Shoeing

DAPNET Forums Archive › Forums › Draft Animal Power › Oxen › Shoeing

Viewing 8 posts - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)
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  • August 27, 2009 at 4:28 pm #40814
    mstacy
    Participant

    I’d like to shoe my steers late this fall. Does anyone have any suggestion on how to aquire the skill? Is it something that a persistent and determined individual can teach themselves? Or do you really need a mentor?

    -Matt

    August 27, 2009 at 5:29 pm #53932
    Tim Harrigan
    Participant

    I don’t shoe mine but I have watched carefully a few times when someone good at it was doing it. I could probably do it OK if I had to, but I would be slow and would prefer to do it under the guidance of someone more skilled. I would need a good set of stocks for restraint. They need to hold still and you will not be quick until you gain some experience. Why do you need to shoe them?

    August 28, 2009 at 1:53 pm #53929
    mstacy
    Participant

    Tim,

    I’m just looking for a little extra traction on packed snow / ice this winter. I use my little guys to skid firewood, haul manure on a sled and stuff like that. We experimented with plowing the driveway too. I want to rig up a better plow this year.

    -Matt

    August 28, 2009 at 1:59 pm #53926
    bivol
    Participant

    hi!

    i’d warmly recommend a shoeing stock. it’s the best way for learning to shoe.
    first, research hoof anatomy; you need to to get the mental picture of hooves inside and out.
    once you have the necessary equipment, get some cattle joints from a butcher and shoe them. you can then saw them in half to see where the nails went.
    this is what was written in oxen; a teamster’s guide.

    also,
    if you shoe your oxen by throwing them to the ground, you should deprive them of food so their bellies are empty while you’re shoeing them. you’d also need a few people familiar with cattle.
    oxen have thinner hoof walls than horses, so thinner nails are needed.

    August 28, 2009 at 7:51 pm #53930
    CharlyBonifaz
    Member

    oxen have thinner hoof walls than horses, so thinner nails are needed.

    also leaves you with less room for error
    at the same time their hoofhorn is a lot harder/resistant than horses’, so regular hoofnails won’t do the trick: they will bend/curl
    we used a dremel to put the holes were we wanted them……
    elke

    August 28, 2009 at 10:41 pm #53927
    bivol
    Participant

    @CharlyBonifaz 10889 wrote:

    also leaves you with less room for error
    we used a dremel to put the holes were we wanted them……
    elke

    did you pre-drill the holes for nails, or use screws instead of nails?:confused:
    maybe the nails should be made of steel…. does anyone know how to make shoeing nails?

    August 29, 2009 at 7:10 am #53931
    CharlyBonifaz
    Member

    did you pre-drill the holes for nails, or use screws instead of nails?

    sorry, for not clarifying: 🙁
    pre-drill the holes! don’t screw!

    August 29, 2009 at 10:12 am #53928
    bivol
    Participant

    OK, thanks!

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