 hours but I bet most farriers have been in a similar spot. What's your go-to field fix when you're caught without the full setup?
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ericnguyen1mo ago
Ever tried the old shoe lace and electrical tape trick? I've done that one on a trail ride near Redmond when I was out of duct tape. The main thing is you gotta wrap it tight but not too tight or you'll cut off circulation to the hoof wall. I also carry a roll of vet wrap now after a similar situation left me walking a horse back barefoot for over a mile. That leather rein piece was smart thinking though, gives it some extra grip on loose rocks.
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the_olivia3d ago
Wait, isn't it funny how you think you're prepared for something until you're not? Like with the vet wrap, I swear I used to think I was fine with the old shoe lace trick but then one time my bootlace just snapped halfway through the wrap and I was standing there holding a wet noodle of a shoelace. So yeah, now I carry two different kinds of tape and a spare pair of laces just in case, it's like my own little emergency kit. I guess it's that thing where you never know what you're really going to need until you've already been caught without it.
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