How to Nail on Horseshoes

You may not lose any battles for want of a horseshoe like in the old rhyme "For Want of a Nail" warns, but proper hoof care is a crucial element of caring for your horse. Although most horse owners use a farrier to shoe their horses, there are circumstances, such as when a shoe falls off or the nails get bent, when the owner needs to remove or replace the shoe. On these occasions, owners need to know how to nail on a shoe for the good of the horse.

Things You'll Need

  • Nail pullers
  • Rasp
  • Horseshoe
  • Horseshoe nails
  • Hammer
  • Clincher
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut off or rasp off the clinches or connections on the sides (clinches are the folded-over ends of horseshoe nails on the outside of your horse's hooves).

    • 2

      Remove one nail at a time using the nail pullers. Look for the horse to react to any of the nails in order to identify which nail may have caused the problem.

    • 3

      Begin with the nail near the toe and place new nails in the old holes. Hammer them tightly into the groove, then bend the ends along the hoof.

    • 4

      Cut off the bent portion of the nail, clinch them with the clinchers, then file them down flush with the hoof wall.