How to a Use a Farrier Clincher

Horse shoes are U-shaped pieces of metal fixed to the horse's foot with nails. When a farrier shoes a horse, he will nail the shoe into position, then use the claw of a hammer to twist the sharp points of the nails a little way from the foot. The remaining stubs of nails are then bent over at an angle to hold the nails firmly in place. The tool used to do this is a farrier's clincher, also sometimes known as a clencher.

  1. Why Horses Are Shod

    • As horses are very heavy animals, their legs and feet are subjected to considerable strain. Some horses have weak feet, and if the additional weight of saddle and rider is added their feet start to crumble under the pressure. This is more pronounced in certain breeds of horses, or horses that have poorly shaped feet. Some horses also have sensitive feet, and develop bruised soles when the ground is hard or stony. Sometimes horses are also fitted with remedial horseshoes to correct a problem or injury.

    Why Horses Need Reshoeing

    • Horses normally need reshoeing every six to eight weeks. If the horse does a lot of work on a hard surface, the shoe is gradually worn away and develops a very slippery, smooth surface. Once a horse's shoes reach this stage, it can sometimes slip and fall. Horse's feet also grow at a rate of about half an inch every six weeks. This grow pushes the horse shoe nails out of position and loosens the shoe, which would eventually drop off. Once the shoe becomes loose, it must be removed and either refitted or replaced.

    How a Horse is Shod

    • To reshoe a horse, a farrier will first remove the old shoes by cutting the clinches with a cutter and hammer. He will then pull the shoe off with a pair of forceps, and trim the growth from the bare foot with a knife and rasp. The shoe is then shaped to fit by heating it in a forge and hammering it into shape. The farrier then hammers nails into the shoe to keep it in place.

    How to Use a Clincher

    • Once the nails are in position, the farrier will use the claw of a hammer to twist off the sharp points of the nails, leaving a stub of nail protruding a little from the hoof. He then brings the horse's leg forward and supports the foot on a metal tripod to keep it still while he works. The clincher has two arms, one straight and one curved. The straight arm is placed underneath the foot to give traction, while the curved one slides down against the nail end and bends it to hold the nail firmly in place. This process is called "clinching up." Once all the nails have been clinched, the farrier smooths the hoof around the nails with a rasp to ensure no sharp edges protrude.