Jump to content
I Forge Iron

Sick of Horseshoes! & RR Spikes!


Recommended Posts

She is part of a new fad of "barefoot" trimmers.


But she's wearing running shoes!!! :P

Randy-

A few weeks ago I was given a couple of stacks of pony shoes, which I have made into hearts, (of course!) and strung with ribbon, and guess what, they sell like hotcakes!!! Anyway, last Saturday at the street market where I sell my work, a couple of young trendy ladies walked past and one said to the other, "Oh, look how adorable, a horse shoe heart" to which the other replied "Ewwwww, it's hideous" and I had to laugh and thought of you!!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Woody Thank you for posting
“The Demonstration
By Richard Hanson © 2003”

That should be a mandatory read for all blacksmiths prior to giving their first demonstration.
If they are prepared, then they would not have to come home and watch a week’s worth of Dr. Phil to regain their sanity.
Over and over again I have listened to most of the standard ego building statements made mostly by men in front of wives and their kids.

But; I heard a new one to me last month when I was just standing by my exhibition of blacksmithing tools for a towns welcome center, when a very large and aggressive “phantom of a used to be blacksmith” blurted out very loud; “you can’t tell me that these are antique tools, I used to use them”
I said very politely (honest I did), “I do not believe any one mentioned anything about antique tools; these are just the tools I use.” And that is all I said.
Of course he had to continue to vent more about his greatness until he ran out of hot air. It is hard to argue with someone who will not participate.

With tongue in cheek, I say the following;
I find it interesting that people would become so aggressive and want to create a fuss about some simple tools that were just sitting there becoming antiques! :)

Tools have a brain, only if those using them shares there’s with them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Colleen, congrats on making some sales and money. Shoes are easily recognizable and most non smithing people do like them, some just because it reminds them of the past. Too bad that's all they know about smiths. It's funny, if you make a grand forged sculpture or gate or dragon or whatever, if they see a horseshoe they will gravitate to that as they "know" it. And then they show their kids and the circle never ends. Then we're always known as just a shoer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Isn't it all about "conventional wisdom?" We're not going to educate the public overnight, if ever.

I was told the following story. Bruce Lepage was demonstrating spiral welding a gun barrel at the ABANA Cederburg, WI meeting, 1982?? Anyway, a lady visitor poked her head in the shop door and loudly said to her son, "Oh, just another horseshoe!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

thanks sam oddly enough i just got back from moving some pre steaks to a new field myself
i wont say these were fun to do but i wanted to put some work into drawing out stock so this seemed like a good way to go about doing it

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Colleen, congrats on making some sales and money. Shoes are easily recognizable and most non smithing people do like them, some just because it reminds them of the past. Too bad that's all they know about smiths. It's funny, if you make a grand forged sculpture or gate or dragon or whatever, if they see a horseshoe they will gravitate to that as they "know" it. And then they show their kids and the circle never ends. Then we're always known as just a shoer.
when People ask me about horseshoes I act as if I don't know what they are talking about. After a few seconds of mock confusion I say oh you mean a farrier. I say no I am a blacksmith I forge metal, farriers shoe horses.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How about:
"Oh, you need horseshoes? Riding size or draft? Plain creased or plain stamped? What kind of heels, turned, wedged, or laybacks? Toe weights? Side weights? Square toes? Heels extended or trailered? Aluminum plain or aluminum race plates? A steel swaged training plate? A therapeutic bar shoe? Swaged harness track shoe? A dropped crease, cross-firing, harness track shoe? Rolled toe? Rocker toe? Clips on the shoes?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am proud to be a Journyman Union Boilermaker."Whats a Boilermaker?" You ask?.. my answer.. It's a drink.. or ..It's a football team in Indiana! In the real world we took over were the old school Blacksmith left off. As my union states International Brotherhood of Boilermakers-Iron Ship builders-Blacksmiths-Forgers&Helpers.I would be proud to say im a Blacksmith.A Blacksmith is beholding to No one! All other craft are Beholding to a BLACKSMITH! My brother the Farrier incuded..LOL When you see THOR or A Dwarf does horse shoe'r come to mind?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Has any one been paying attention to any of the new medevil movies lately?The Blacksmith is allways the Hero (Orlando Bloom).pirates of the carribean also Kingdom of Heaven.Just to name a few .If hores shoes and RR spikes Get people to take notice Great.Then tell them about what hero's Blacksmiths are to you..They are some of my Hero's.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The stupid arrogance involving "I'm a blacksmith,not a farrier" is rapidly disappearing. The NWBA even hosted a horseshoe making contest at the Timberline Lodge Five States Conference. Sorry- I somehow can't feel "inferior" about having crawled under about twenty thousand head of horses in my career. Good honest skilled trades,no matter what kind,are not to be looked down upon. You guys respect Frank Turley and Brian Brazeal?? Ask them if they are "ashamed" of their horseshoeing years..Maybe glad to not be bending over as much these days but NOT ashamed. In the little towns where I grew up men in blacksmith shops did both. As a little kid I guess I didn't know to ask them which part of their job they were ashamed of. Okay-I'll climb off,but I'd REALLY like this silly attitude disappear...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've read some stuff on horseshoeing, and not only do you have to be pretty good with a hammer, you have to be able to deal with horses, and drive nails into their feet without laming the poor things. The little I know about it warrants some respect, and anyone that can feed their families with their head and their hands shouldn't be looked down upon, in my book.

The whole public confusion thing betwixt farriers and blacksmiths is part of the deal if you're going to do demos, etc. Something similar-ish used to happen to me at the ski area I worked at - I'd get asked at least 10 times where the bathroom is. Not in and of itself a problem, except for the fact that I was standing under a sign that said 'Bathroom - that way' in 12" letters. You can get pissed about it, or you can do a good turn and help sort someone out. Which is more likely to get you a sale, or get the next guy a sale when that person you dealt with runs into a smith again?

Link to comment
Share on other sites


The stupid arrogance involving "I'm a blacksmith,not a farrier" is rapidly disappearing. The NWBA even hosted a horseshoe making contest at the Timberline Lodge Five States Conference. Sorry- I somehow can't feel "inferior" about having crawled under about twenty thousand head of horses in my career. Good honest skilled trades,no matter what kind,are not to be looked down upon. You guys respect Frank Turley and Brian Brazeal?? Ask them if they are "ashamed" of their horseshoeing years..Maybe glad to not be bending over as much these days but NOT ashamed. In the little towns where I grew up men in blacksmith shops did both. As a little kid I guess I didn't know to ask them which part of their job they were ashamed of. Okay-I'll climb off,but I'd REALLY like this silly attitude disappear...
What is arrogant about wanting to set your self apart from something that has nothing to do with what you actually do. There is a word farrier and a word blacksmith they have a specific meaning some people are both. I have forged thousands of nails scrolls and pointed pickets. I'm a good blacksmith but if people only thought I shod horses how would I eat. I can forge just about anything I am asked to do but if you asked me to shoe a horse I would be afraid to do it. Also blacksmiths around me were just as known for making clam rakes as horse shoes and yes I do get asked to fix them still. The days of the general village smith who did it all are long gone.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here in the UK there are Farriers and Blacksmiths (and apparently some known as Artist Blacksmiths but thats a seperate argument on its own.)

IMHO The farriers are more of a practicing/consultant vetrinarian specialising in looking after horses lower legs and feet and using some blacksmithing techniques in enabling them to carry out their function, to do it correctly requires a great deal of training and understanding of the horses anatomy and how their feet affect their performance as a working animal. That is why they are one of the few trades in the UK that still require a long apprenticeship under a Master training farrier.

From my experience, farriers have the knowledge of the blacksmiths skills and can adapt to general blacksmithing too.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of having a farrier of over twent years experience attending one of our three day introduction to blacksmithing courses.
At the time I was not aware of this, he had been off work for over six months recovering from knee and hip surgery and was looking to get back into working without the extra physical effort required for the equine work.

It was only after the course that he informed me of this (although it was obvious he had some good basic hammer control and skills) and commented on how surpised he was on how different it was and how much he had learnt, and about his need to build and encompass more of the blacksmithing skills, and how he now had a little more respect and understanding for "normal" blacksmithing.

So blacksmith or farrier, stand proud of what you do, and tolerate the ignorance of others whilst trying to educate them.

After all, do you really know the difference between the skills necessary to be absolutely proficient at either of these crafts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Perhaps John B should change professions and become a mediator! Good show.

In the U.K. there is The Worshipful Company of Farriers and also The Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths, both quite old guilds. Edward Martin, recently deceased, of Closeburn, Scotland, was an exceptional man who was both a skilled farrier, especially of Clydesdales, and also an ornamental iron smith. He would often come to the United States to demonstrate the forging of Clydesdale shoes for the membership of the American Farriers' Association. When I visited Scotland with two friends, we called Mr. Martin and asked whether we might visit. We had a grand tour with him where he drove us to see his ironwork in a couple of neighborhood churches. We also visited a castle ruins in a sheep pasture where we did not have to deal with hoards of tourists. We had a tour of Robert Burns home (hence the name Closeburn). In the evening, in his living room, he slipped into a back room and brought forth a gold medal, as I recall, it being about 3.5 inches in diameter. He said that in the year 2000, he was called to London by The Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths and was presented this medal. The inscription read, "Awarded to Edward Martin Supreme Master Blacksmith." He was told that it was the third such medal awarded in the last 100 years!

...thus proving that at least one person was a superb master in both fields of endeavor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

usually when i go to a rendezvous and a blacksmith lets me play with his toys, i get either snide remarks or people asking if i shoe horses. sometimes both. at which point i pick up small u shaped peices of metal and say nope i shoe flies! which is then followed by me telling an imaginary fly to "commere little buddy"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...