For the 2022 Summit Mail-In Forging Exercise, I wanted to try something we haven’t used in this contest before. It is a practical shoe that uses a jump weld.  

I like this toe weight shoe because it is a good measurement for your self-evaluation. There are many solid, basic forging elements in it so there are no “cheats.” This is a straightforward challenge because it will gauge your understanding of feet and anatomy.

I hope this will encourage farriers who work with these horses to send in a shoe. I made a few of these shoes and appreciate the help of the gaited horse farriers who gave me advice. I wanted not only to create a challenge, but make a good shoe that matches the expectations of these farriers.

This is the eighth annual Summit Mail-In Forging Exercise. Thank you to VICTORY for sponsoring this challenge again. You can watch a video of making this shoe at AmericanFarriers.com/Summitshoe. We’ll place the top finishers at the Summit. 

The Judging Criteria

The steps for the shoe are guidelines to give you a starting point, In terms of the judging criteria, I prioritize it as such: 

Elements. I will first look to make sure you place all of the elements of the shoe.

Size. Matching the size is the next priority.

Nail placement. Use a city head 8 nail.

Quality of forging. I will say that this one isn’t the deal breaker. A rougher shoe with the right size and punched…