notownkid

I've had back pain and problems since 5th grade, Army said I was good enough for them but over the years horses farming logging and stupidity added to the pain. Went to a bunch of Chiropractors over the years in a bunch of locations and some helped some didn't, One morning for no reason I couldn't get out of bed, my wife dragged me out and one leg wasn't working and we were 187 miles from home and Doc. A friend came over to help her get me loaded into the truck and hook up the trailer and gave me an oxycodone he had and it got me home, Next day Doc took on feel and said MRI and now, He called and made the appointment in an hr. 3 days later they were operating on a herniated disc that had hit the nerve to my left leg and Surgeon said I was lucky to have got in as I did and that was because the Chiropractor had insisted that they take me immediately. the Chiropractor told me later the difference between Chiropractors is knowing when to quit and send you along to some one else with better equipment like MRI. That was almost 7 yrs ago now and I've not needed a Chiropractor since the operation, mine moved south a few yrs ago.

Unfortunately my pictures, the ones not already lost are packaged for or already shipped to new farm and will be a while before they rise to the important thing to do today list. I think I have seen a picture of one .on IFI here in the not to distant past. envision rolling the heals into a hinge design for the pins, spread the shoe heal as needed.

most horse problems we dealt with over 40 yrs were Human connected. Same people who had domestic abuse problems did the same to their animals esp. horses and dogs. People read a book and were instant experts, knew more than anyone. Most didn't last long but left a trail of discarded horses in their wake many made dog food we saved a number of them. Always upset me and more than once took an abusive rider off a horse, once in a show ring after the announcer and judge had told him repeatedly to ease up on the horse. This morning while dumping out a bucket discovered an old straight bit wrapped in heavy leather, didn't know I had one will hang that in my shop. I have to stop and remember that in 1905 in my small town in Vermont population then about 2000 there were 1801 horses in town, think of the trades involved there.

Horse shoe usage is endless, me make coat hooks, bridle hooks, tack washing hooks, hoof picks, napkin holders, boot scrapers, hinges, wine bottle holders, we've made lamps made one as a door mats to get heavy dirt off boots before getting to the wiping mat. Have a farrier that drops off a 5 gal buckets once or twice a months, good things to give to people starting at forging, makes them think, they can forge them or weld them endless, Spikes same thing makes you think and endless possibilities just look at this sight fully 100s of examples of spikes and horse shoes, you need to read & research before asking for help. Right Frosty!

Every bit design had some reason behind it but they most generally were poor reasons or ideas. Many bit design have continues to this day the Snaffle being one that has been in favor for 100 yrs. easy on a horse's mouth IF THE RIDER HAS DECENT HANDS. Copper was suppose to add saliva in the horses mouth we were told. High ports, mid ports, low ports, no port, solid side, loose sides, curb chains, curb straps all had a following and uses and every horse owner/user was an expert (ask any farrier). Some of our Standardbred Race Horses had some terrible bits just to keep them under control. What ever works and is the easiest for the horse was and is best. We had a nice Quarter horse off a ranch in Texas that came to us as a problem always shaking his head up and down and would get real nasty at times. We watched the owner riding and he had a poor set of hands always on the mouth of the horse and had a high port bit in there. When the owner had left we changed the bit to a snaffle and shaking stopped but if you got on his mouth to stop or turn fast back it came. We left the snaffle in but added a Hackamore to the ensemble and kept the snaffle rein laying on his neck and worked with the hackamore. Worked great we told the owner to consider the snaffle as an emergency brake. 6 yrs. later I found the horse in another barn for sale and they said he would keep throwing his head and running away with the rider, we found they had gone to a high port bit again. I bought him for a killer price took him home and rode him for 6 months with no problem with the snaffle hackamore combo and gave him to a friends daughter just starting endurance trail riding and he served her well for a number of years. I once had a large selection of bits we had taken off horses over the years and replaced with something else but came up missing after a divorce, should have Photoed them but didn't!

Michael. if you put all that stuff on it you will need something more than a weed eater or chainsaw motor on this thing.

In our area Pulling Hames are cast Aluminum as they will stand the big loads they are pulling. 10,000 lbs or more Then there are assorted driving Hames some chrome and show hames on the big multi hitches with their French collars. The wooden hames were on the farm use in my early years but saw a number break under load and injure a horse or two so we switched to the aluminum when they came out. I used wooden hames on our pulling ponies as Aluminum weren't available in that size then. My last couple of harnesses in the barn were aluminum hamed but somebody helped themselves to them by cutting all the leather off with a knife, Ruined everything. Had my initials cut into them but I've never seen them in 20 yrs. The balls were for show and there were a few different designs of them. Everyone likes to dress up their drive, car or horse. Then some folks had Hame covers that wrapped over the hames and had holes for the tops or balls to show through. Original idea was to keep snow from getting in under the collar. They became popular on the better funded pulling teams with lots of brass on them. the wooden Hames Charles show are uncommon in New England but we have our own style harnesses as well as design of the neck yokes. I presume it has to do with all of our hills and going down them with a heavy load and the horses trying to hold it back. Our adjustments were usually increasing or decreasing the top hame strap to lift or drop the angle of pull. I have pictures of all this but they are stored in boxes somewhere in the middle of our move between farms and lord knows where at this point.

I'm not a farrier nor have I ever been one, I have tacked on a few shoes in emergencies like most horseman have. I have owned or handled about every type of horses in use in our area and every horse is different on shoe requirements. Our Standard Breed Pacer race horses wore a flat Alum shoe, Our trail horses had heels and pads with oakum and tar under the pads. Our draft horses we used in the woods we usually had replaceable cocks which we would pull them if they weren't to be used for a week or two to save our wooden stall floors, When we pulled the draft horses we usually had the cocks in as well. Pulling ponies had their own style as well, and the 3 day event horses and Dressage another. Some times our 3 day event horses had a change of shoes after dressage and before cross county jumping or stadium jumping on the same weekend if our farrier was available. I never owned or handled Flat Racers(bet on a lot of them) but know they have their own style and needs. Our Fine Driving horses we had we used a lot of rubber shoes as they were on pavement a lot. And we even had shoes on our Oxen when we worked them logging or maple sugaring. That is another whole story. Interested to learn more here. The old saying about if you want to make a million $ with horses you need to start with 5 million is soooooo true.

During WWII there was a system called "Lend Lease" where the US furnished to allied countries all sorts of equipment and they were suppose pay for them or return it when the war was over which never happened. I'm sure there is a bunch of blacksmiths on this sight that would be glad borrow this stuff and return it when you want it if you can find us.

All the pictured are very nice, well thought out I'm sure over a period of time.

What do you plan on doing for equip. Do want to be able to move them around the shop for space, most all of my stuff are on wheels, concrete is the way to go. A lot of original shops were on wood, not that much preferred today, crushed stone or hard packed gravel or something easier on you legs and back. I'm sure there are other surfaces in Az. I know nothing about. I've seen pictures of a shop in Mass that was concrete except where he did his farrier work and that was wooden blanks. I have concrete because of the tools and our ground freezes in the winter then when it thaws there can be a period of soft to damp ground plus it is easier to keep clean and not track stuff in the house. I've had shops of gravel, crushed stone, concrete and wood in the past. There should be a 100 other opinions coming soon.

That falls under the heading of " Talk is Cheap" Asking and receiving can be two separate things. Are their fools who might pay this most likely esp. now with all the New Interest in Knife making on the TV.

see if you can find a copy of Anvils In America, mine is packed for a move or see if NJanvilman shows up here.

Nice thing about pets of all sizes they are TRUE FRIENDS they LOVE YOU FOR YOU AND NOTHING FAKE ABOUT THEM. in 70 yrs I've lost many of these friends of all sizes Cats to Horses and have decided NO MORE. I've shed more tears for these friend than most humans. I got home at night and they all were glad to see me even the aloof cats who treat us Humans more as Staff than owners. This morning we had a large black bear banging on the picture window 3' from my chair where I was reading the paper now there is a "Pet" I can live without. This was CT & Not VT where we expect them.

Got Pictures? IFI works on or off pictures, you know the old Picture worth x words. Add your general location and see who might live the other end of town from you.

Thanks for this, I've sent it along to other interested people as well. I've repaired everything I can esp. if I can get parts or make a part work. Wanted to replace a motor on a very well know Vac. a few years ago and the dealer told me they weren't allowed to sell any parts as nobody was smart enough to fix. I went home and called the States Attorney and who I knew and he made a call and presto I became smart enough and they gave me the motor! It is still working today after 15 yrs. HF is great for no parts available which is unacceptable to me. I've got a 2 cyc. generator which the recoil cogs broke and "sorry no parts but we will sell you another one". $4 part to cause me to throw a generator away. Unfortunately my friend the SA has retired.

Our prayer are headed your way, I understand the issues, while never having suffered personally I was in emergency services for +30 yrs and dealt with all aspects of it, some quite unpleasant. Hang in there, and if you have a chance Drop Kick that son of hers into the middle of next week.

I would vote to Store, have done it myself, some now just coming home from storage after 20 yrs. Prices only go up and availability is going down. Will also throw some support behind Kozzy's idea of having every thing ready if something changes and a need to sell happens. Plus it will give a record incase something happens to it while in storage like growing feet. Happy trails to Rome and your studies.

We see them a lot in Vermont as well, rule #'s 1,2,3 DO NOT HIT WITH MOTOR VEHICLE THEY WIN EVERY TIME. Seen a couple in Connecticut as well.

This should be priority #1, We deal in Sparks and Sparks cause fires. So many fires are started by foolishness, (shop, home. work) not being aware of your surroundings. Be careful of doing woodworking and metal grinding in the same shop. As a firefighter I saw 2 fires start from this one from an angle grinder and one a stationary one blasting their sparks against a wooden wall and falling behind the bench into sawdust. a few hrs. later we were there in full force for a full blown fire and we saved nothing. My cutoff saw is on wheels and I roll it to the sliding doors and blast outside. If I've have to do some grinding inside I go back to the shop after a couple hrs. to check. The Old Ounce of Prevention story worth more than a lb. of cure.

Nope I try not to let small things upset me life is far tooo short TonyW. I usually try to put missspellings into corispondences so some folks will have someting to lookkkk fer..

You told me I wasn't playing by the rules and something about RPGing me. I've fired a RPG and prefer to be on the shooting side than the receiving end. Only comment today is in 1959 I believe, there was a movie "On the Beach" where everyone died from nuclear fall out. From 1st grade on my reports cards always said I didn't play well with others. Guess it is the play part I don't get. I've been watching from a distance. Enjoy.

At least when we get this at the anvil we can HIT it good and hard and not get locked up, Yet anyways. Learned a valuable lesson last week and it will go for Blacksmithing I would think as well as woodworking where this happened to me. I was making a small piece to cover up something and it had to be x long and both ends had to be angled, different degree of course. Had the angles right but 3 times they were 1/16" too short after three trips from the 2nd floor to the basement shop I discovered the 2 tape measures I was using were different. I usually have one up and another on the saws so I don't end up with none and after the 3 trips I decided to check against a machinist 6" and the first inch of one was 1/16"+ short to the other. The slide tab on the end was mounted wrong. Threw that one out, got for free from HF, and now carry one back and forth like I should have done. Should have checked sooner but my woodworking skills aren't all that good, other than making mistakes and kindling. Great at Kindling. I did notice recently I was promoted at this forum to an experienced curmudgeon, wow a yr. ago I couldn't spell it now I is one. I guess being a Grump isn't PC any longer.

Like most shows of products you may get sales a week. month or even a yr. later from people who saw something they liked, had to think about or didn't have the money to spend at that moment.(or spouse was or was not with them) I went through this for 30 yrs. seldom happy after a show but kept doing them to keep name and products out there in view.

this passed me on FB and I thought this would make a nice addition to this subject, would presume he got an early start in blacksmithing/farrier