Bluegrass horseshoeing school

04/17/2026

This rad was sent to us today asking what we think. What do you see? Horse goes lame 15 minutes into riding? Horse was shod 2.5 weeks ago.

04/16/2026

This is one of three ways we teach our students to make a square toe. This is a good exercise in forging and forge welding. They learn 3 different ways to make square toes here.

04/16/2026

If youre the smartest person in the room, youre in the wrong room!

These two men on either side of Dan have forgotten more about horseshoeing and blacksmithing, than most people will ever know. The only way we can ever repay these mentors, is by passing on what theyve shared with us.

04/14/2026

When a veterinarian draws a shoe on a napkin when youre at lunch with her, you better know how to make and apply it. This is where all those years experience really counts. Our students are put into secenarios like this at school. Theye given real life scenarios that a 35 year farrier has experienced in his career.
Having a good vet/farrier team is crucial to the horse getting the best care possible.

Shod by Dan Helton, CJF

04/13/2026

All the letters in the world dont equate to experience. Farriers whove been shoeing 30 years or more, have forgotten more about horsehsoeing, than farriers with only 10-15 years experience. Letters and 35 years experience, thats unquestionable knowledge. When choosing a school, ask if the head instructor has shod horses for the public for at least 25 years.

Rocker bar shoe made and applied by Dan Helton,CJF

04/12/2026

What is your preferred method for drawing clips?

Masselote clip courtesy of Dan Helton, CJF

04/08/2026

04/05/2026

This is a saddlebred that Dan is double nailing. The horse came in with a pulled shoe, and since saddlbreds like length, they doible nailed him to get closer to matching the opposite fore foot. Dan and two other farriers shod over a 100 horses at this show.

04/04/2026

Since everyone is focusing on the heels, is this easier for you to answer the question? This is simply a post of which method preseves the capsule best? This is a dead horse. We arent concerned with purchase, with job, how and where hes ridden. She used hind feet because thats all she had available. So, ignore which end of the horse this was atrached to. Please just answer which fit preserves the capsule the best.

04/04/2026

He is Risin!

Pic courtesy of Pancho Willoughby. Handmade egg and cross.

04/04/2026

This is a hind cadaver foot shod with three different ways to back the toe up. We have one that is shod with a rocker toe, one with it set back and foot hanging over the shoe, and one with the toe completely dubbed back to the shoe. We have to the best of our ability tried to draw a line to make it easier. Obviously, this is a rudimentary test, and the line is not exact and a little different on all three pictures. Which one preserves the capsule the best? Is there negative effect in the front half of the foot when its not supported? Does it overload the back half? This is a little experiment that Amanda Marohl and i have been talking about.

Out of these 3 ways to reduce "breakover", which one do you prefer? Why?

Toe length is 3 1/4".

Give us your thoughts.

This post is about which method preseves the hopf capsule the best.

Thank you Amanda Marohl for this fun little experiment!

04/04/2026

You ever rode a cutting horse?