Do Horses Need Shoes For Winter Time Logging??? // Watch an Amish Farrier at Work!

[@ekkosmith6077]

In my youth i worked for our milkman . He had 4 horses pulling carts. In winter during snowdays the local farrier came and put extended nails in the horseshoes, so the horses had grip on the slippery road. That worked very well.

[@harveypyke4897]

Hope Bill and Lady appreciate the new shoes, it never ceases to amaze me of the quality care that your teams receive. Seems like it’s only the best for your horses.

[@ellisc.foleyjr9778]

I really enjoy watching Ely work, and I appreciate him letting you video the process. and even more yet when he explains what and why he's doing things the way he is doing them. So once again Jim pass along my greatest appreciation to him for me. and I would think many others too. He is a credit to his craft. God Bless.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Yes, will do

[@veronicasmith1147]

Gental giants these horses are worth their weight in gold🐎💚💕💜💖💙❤

[@garyhunter6030]

Thanks for the video. I like watching a good farrier shoeing horses. Its almost a lost art. Thank you for keeping the life style of working with horses alive.

[@shirleyhall3880]

I also appreciate the explanation of why things are done the way they are. Thank you to both you and Eli

[@Gixzer04]

I must say I’ve never seen a toe on a shoe like that one. That’s no toe that’s a whole front cleat. I think mine would spend a month tripping over stuff til They figured em out. Snowball pads are a major advantage. Keeps manure , snow , etc from packing in your hoof. Also think it’s a softer impact for the horse having that cushion. Cool amishman letting you run video in his shop.

[@raincoast9010]

Thanks for taking us to the blacksmith, the pads on the shoes are very interesting, i have never seen anything like that. It's a special talent to build and fit the shoes and attache them.

[@EnsignRho]

"Ah sugar!" Amish profanity I guess. Was surprised to hear even that!

[@tmain6]

very interesting. I love how you take the time to explain the "why" My grandfather was a logger in northern Maine (also only used horses), so these videos really help me to understand what he actually did. We moved away from northern Maine when I was quite young and my grandfather passed away when I was in elementary school so I didn't have much time to learn from him. Thank you for sharing your life with us.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Thanks for sharing your history with us

[@haresplitter]

Thanks for thanking Eli for letting us distract him. He's a good sport.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

yes he is!

[@susieqlover4377]

I know nothing about horses but boy I am sure learning fast. You have a way to disseminate information and keep it interesting. Thank you so much!

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Thanks for watching

[@printaboul]

Watching this man in his rocking chair reminds me a story my wife is telling me once in a while. When she was visiting his grand-parents in a small village north of Quebec city, her grandpa (born in 1891) used to bring her to visit the other elders at the blacksmith shop. Eh Eh ... not a chair .... a «rocking» chair ... seems that this friend of yours is aware those little details ... Wassups ... not much, having my coffee, watching Working Horses With Jim video ... And.... forgotting about covid-19

[@bombardier3qtrlbpsi]

Jim thanks for sharing. Donuts looked good coffee and donuts by a wood stove = relaxation!

[@SCD548]

I still have some ice cleats that go into special shoes that my grandfather had for his horses. Love your videos, watch every one. Keep up the good work. Thanks for keeping this part of our heritage alive. Southern tier, NY

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Thanks for watching! Appreciate it!

[@larrykerr7712]

Just love your videos everything from singing to shoeing horses please keep them coming

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Thanks! Thanks for watching

[@ghythi9929]

Enjoy learning from Ely and Jim and all the hard work Brenda does on the back end editing these videos together

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

This is Brenda... Jim actually does the editing 😀, I have other behind scenes work that I do . Thanks for watching!

[@bladewiper]

many thanks to Eli for letting you film him. I was into a tack shop a few years ago, and they had shoes that took a screw in cork. I can't remember for sure but I think 4 or 6 corks. I am inclined to think your's grip better.

[@michaelmerrigan1064]

First, let me say that I enjoyed your video regarding how old a horse can still be worked and look forward to watching some more of your videos. It appears that you are very kind, soft spoken, and patient with your animals. It also appears that you have considerable experience working in the woods, and I commend you on using a New England type harness. I am torn on whether to comment on this video or not. I hope that you will think about my comments as what my experience has been as a farrier and working in the woods with a single horse and pony, as well as a teams of both. I am a retired farrier, saddle and harness maker, so I am older than you, and have spent my life working with horses in one way or another, but that does not mean I am more knowledgeable than someone younger. I acknowledge that there are many different situations and circumstances and there are more ways of doing things than the way I have done them. So, here are some tips from and old man. I hope you find them useful. Horse shoes are protective devices, wearing devices and traction devices, and sometimes corrective devices, however this is beyond the scope of discussing corrective shoeing. The type of shoes you are using with toe and heel caulks, originally did not have drill tec. It was unavailable back then. Horses were sharp shod, i.e the lateral heel caulk was pointed to dig into the ice. When i have asked people why they want caulks, the usual answer was " we have always done it this way". I say: Drill tec. is good, caulks are not. Caulks limit the amount a horse can pivot it's foot, which can cause undue strain on its ligaments and tendons. If one needs caulks because the horse is slipping, one needs to lighten the load and or provide some means of making the load move more easily, such as a sled. If you don't believe this, take a shoe with caulks place it on bare ground, step on it and try to pivot your foot, then take a shoe with just drill tec and no caulk and do the same. The caulked shoe will dig into the ground and will not pivot, the uncaulked shoe with drill tec will pivot. Do the same comparison on ice or pavement. Both shoes will not pivot. You do not need caulks for ice; Drill tec is sufficient to prevent the animal from slipping on ice. As for the oakum and pads, it has been my understanding that oakum is used to keep debris from getting under the pad and causing discomfort. At least that is why I applied it. The pad provides the protection for the sole. In your case, the sno-ball pad keeps snow and ice balls from building up under the hoof. Your farrier seemed to have plenty of experience with the mechanics of shoeing, and was quiet and comfortable around your animals, however I did not see him use pine tar, nor did I see him apply any oakum before nailing on the shoe. Perhaps that part was not shown in the video. No pine tar is fine I suppose, however it is a natural antibacterial, and with full pads and oakum the sole can not breathe under the sno-ball pads; just poking in the oakum will not keep debris from getting under the pad. You may want to consider rim pads. As for one burner of the forge not getting hot; take the 4 screws out of the top of the forge and remove the top and burner tubes. You my be able to remove just the burner tubes, without removing the top. You will most likely find flaked off rust or some other debris in the burner tube. Clean it out and the forge burner should work as well as the other one. If he is hesitant about taking the forge apart, at least blow some compressed air through the burner tube. I hope you find my comments useful. I am sure you have your horses best interest at heart. Good Luck.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Hi Mike, I very much appreciate your input and your thoughts you obviously have a lot of experience but I am curious what where you’re from? I would love to sit down with you face-to-face and talk about this because we obviously have different views on it and probably both of us are right some and wrong some. I have used Flat shoes with drill tax on them, but have found that the corked shoes are still better. You kind of answered it in your own questions the fact that the flat shoes on ice will twist a little bit and the corked shoes do not, this tells me that the corked shoes have better traction and I’ve seen that from experience. I have had more horses than I really can recall and I have worked them very hard in the woods, and I don’t recall over the past 40 years of ever having any troubles with there legs from that.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

I have had some horses that have lived quite long, like my buck horse right now is 20 with no noticeable leg problems at all. As far as the pads go the Oakham is soaked in pine tar and I do believe that is very important. some of your other thoughts I hadn’t thought of them that way and you’re probably right but I know I have used pads without Oakham before and it literally started rotting the hoof, so it seems to me the oakum is what the change was.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Please continue to share your thoughts and knowledge with us all

[@michaelmerrigan1064]

@@WorkingHorsesWithJim HI Jim, Good to hear from you. I am in Hampton Nova Scotia. There is no doubt in my mind that corked shoes will have more traction than plates. I never needed that much traction. I used a single horse to skid logs to the haul road, then would use a team and forecart to haul 3 logs at a time to my mill. I also cut my logs to the length at which they would be sawed, where the tree was felled. This is arguably not the most efficient way to haul timber, but it was the way I did it, and was easy on the horses. I would haul some firewood trees full length, if I had a straight shot to the road, but they were by no means big enough to get lumber out of them. I have been kidded about my ways, as my motto was and is go light and go often. I would tell the kidders if you don't like how I do it, then do it however you like, but don't tell me I am wrong for doing it how I enjoy it. The few times I used carbides on shoes was when I had no choice but to cross a patch of ice to get where I was working in the woods. Most times mine were barefoot, and I was a farrier! If my horse or horses were slipping in snow, I would lighten the load. I'm not inferring that that is the way everyone should do it, it just the way I did it. I was not making a living from logging, I just enjoyed my time in the woods with the animals. I can see that you are a good horseman and know your animals. You haul some pretty big loads, and that is fine with me. If, in your judgement, and "your judgement" are the key words, you need caulks on your horses then I am good with that. Some fellers will have their horses shoes caulked and they haven't got a clue, other than that is what they heard or saw on other teams, or perhaps the farrier suggested getting caulks. The oakum I used contained pine tar or pitch, but it was not soaked in it. Sometimes, I would add pine tar to the oakum, but it was a sticky mess to handle. Watching the video and hearing about oakum being soaked in pine tar or pitch, made me think to myself that your farrier seemed pretty clean to be handling pine pitch, so it was just a miscommunication or misunderstanding on my part. I always used oakum under pads, for the reason you stated. Currently I use a 20 + year old Percheron / Canadian mare to play in the woods, skidding firewood barefoot (her, not me) to the haul road, where my tractor and trailer takes over. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!

[@kswaynes7569]

Lady spun around to the left in the trailer just fine, whatever was bothering her must have been corrected.

[@lesliewatts2878]

How amiable and skilled your Amish ferrier is. Very interesting to a city slicker. Thanks once again. Keep well and safe.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Thanks 👍, you too

[@ginog4480]

Definitely enjoy Ely and watching him. Thank you Jim.

[@garythurber9867]

Thanks for showing your Amish Farrier. I have driven 1 hr 40 min to the same Amish Farrier for over 30 years. It’s fun to compare. Looks like a pot of coffee and being good people is a standard. Have you reached out to the tv show Rural Heritage on RFD TV to see if they would film a show about what you do? I think your life with horses would be a great show.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Yes, it’s great to have someone like Eli close by , we are very fortunate!

[@davewallace.8303]

I like those studded snow tires!

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Yes

[@alliechampagne1404]

Only seen caulked shoes on horses that are in any kind of steady work. Really helps grab traction for the squat & dig in.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Yes it does

[@larry323]

Good morning Jim and Brenda!

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Good Morning to you!

[@joselynensign9014]

Looks like Lady also unloaded without a problem today.

[@Stihl4life]

Best explanation of the shoes you run vs smooth shoes, is mud tires vs slicks

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

😀

[@deborahfromdcspetersoncity9213]

It's an interesting process of how and why the shoes are made for the horses 🐴 during winter time.

[@tommyjohnson6961]

Very good video. I love watching the Amish craftsmen work. They really do things right. Thanks for sharing with us.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

And thanks for watching

[@keithzimmerman6618]

That is neat 👌, glad lady got those shoes, looks like she was walking better when you unlded her out the trl, always fascinated with draft horses 🐎.

[@tammybaker8577]

Eli is doing a great job.

[@randolphbutler1832]

Thanks Jim to you and the farrier. Only seen saddle horses sod in the past. Very interesting.🐴🐴😷👍

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@hughperkins707]

Your farrier knows the horses he’s shoeing very well.

[@healyfamily4]

So neat to see how you take care of your horses. Fascinating.

[@terrywagner7551]

Watching you work your horses remind me of the stories my father would tell me about harvesting ice at Otsego lake back in the mid-20s the lake is situated at Southern end is at Cooperstown in the north northern and I don’t recall the village but in northern end is about 20 miles from the village where the farm was. I watch all your videos and appreciate all of your hard work. Have a great day

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Thanks for watching, you have a great day too

[@mickholroyd2190]

Excellent video..very interesting..not having snow in my part of country..good to see something different..(wear shorts n T shirt in winter here )... sorry

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@FarmerJohn1957]

I see Bill felt the need to mark his territory twice… LOL just leaving some scents for the ladies that come behind him

[@maxstotto3594]

Regaining traction at the horse cobbler's! Many thanks for taking us along.

[@rcote1234]

Spectacular. So interesting to see this type of work. Thank you!

[@ghythi9929]

Really enjoy the quietness at the start of the videos.

[@marvinrathke3640]

Thanks for showing how the drill tec is applied to the shoes. My farrier put it on the shoes for my horses years ago but he always did it at his place and then always did the shoeing at my place so I never got to see that till now. Thanks

[@jameshemstreet9087]

I always put the tar and okume on the hoof then nailed on the shoe.

[@br927]

I got about a dozen ice caulks here! They take a 1/2 hole for the shank! Eli does a good job!

[@melissabalent6246]

Fascinating! What an amazing farrier Ely is. I have never set up like that and enjoyed the conversation. This really explained the how and why. Thanks for sharing 😊

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@doughunter3967]

man , that is interesting , thanks you guys so much...bless Yah...doug

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Thanks! All the best to you in the New Year!

[@doughunter3967]

@@WorkingHorsesWithJim same to you folks...Creator bless...doug

[@PumpkinVillage]

That was very interesting. Should be good to go now. Take care , Al

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

You take care too!

[@willwipf7030]

Kind of like hard face on a loader rockbucked ,great job explaining the process,

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Thanks

[@garyarmstrong4597]

You definitely care about your team Jim. The Amish show their care as well in doing the best job they can. Good tradesman I see with the Amish guy doing the shoeing of your horses Jim. No guess to see why you go to him for work on your horses. I say this as I know nothing about shoeing horses but I do know about what animals accept and what they don’t. This blacksmith or whatever his tradesman name has what it takes.....

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Thanks

[@michaelwhiteoldtimer7648]

NICE TO SEE HOW THIS IS DONE

[@noahman27]

That was very cool. I always still wonder how the farrier can know if the shoe is comfortable for the horse or not. They obviously cannot ask the horse "So, how does that feel?".

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Right, they just have to observe

[@shawngordon1563]

What an interesting video it was very nice and kind of Elie to allow you to video him working on the horses feet again the Amash people are hard working and I love seeing there old ways a lot of us have lost those ways with technology it does have it's good and bad with it thank you and Elie again for a very interesting and great video good health to you all and your family's have a great day

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Thanks, will pass on to Eli

[@shawngordon1563]

Thank you I know auto correct kept spelling his name Elie I kept changing it and it would change it right back and I gave up thanks again

[@Caballingus]

Fascinating video. Many thanks for sharing, Jim and Eli. Keep up the good work.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Thanks

[@portersold]

Really enjoy these explainer / horsemanship videos where there is something to learn. Keep up the great content, always so interesting.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Thanks

[@danstirm4333]

I never used the snow pads where I lived but can see how they would have been a great help to the horse's. But we used borium on our shoe course I'm talking only about saddle horse's.

[@nikkolettguyer4913]

I think drill tech is a brand of borium

[@kenanibranovic6602]

Farrier know he’s job definitely , I like the horse shoes definitely for pulling.

[@janicebradford6784]

great video Jim...thanks

[@Sqrlyshrly]

I knew a man who logged his own land with his horses. When the corks got dull he just pulled out his grinder and sharpened them.. still on the horse! One time with me still on the horse!!! The horses were used to it and never flinched.. I miss those big old goofy horses.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Quite a story!

[@WayneSmith-yf3fg]

Thanks for sharing that. First time I've seen oakum used since I worked with my father doing cast iron piping 60 years ago. I'm a little surprised that Eli allowed you to film him. I've watched other videos and the Amish don't want to be filmed.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Yes, it’s good of him

[@andreas515c2]

Hi Jim, thanks for sending the link. That´s really heloing the horses on frozen ground . Farm on, Andreas

[@annebartz9175]

Hi Thanks for get video love seeing the shoeing an explaining reasons why .❤❤

[@robertmarino2158]

Very good video 👍, thank you , stay safe ! Well explained with details ! Bob

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

You too

[@danieldenis593]

Hello guys hope all is well . Ok just wanted to let you know that it was a good idea for the fence wire . And to hear the horses on the wooden floor is music to my hears . Thank you , take care

[@kjcsomerville]

Thank you 4 posting, i've learnt a lot, just hid sub, stay safe, regards from rainy olde England !!!

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Thanks for the sub!

[@williamlewis8741]

another great informative video. 6 to 8 weeks for new shoes/repairs? imagine that cost a pretty penny? all the best

[@EnsignRho]

At my dad's welding shop we used hard surfacing rod for high wear areas. You might see if that would work better for you. A lot harder than brass. Used on bulldozers, backhoes, and trenchers.

[@michaelnancyamsden7410]

Thank you Eli for teaching us about your work. Love these horses.

[@Stihl4life]

I was watching a previous vidja on you shoeing your horse's. Was going to ask if you run drill tech on them in the winter. Get a new notification of a new vidja, and what does it start with🤔 putting drill tech on the shoe🤣👍

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Sounds like I read your mind 😀

[@hacc220able]

Thanks for sharing

[@thewestnewyorker7269]

Well it has been one full year. Happy anniversary! Always enjoy your videos. Thank you for sharing with us.. There is alot to learn.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Thank you for noticing! You are a loyal viewer!

[@davidconaway2830]

As anyone knows, pulling something on a slippery surface is a risky proposition. Pulling thousands of pounds on icy logging trails requires superior traction and those new "studded" shoes looks like they will do the job nicely. Big thanks to you for sharing and to Eli for his patience with the camera and his explanation of the process.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Thanks for watching

[@bobbymcloughlin4131]

Thank you, very interesting stay safe. About the ice shoes and pulling working horses.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Thanks, you too

[@robertdonaldson6584]

I found a hand made horseshoe from 100 years ago buried in the garden a few years ago.

[@freebird1ification]

very interesting jim

[@kennybolt8329]

I noticed that Lady is turning left and unloading normal again.

[@jamesburke5709]

That was interesting to see how you fix your horses shoes here because ive never seen it done like that before here by the time you get done fixing them shoes like that those horses has four wheel drive on there feet too and a quick question are your horses clydesdales or what cause they have some hugh feet on them too have a good day now

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

They are Belgians, you have a good day too

[@iceroad416]

i like watching that Ely work I have never seen this done before

[@moonwise8531]

Hellish Calkins ! We have a box of removeable ones to knock in

[@каналваубау]

Why your horses are so calm

[@blumenaue7590]

Love watching these!

[@randyganow7250]

Happy New Years, thanks for Answering questions, nice to be informed!👍

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Happy New Year to you as well!

[@johnwinden8511]

Very interesting, thank you.

[@canoetomah7781]

Thanks Jim and Brenda.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Thanks for watching

[@pup734]

I never realized they nail the shoes on. What keeps the hooves from splitting if you have to do this every 6-8 weeks? I also have a friend that use to pull horses his name is Tim Livermore

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Hooves are very resilient

[@harryspinksfarrier4412]

They are made out of keratin and grow just like your finger nails and so the nail holes grow down and are trimmed away as the foot grows. I hope that helps 🙂

[@klauskarbaumer6302]

I asked about that some time ago and now I see what you mean with "snow pads", they seem to have a bubble in the middle that will pop the snow off. I'll have to find out where I can get those.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Yes, they work good

[@Richard-ml1te]

Jim where do you get your yellow toed boots use to ware them aii the time in the but can't find them anywhere thanks

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

I get them locally, they are Lacrosse boots. They are on Amazon. It's all I wear in the wintertime for boots.

[@Gixzer04]

Do you run a pulling shoe year round? Or you just push a longer cork on in winter ? Awesome video Jim 👌. Amazing what a new pair of shoes does to both man n beast when you hit ice n frozen ground.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Yes I do.

[@annahorinova558]

Hi Jim. This is the first time I've seen such shoes. Why shove a heap under a horseshoe

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

Hi, I hope you can understand my english, we put oakum, soaked in pine tar under the snow pad. The oakum helps protect the frog and sole of the hoof.

[@fordnut4914]

Gota have snow tires. Always be respectful of your furry friends don't over work them.

[@melbytvenge]

Heavy duty Shoeing by a Proffetional Shoer

[@crazycat1345]

To get a horse shod like this in our area would cost well over $300.00 per horse. Hobby farming with horses can be very expensive unless you can do the work yourself.

[@freebird1ification]

how long will a set of these shoes last for you jim

[@TheIrishAmish]

Must be a regional thing, I keep hearing Jim call the shoe caulks “corks”.

[@mountainman1961]

What does Eli charge per hoof? Here is 55.00 for a large hoof. But great video Jim!! Happy new year’s!! God bless!! Eli is great also!!

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

I'd rather not say, but he is very reasonable.

[@Kalkaekie]

Interesting !!

[@lindalakota38]

Wow those 2 can handle a hitch

[@robbullis5025]

How is the hoof with the crack that Eli epoxied growing out?

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

It's doing great, he did't think it needed anything this time around.

[@farmerpete5936]

Do you have a preference between a mare or gelding. I noticed you have a Belgian mare and the rest are geldings is why I was wondering. Grandfather always wanted geldings.

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

I prefer geldings, but there’s nothing wrong with a good mare

[@Dacicusify]

Good job Ilie

[@danielmitchell2659]

Do you think shoes had something to do with lady turning in trailer?

[@WorkingHorsesWithJim]

I don’t think so, just reset her shoes, they’re the same ones