Editor’s Note: The following is an insightful guide by Steve Bowers, originally published in the Draft Horse Journal (Winter 2003-2004) and widely referenced across the draft horse community and Rural Heritage. It serves as a masterclass in the safe and proper use of shoeing stocks for draft horses.
Normal Use Of Shoeing Stocks – Getting Ready
Start out before the horse enters the picture by making sure that the shoeing stock is sitting on solid, level ground. Some shoers like to tie their stocks to stationary objects or they tie to roof supports in the building where the stock is used. Shoeing stocks are generally designed to not need such tethering. If a horse moves the stock around and the stock is tethered, there’s a chance the tether could make the stock tip over. If the stock has been sitting outside, be sure it is still sound and tight, and that the floor is free of anything slippery.
Once the horse moves into the stock, the first thing you should hook up are the butt chains. There are two butt chains provided on most stocks so it is easy to alternately tighten the more slack chain until the horse is snugly but comfortably up against the chest bar in front. I do not allow too much space between the chest bar and the horse because looseness here allows a horse to really thrash around.
Horses that want to escape your shoeing stock at this point are very likely to try to jump out over the chest bar. Fasten the upper front chain right after the butt chains to prevent this. After the upper front chain, I like to fasten both lower chains to prevent the horse from laying down.
Preventing Injury
Immediately after the horse is fully secured, the next step is to put at least one cuff on a rear leg and tether it loosely to the rear so that the horse cannot get its back feet in front of its front feet. It’s best to stay on your feet, stay protected by staying to the side of the rear upright, and start by petting the horse’s leg to check out his mood. Once that is going well, introduce the cuff.
If a horse thinks he absolutely will not allow you to put a cuff on his rear leg, you can try a few different things. Sometimes all that is needed is to have a helper pass a lead rope around a front limb and begin to pull. If you can get a difficult horse thinking about picking up a front foot, their attention shifts, making it easy to get the cuffs on the rear.
Picking Up Feet
Many horses pick up their feet on cue when the cuff rope is lightly pulled. If I have a helper, I like to snap a lead rope into the ring on the cuff so that each person who is lifting has their own rope to pull. For horses that are intent on keeping the foot down on the deck, I instruct helpers to pull to the side, not up. It is easier to sweep a resisting horse’s foot to the side on the deck than it is to pick the foot straight up.
When you pull on the cuff rope and the horse responds by picking up his foot, it is not very nice to the horse if you try to roughly yank his foot over into position. Instead, I try to slow down and give the horse a release of pressure on the cuff as he picks his foot up.
Power Lifting
For horses that seem to be rooted to the deck, you can try the power rope technique. Get a ten-foot long smooth rope with a small loop tied into one end. Hang the little loop over an upper rope cleat near the hoof being picked up and pass the end of the rope through the ring on the cuff and up to your helper’s hands. Now when the shoer pulls on the leg, he or she will have twice their normal strength.
If the power rope technique is not enough to un-glue a hoof from the deck, I always have a cable come-a-long ready to use. Once the horse settles a little, you can cup the toe of the suspended hoof and gently ease the hoof over to where you want it.
Getting The Horse Out Of The Shoeing Stock
When it is time to take the horse out of the stock, be sure to take off any cuffs before undoing the upper and lower chains that hold him in. I always unwrap the cuff ropes out of the cleats before approaching the cuff with my hands. If a horse was allowed to come out of the stocks while a foot was still tied to the stocks, it would not be a happy ending.
The Need For Shoeing Stocks
It’s not a good thing, but the truth is that many draft horse breeders and trainers neglect to do the training necessary to make horses willingly cooperative about having their feet handled. Many horses are then sentenced to a lifetime of hoof neglect. If your shoer has access to a well-made, well-equipped shoeing stock, shoeing then becomes much safer and much more easily accomplished – for both humans and horses.