Looking back, Mike Chance believes he didn’t have the typical make-up to be a successful farrier. And maybe he wouldn’t have become a horseshoer had he acknowledged that.

“It never occurred to me that I couldn’t be successful in this trade,” he says. “Maybe I was lacking in some areas, but I was determined to be a farrier.”

The Crossroads, Texas, farrier sees horses the same way. Genetics and bloodlines are important factors, but what do those matter to the horse?

“Individual horses don’t know that they aren’t designed to do the job they are doing,” he says. “It is desire. It is what you find in the heart and the head.”

That spirit of determination continues both in how Chance approaches his work and the show horses he works with. On this “Shoeing For A Living” day, he demonstrates how successful shoeing — whether it is Western Pleasure or any other discipline — relies on balancing farrier principles with the horse’s individual needs for its specific job.

Keeping It Close To Home

As we drive to the only stop of the day, Chance recounts his path in horseshoeing. After living a mobile life in construction and the oil industry, Chance launched his farrier career in 1985, starting on the racetracks in the Southwest. After developing a good practice in Oklahoma that had him spending too much time behind the steering wheel, Chance wanted to stay closer to home.

“I wanted the flexibility of being able to have a life in the afternoon and not spend 20 hours a week driving in the truck,” he says.

Since moving to North Texas, he has kept his clients within a 25-mile radius, thanks to the large show horse population. Chance had to start fresh and build his client list from zero. It did provide the opportunity to substantially increase his rates. To successfully build a practice from scratch, he says to use the power of association and surround yourself with other farriers more successful than yourself. One farrier who was instrumental in helping him start over was Doyle Blagg, whom Chance helped 3 days a week for a year. In time, the overflow of clients in Blagg’s practice would migrate to Chance and build his practice.

Currently, he shoes three show barns for Western Pleasure and Western riding, as well as a mixed bag of retired horses, sport horses and trail riders. He did have more diversity with different disciplines, but has narrowed it down. Nonetheless, he suggests that farriers spread out their account type across different types of horses not only as a way of building a career, but also to position themselves as professional farriers.

“They are all horses,” he says. “I’ve never fallen into the trap that we shoe cutters or dressage horses differently. Yes, they wear different shoes and have different jobs, but you don’t trim and balance them differently. You have to understand the horse’s job and what the trainer is looking for so you can do a good job of shoeing a certain type of horse.”

Daniel Russo drills through the nail holes. Chance does this before nailing on shoes because it helps the pitch while driving nails.

Establish Expectations

We arrive at Manor Ranch, a large Quarter Horse operation in Aubrey, Texas. Today, Chance will work on the Western Pleasure horses for his clients Rusty and Katie Green. He shoes at the facility at least once a week.

Joining Chance today is Daniel Russo, who recently relocated to Texas after living in Oklahoma. He’s been working with Chance for a few weeks and also shoes for his own clients.

Like Chance, Russo is an American Farrier’s Association Certified Journey­man Farrier. When discussing Russo and others who have worked with him, Chance deliberately uses the word “associate,” avoiding titles like “helper” because of the perception that some clients might assign to the other farrier because of the label.

Chance has trained and worked with many farriers through the years. For him, to have a good working team, the mentor needs to make clear what the expectations are to ensure standards are met.

“There can be differences of opinion and associates can have their own style if it produces the same results, but if there are reasons how you like to have a shoe pulled off or a foot prepped that produces an effect you want for later in the process, require that it is done that way. For instance, I like to cut clinches instead of rasping them. Do it on the peg or under the horse, but I want clinches cut.”

Client expectations also have to be managed. Chance explains that these types of clients make their living taking horses to shows. How the horses perform is their livelihood. Similarly, how well these horses look and perform is a direct reflection of the farrier’s work.

Chance says realize you can’t please everyone all of the time. Some clients hold on to unattainable expectations.

“Failure is not an option for them,” he says. “It is unrealistic that you will please everyone. You will be gaining clients and losing clients — be prepared that your business is changing. Be in charge of your business — don’t let it run you.”

Chance’s Bay Horse trailer is already parked in the intersection of barn aisles where he typically sets up. He leaves it when working here consecutive days.

Russo will tape the area after Chance applies Adhere for a cosmetic repair. Chance says that a lead farrier must clearly instruct the associate on how the preferential aspects of the job should be done to avoid conflict.

Client Compliance

Chance keeps these horses on a 5- to 6-week schedule. Before Russo pulls the shoes and cleans the feet on the first horse, Chance notes how he wants to evaluate the horse, making sure to look at the limbs from behind.

Chance then trims the feet while Russo fetches a second horse. As he moves over the left forefoot, trainer Shannon Curl, also the daughter of Hall Of Fame Florida farrier Tom Curl, comes over to see how the gelding is coming back from a thrush problem on the left fore and hind foot. Some slight separation and cracks still remain in the heel bulbs on the front, but Chance is happy with the progress.

“We’re on the right track,” he says. “We have to be active in treating thrush because it can cause severe lameness. Doing a good job of grooming the frog is part of my job, as is letting the client know we have an issue that they need to be responsible for and taking their part in.

For mild thrush treatment or prevention, Chance likes to use Thrush Buster and a hoof pick. When things become more severe with the sensitive structure, he warns caustic agents should be avoided as they could prevent the growth of live tissue for protection. In these circumstances, Chance uses Go-Dry, a mastitis product developed first for dairy cattle use.

Chance works with knowledgeable horse people here, and doesn’t have problems with them ignoring the aftercare of their horses. That’s a luxury many farriers don’t have. For those clients, he says the best option is being direct about the consequences if they fail to follow through.

“Customer compliance with the farrier or veterinarian’s plan for aftercare is something we don’t have any control over — they do it or don’t. However, I make them understand the consequences and the importance of care. If we don’t stay on top of the problem, it is going to affect the training schedule — that’s the easiest way to get them to understand the importance of treating thrush. If I don’t see evidence that the client is doing their part, then I tell the client that they are wasting their money and my time. They have to want it as much as you do.”

A bicycle lamp mounted on your shoeing box is a quick and easy way to add light when you are under the horse.

Watching How They Move

Russo has pulled the shoes on the mare. While he goes back to the gelding to finish the feet, Chance gets called to the arena to look at another horse under saddle. The trainer reports they seem to have an issue, but can’t pinpoint it.

Chance watches the horse move at a jog. He sees the left front foot’s flight makes it bang against the right fetlock. To verify what he sees, Chance uses his smartphone to record the horse coming at him. He routinely does this with his horses to maintain a record. He plays the video in slow motion to analyze the movement and cadence.

“His left knee is rotated out, which means he isn’t going to hit the ground flat and have that arch in his flight,” he says. “That is the type of horse they consistently breed. This type of horse tends to lope a little prettier and have the outside lead leg movement, but there are conformational complications that come with it.”

The client would like the horse shod, but Chance wants to check first to see where it is on the cycle. Chance heads to the trailer to make a note on the horse. He writes down everything he did and when he did it. In 5 to 6 weeks, he’ll revisit what he needs to do in relation to show schedules. He uses a color code for the horses that are due that week vs. those that are 5 weeks out. He will use this to alert clients ahead of time when he’ll be out. Because of how he classifies horses, he has another category of those that aren’t a high priority and can be done at 8 weeks or when he can get to them.

For his show clients, Chance shares a thorough list of where their horses are at, so anytime they can update the schedule based on when a horse is headed to a show.

“That way I can work with the client to avoid issues like if I shoe them now, they will be due before they come back from the show,” he says. “Work together to make a map to avoid these conflicts.”

Chance attaches each leather pad and shoe together with an all-purpose rubber cement. He finds it helps block dirt from getting under the pad.

Sharing Tips

While Chance is under the mare rasping the right forefoot, Russo uses a cordless DeWalt drill and runs a 1/8-inch bit through the nail holes. Chance credits the late Hall of Fame farrier Red Renchin for this quick tip.

“Even with new shoes, we do this,” he says. “I find this gives us a better pitch and makes it easier to nail them on. Before I use a new bit, I’ll take the corners off of it.”

Mentioning this tip reminds Chance of the value of continuing education.

You’ll go to clinics and you’ll pick up that one tip that makes taking the time and going worth it,” he adds

Chance typically uses Kerckhaert Aluminum Century Support shoes and Victory Elite for Western Performance forefeet. On the hinds, he prefers steel because the aluminum can be too sticky in the dirt.

As he shapes the left fore shoe, Chance says he is going to fit the foot with a leather pad. He’ll fit the shoe slightly bigger to accommodate the pad so everything is a continuation.

Chance has a couple of variations on how he uses leather pads. First, he notes how most farriers prefer to use the natural side of the pad facing the foot. Years ago, he was watching Oklahoma farrier Terry Stever flip the pad so the tanned side face the foot. Chance asked him why.

“Terry found that with the tan side toward the foot, there is more toughness and rigidity to the pad to the part that takes the most abuse next to the foot,” he says. “Doing this, the pads don’t seem to wear out as quickly.”

Before he cuts the pad, he explains that he picked up another pad tip years ago when he shod at racetracks. Chance brushes on an all-purpose rubber cement around the perimeter of the shoe and pad surfaces that face each other. He’ll place them together as the cement becomes a bit more tacky than at application. He still uses copper rivets to secure the package at the heels.

“Someone asked me why I took this extra effort to glue every pad,” he says. “I find that after a leather pad gets wet, it gets pushed out to the sides. This allows dirt and debris to get underneath between the pad and shoe. But by bonding the pad and shoe, my pad looks as good 6 weeks later as it did the day I nailed it on. Plus, I don’t get the debris under it.”

Although Chance typically won’t get a reset with the leather pad, he finds that there is less corrosion on the foot side of the shoe. He also uses it with plastic pads, and finds that careful removal of these pads may result in another reset of the whole package.

“It is more work when I need to replace the shoe, but saves me the time down the road,” he says.

As he takes a wire brush to the clean foot before packing it, Chance notes that he prefers using Sole Pack under pads because he finds that it helps keep the foot healthy.

Reading Shoewear

Russo finishes the feet and returns the horse to her stall. He already has a gelding in the other crossties and has pulled its shoes. As he trims the feet, Chance stops to take a cut piece of tape measure to the hoof. He says this is a guideline to see where he is at.

“I’ll check the toe length before I trim, so I might recognize that a horse carries more foot or never grows much foot on the right front, but does so on the left front. If I don’t measure, I really don’t know where I’m at. I use it like how others might use a T-square or a hoof gauge.”

Chance adds that conformation and genetics dictate so much about the horse, so he says farriers have to look at each leg and each foot needs to be addressed as individually as the conformation. So using those checks like his tape measure is critical.

Chance shapes the left fore shoe and then comes back to the foot to measure fit with a wedge pad. He says by experimenting, they have found the horse has improved movement by using wedge pads. Trainer and rider input is crucial to see how effective your changes are. They will notice detail, like more knee action than they want or that the foot is sticking just a little too long. If a trainer wants to try an idea like a wedge that you think won’t help the horse, do your best to dissuade them. However, if the trainer insists, Chance says to make them aware of the potential unintended consequences.

Chance finds that reading shoe wear is important for helping the horse. He shows how the shoe was worn from the lateral quarter to toe. So when he adjusts the new shoe for the foot, he studies that wear to put the same modification in with his grinder (Figure 1).

“This is what the horse is going to do because of how he is made, so instead of nailing on a shoe with the resistance there, I’m going to make it easier on the horse for who he is. I want to get out of the horse’s way. My feeling with breakover is that you can retard or enhance it. With the Pleasure horse, you are trying to take the animation away so that you have as flat of a knee as possible. You don’t want to get in the horse’s way. Do whatever you can to make the job on their foot and limb easier. This horse needs progressive veterinary maintenance on schedule, as do many performance horses — that’s part of how we work together as a team to help it. But the horse doesn’t know he has a unique conformation and is a top performer.”

Compensating For Injury

While Russo pulls shoes and preps a mare, the team ask Chance to look at a horse. They longed the gelding early this morning. He was fine after the exercise, but when they put it under saddle, he was dead lame. The front left knee appears a bit swollen and is hot to touch.

Before he take the testers to the foot, Chance says gathering information like this is only possible by keeping the line of communication open with the client.

“You want them to trust you so that they share information about the horse with you so that you’re helpful and increase your value to them,” he says.

Attitude is important for Chance. He says to attract and retain clients, you need to be someone who people like to be around and a team player. Over the past 10 years, he’s stressed keeping the client relationships professional — cordial, but not too friendly.

“Earlier in my career, I developed friendships with people,” he recalls. “But then you may fire them or they fire you, or you make a business decision in a relationship that doesn’t include your friend. It creates a problem. It can really bruise your ego if you get fired by someone you are close to.”

The testers don’t elicit a pain response, but Chance notes that the horse stands fine, but has a pain response when moving. The horse will stay out of work and over the next day or 2 until the vet comes to diagnose the problem. He looks over the balance to rule out the foot as the cause. He does notice an injury on the back of the left limb that is suspicious. Chance says he often sees many chronic front leg injuries are caused by a primary issue in the diagonal hind. He says that horses are good at compensating.

“For example, the right hind isn’t driving like it should, so the left front ends up pulling and doing the job it isn’t supposed to. Then the front left ends up developing a nagging lameness that is easy to spot. So the focus goes on that, but never addresses the primary issue that the right hind isn’t driving like it is supposed to. The front end should bear weight with the body passing over it and the hinds should drive. Sometimes you will see a horse’s head going up and down because it is pulling with the front end because the hinds are too sore to drive.”

When evaluating his horses, Chance will often use his phone to record video so he can have a reference and be able to analyze slow-motion replay.

Eye On The Details

The final horse of the day is the first horse he observed in the arena earlier. The gelding isn’t due this week, but Chance will switch to Century Supports and only shoe the fronts.

As he shapes the front left shoe, Chance says he will fit the medial side snug and leave more support on the outside. To get the width, he rolled the lateral quarter to widen it to nail in the same place, and then ground off the excess. The other forefoot has the same characteristics, so he’ll perform the same modification.

He notices on the left front that he will need to use some Vettec Adhere for minor cosmetics, which is important for a show. For a more structural repair, he’ll use a different adhesive for a glue-on application.

To prepare the shod foot for the cosmetic repair, Russo brushes away any debris and then cleans the surface area with alcohol. He then uses a heat gun to evaporate all of the surface moisture. Chance will apply the Adhere to the hoof to patch the wall damage. Russo covers the area with black duct tape, which he smooths to level the surface. Later, the groom will remove the tape.

Before Russo puts the horse back into the stall, Chance will have him walk the horse toward and away from him to record its movement.

Chance and Russo worked on five horses today. Some days it could be more, but Chance doesn’t base his financial success on the number that he handles, which was a hard-earned lesson early on for him. He didn’t charge enough, so he had to do a high number of horses to make enough money.

Today, he wants to be efficient under a horse, but says that he needs to budget enough time for the horse and client. Chance won’t hesitate to get out from under the horse to further evaluate it or give it time to adjust. For example, with hairline balance, if he notes significant jamming at the lateral toe on the left forefoot, he may take a nip and then go to the other forefoot and let the horse stand on the left and let it settle.

“As I do the back feet, I may come back and take a little more,” he says. “Then the foot may be convex again when I come back. I am able to accomplish more in an hour and half of shoeing by doing it that way than never letting the foot relax. Feet are dynamic and my shoeing style is to accommodate that.”

That concern for the small stuff is part of the overall picture for Chance.

“Good horseshoeing is doing a solid job with the basics, but paying extra attention to the details.”

May/June 2018 Issue Contents