Hard to choose between hand forging and factory keg shoes for this one client

Had a client last month with a big warmblood that moves weird. I usually hand forge everything but the guy wanted St. Croix Eventers because his old farrier used them. I went with the factory keg shoes because the horse has a decent foot and the timeline was tight. Took me about 2 hours to fit them with some minor mods. Horse moved better than I expected honestly but I still feel like hand forged gives me more control on tricky gaits. Anyone else stuck between speed and custom fit when a client pushes for specific brands?

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2 Comments

skyler_mitchell5mo ago

Oh man that's a tough spot to be in. When they come in pushing a specific brand like that do you find yourself having to explain the difference between what they're asking for and what the horse actually needs? I mean with a big warmblood that moves weird I'm guessing you had to do some serious rocking and rolling on those St. Croixs to get the breakover right. Was it more of a lateral movement issue or was he dragging his toes something awful? Because I've had clients swear by a shoe that just doesn't match the way their horse lands and it's like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole no matter how much time you spend on the mods.

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adamellis5mo ago

Nah, I actually think the St. Croixs worked fine once I adjusted the breakover.

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