Certain things about horseshoeing never seem to change, and among those are the traditional guidelines for nailing, such as:

• Use the smallest-sized nail that will hold the shoe on securely.
• Use the fewest nails necessary.
• Keep nails at or forward of the widest part of the foot.
• Drive nails at the outside of the white line.

But clearly, there’s more to nailing. Placing a small, slim nail on a heavy shoe clearly isn’t the best course of action and no one would expect the same nail used on a light Arabian to get the job done on a heavy Percheron. So what about cases where the selection of the right nail isn’t so clear-cut?

We went to some of the companies who make and sell horseshoe nails to ask for advice on nail selections. We sent these questions to:

Dan Burke of Farrrier Product Distribution of Shelbyville, Ky., distributor of Vector, Izumi and Liberty nails.

Steve Kraus, of Trumansburg, N.Y., a longtime clinician with Delta Mustad Hoofcare Center. Delta Mustad makes and distributes Mustad, Capewell, Delta and Cooper nails.

Q. What nail size is appropriate for what size of horseshoe?

A. Burke, FPD: We believe the most important decision should be first to determine what nail head fits the shoe securely. This is subjective in one sense…