Switched from square nails to concave and my shoes hold way better now

I used to swear by standard square nails for everything. Been at this for about 12 years now and that was just what my mentor taught me. Then last spring I took a clinic up in Kentucky and the guy running it showed me how concave nails actually let the shoe seat deeper into the hoof wall. I tried it on a couple of horses that kept pulling shoes on muddy ground and it made a huge difference. The nails grip tighter and I don't have to use as many of them either. It took me a few tries to get the angle right but now I'm using concave on most of my heavy sport horses. Has anyone else made that switch and noticed a difference with certain hoof types?

2 comments

2 Comments

sean_walker4521d ago

Yeah concave nails are a game changer once you get the hang of them. @evab52 that slipping on wet grass thing is real, I saw the same with a couple of horses that were losing shoes in the pasture. The grip is way different because the nail head sits more flush with the shoe and hoof wall. You also get better clinch retention since the nail doesn't want to back out as easy. Square nails still have their place on certain thin hoof walls though, you just gotta know when to use each.

evab5221d ago

Heard "switched from square nails to concave" from a buddy who said his horse stopped slipping on wet grass completely.