Myron McLane sometimes begins a clinic by reminding his audience that he is not just an instructor or clinician — he’s a horseshoer.

“I work every day just like you guys,” says the International Horseshoeing Hall Of Fame member from Somerset, Mass. “I shoe horses every day.”

McLane — sponsored by Mustad Hoofcare Center — traveled with his wife, Pat, to Wagon Mound Ranch Supply in Solano, N.M., for the supplier’s annual clinic, where he shared his thoughts with an avid group of listeners.

Time Tested Methods

McLane says his shoeing techniques — learned from others as well as developed on his own — are time-tested. They have worked consistently for him for years, and he hopes that other farriers will have the same success with them that he has had.

McLane strongly advises that horseshoers learn the anatomy of the leg and hoof, no matter what their particular business requires of them.

“Without knowing anatomy, you can’t work on horses,” he says. “Even on an ordinary, sound trail horse, if you don’t know the anatomy, you can’t work on the foot. There’s no way you can do a proper job.”

Most horseshoers think of frog support when they think of McLane, an association that he is proud of. “Frog support is what I’m all about when it comes to lameness. I think that heart bars, next to regular horseshoes, are the most important shoes,” says McLane.

He explains that frog support may be used for any lameness, not only…