|
|
|
 |
|
|
|||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
|
|
|||||||||||
Modifications for the Jumper Hind Shoe
By Dave Farley
When shoeing the hind of a Jumper a farrier should be seasoned. For this reason the top professional trainers seek out the most experienced farriers to shoe their horses. Many trainers feel that good farriers are like good horses. By the time both are any good they are both a little long in the tooth. If they are both a little long in the tooth they make less mistakes and make the job look effortless. When shoeing the Jumper the smallest mistake could be detrimental to the horse and rider. There are many factors to be considered before nailing on a set of shoes. Farriers should consider all the normal issues such as a proper trim, shoe size, nail size and nail placement when shoeing any and all horses. Jumpers require much more. With the Jumper there is little or no room for error. This horse has to be evaluated. A Jumper's conformation, combined with their movement, dictates the type, size, and placement of the shoe and the shoe modifications that will go on that particular horse. In this article we will concentrate on the hind end of the jumper. This shoe will be modified as if it were going on the hind of a horse with normal conformation and a normal gait.
 |
Left: Typical Jumper hind with studs. Right: Open Branch to modify heels. |
I start with a Kerckhaert SX-8 hind shoe with clips. The shape of this shoe saves valuable time, especially the toe area. I also no longer pull clips as the clips on the Kerckhaert shoes are very strong and well positioned. Because of the extreme torque and stress on the Jumper hind I always use clips.
That leaves me with only two modifications to forge on this shoe. The extended heels and the third calk hole. With a little practice you will be able to do both heels with the same heat. After heating the shoe I open the heels. I open the heels so that I can forge each heel without the hammer making contact with the other heel. Holding the shoe with the tongs placed in the toe area, I place about one inch of the heel on the edge of the anvil. I then strike down on the heel until I get the desired angle on the heel. Repeat this on the other branch. The extended heels allow the foot to clean easier and help stabilize the foot and limb. I often put some support on the outside branch with a small hammer modification.
| Left: About 1" over anvil to set angle. Right: Modify second heel. |
 |
After forging both heels I level the shoe. Using a Bloom steel handled center punch I mark the heel area where the calk holes will be placed. These holes should be placed in the center of the branch. This keeps the medial traction device from causing damage to the hoof wall and coronary on the opposite limb. Without a center punch mark it is hard to keep the drill bit exactly where you want the hole to be drilled. These holes need to be placed accurately. The hand held center punch takes a lot of abuse. I place it exactly where I want to mark it and hit it. Quickly get it off the heat. Leaving this or any punch sitting on a hot shoe too long will eventually soften the business end and you will have to do more maintenance to the end.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Clean up heels | Extended heels | Lateral heel extension | Center punch mark for stud holes |
At this point the shoe will still have some heat in it but I put the shoe back into the fire to heat the area for the third calk hole. Placement of this hole should be determined by the horse's conformation, stance at the jump, and type and depth of the footing. I think it is a mistake to place them all in the same spot on every horse. Position of the third calk hole is usually between the 1st and 2nd nail hole on the outside or lateral nail hole. This gives more traction as the hoof breaks over the toe approaching the jump. If the studs or calks are placed too far back on the shoe, the hoof will slip as the heel lifts and the toe starts to leave the surface of the footing. Studs placed forward of this position require extra effort at the point of break over. Adding extra effort and energy at the point of break over could cause injuries to the tendons and ligaments. Some trainers also require a fourth calk or stud hole on the medial side opposite the third calk or stud hole.
 |
Round Punch to make third stud hole. |
 |
Hole punched from foot surface. |
I start the third calk hole by using a wood handled stud punch. A few years ago I switched to handled tools. I did this for two reasons. A hand held tool required a glove to keep my hand from burning. A hand held tool made it difficult for me to see the end of the tool to get the accuracy I am looking for. The calks are often put in and taken out daily. For this reason the third calk hole needs to have material all around the hole so that the calk can be applied easily. Some will simply drill a hole through the crease and tap it. Grooms often find it difficult to get a calk start- ed in holes drilled through the crease and will leave this calk out, causing poor traction.
|
On this shoe I placed the calk hole between the 1st and 2nd nail hole on the outside branch. Taking a good yellow heat I start the hole from the hoof side and drive the tool until it meets resistance. This only takes a few hits. Do not continue to drive the tool after it meets resistance or it will mushroom. I remove the tool quickly and lay it aside to air cool. Never place this tool in water to cool. It would be impossible for me to count how many holes I have punched with this tool and I have never done any maintenance to it. I use it quickly and get it out of the hot shoe. If you like you can flip the shoe over and give it a little time to cool. Then simply place the tool on the mark left by the tool on the ground surface and drive it just enough to remove the slug. Some prefer to wait and drill it from the back after it has cooled and they are drilling the heel holes. For drilling I use a counter sink 5/16 bit. There are several on the market and usually the more expensive, the better the bit. Be careful not to countersink too much. About 1/16 of an inch is all that is needed. There are a couple of reasons to counter sink the holes. It keeps the threads in the holes from mushrooming in when the calks are removed. A countersunk hole also helps keep the calk locked in the shoe. Before tapping a shoe make sure that the shoe is securely fastened in a good vise. A sloppy vise that allows movement of the shoe could cause your tap to break off in the shoe. When this happens it causes an immediate negative reaction somewhere on your body. Usually your vocal cords, arms, hands or all the above. Tapping the holes in the shoe can be done several ways. Tapping guns are expensive and hard to find. A 1/2 inch, variable speed reversible drill is my choice. Or you can use a tapping tool that mounts in your hardy hole or in a vise. Whatever you choose be sure to use some type of tapping solution. You can usually find this solution at your farrier supply. I don't make the decisions as to what kind of calks or studs to use. I also don't supply them. I find it is much better for the trainer to make this decision and keep a supply of studs to suit their needs. As I mentioned in the beginning of the article, it is important to make sure that you have applied a good trim and balance to the foot. The modifications to the shoe are where you can help with traction, support, and other balance issues that can't be addressed by the trim. |
|
||||
home | feature story | tools & tips | business | calendar | locations | organizations | q & a | links | farrierproducts.com
 |
Information, Practical Ideas and Solutions for the Farrier Industry Copyright © 2008 Farrier Product Distribution |
