Several years ago, when I was much younger and skinnier I got a call to go shoe horses for Dennis Hensley out in the Hontubby community. Dennis was a school superintendent and owned chicken houses. It seems that his daughter barrel raced, and maybe she roped. It’s been a long time and I can’t remember for sure.
As I shod the horses Dennis held the one I was working on. Over the years I’ve got my routine down to where I’m not making extra moves that slow the shoeing process down. I always start on the right front foot and end with the back right foot. I kind of go clockwise around the horse, if that makes sense.
When I pick a foot up and pull the old shoe off, I don’t ever set it down until it’s ready for the new shoe to be nailed on. All of this saves time, wear and tear on me, and hopefully things go by fast and the horse doesn’t get agitated. Over the years it seems like a horse gets aggravated if the shoeing job takes too long, so I hurry as much as possible, for my sake and theirs.
One of the habits I’ve picked up over the years is putting horseshoe nails in my mouth. I count out six nails before I pick the foot up. I put them in my mouth because it’s much faster than digging them out of the box one at a time.
Dennis noticed me doing this and he commented that someone he knew or someone heard of had gotten poisoned by putting the horseshoe nails in their mouth. It seems the galvanized coating is bad for you. This had to be fifteen years ago or so when he was telling me this. I can vividly remember I didn’t stop putting the horseshoe nails in my mouth, and I thought it aggravated Dennis. He didn’t say anything, but I was hot shoeing his horse and didn’t want to change my routine.
A week or two ago my daughter noticed me putting horse shoe nails in my mouth. I was shoeing one of her horses and she commented how someone she knew or heard about got poisoned from the nails. My daughter is about to graduate from Chiropractor school. So, I tend to listen when she offers medical advice. Also, I remembered Dennis wanting me not to put the nails in my mouth as well.
This weekend I shod my son’s horse. At first I grabbed six nails and stuck them in my mouth, but then my daughter’s words popped into my brain. So, I put all the nails back in the little cardboard box and began fishing them out one at a time. It probably added one minute per foot.
I guess I’ll try not to poison myself anymore. I’ve always thought it is stupid of a parent to send their kids to college then argue with the kid when they come home and try to show you what they’ve learned. I’ve worked hard helping her get through school. I’ve baled hay, hauled pipe and worked mean cows. I figure the least I can do is try to listen when she’s telling me what she’s learned. Poison horseshoe nails, who’d ever thought…..
James Lockhart lives near the Kiamichi mountains in southeast Oklahoma. He writes cowboy stories and fools with cows and horses.
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