Do you find that your clinches aren’t holding up throughout the shoeing cycle after applying leather pads? Or worse, are you losing shoes?

You might want to try soaking them, Hall of Fame farrier Bob Smith told attendees during a How-To Product Knowledge Clinic, sponsored by Castle Plastics, at the 2020 International Hoof-Care Summit in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“If you put them on dry and the horse gets into water, as the pad compresses it thins out and starts to work on your clinches,” explains the owner and operator of Pacific Coast Horseshoeing School in Plymouth, Calif. “You’ll get a bad rap for losing shoes with leather pads. Instead of putting them on dry, nail them on wet. As we’re nailing the shoe down, it compresses the leather. You won’t have that problem of loose clinches and lost shoes.”

Learn More

• Hoof Pads 101: Not sure when to use pads in your practice?: Here’s an introduction to what’s available and basic information for using each style.
• Hoof Pads: When to Use Them and When to Lose Them: In this webinar, Travis Burns discusses how he uses pads in his practice and what helps him determine if a pad should be used, foot preparation and what type of pad he employs in various cases.
• Full Flat Pads: Useful Tools With the Proper Packing: Full flat pads are one of the most commonly used pads by horseshoers and most farriers will want to carry a selection of them in their shoeing rigs.