Hammering Out Carpal Tunnel Concerns

After developing carpal tunnel problems 9 years ago and waking up almost nightly at 4 a.m. in severe pain, Lee DeLisle started using curved handles on his driving and turning hammers. “The different action alone from these hammer handles is enough reason to use one,” says the Greenville, N.Y., shoer. “I find these curved handles require much less effort, improve your leverage tremendously and your last hammer hits are almost effortless.

“By using techniques such as letting the hammer do the work, doing more hot shoeing to cut down on the amount of needed hammer work and standing in a better position at the anvil, my carpal tunnel symptom shave gone away.” (See page 13 to learn how an ergonomics expertsizes up the critical concerns that you face daily in your shoeing work that may both surprise and shock you.)

How And Where You Buy Shoeing Supplies

In an American Farriers Journal survey at last January’s Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium, 59 percent of shoers purchase supplies through one local supply business. Another 29 percent buy locally, but from more than one supply shop. Some 21 percent buy directly from manufacturers when possible while 18 percent search for better deals using sources such as catalogs and Web sites. Another 9 percent sometimes join other farriers to buy shoeing supplies.

Every Foot Is A “Show” Foot

While some farriers say that they only concentrate on backyard horses and don’t do show horses, others shoers say that’s the wrong…