A swing-out anvil on your farrier rig is a great way to avoid picking it up several times over the course of the day. Yet, there can be a drawback — ringing.

When regularly exposed to noise levels of 82 decibels or more, you’re in danger of damaging your hearing. Considering that a hammer striking a horseshoe at the anvil can register as high as 110 decibels, farriers should consider taking precautions.

While the best preventative measure you can take to avoid hearing loss is to wear earplugs or muffs, Burgaw, N.C., farrier Ritner Goff points out a helpful tip during a recent visit.

“If you put a magnet on the bottom of the anvil (Figure 1 Above),” he says, “it’ll quiet it right down.”

This tip and others can be found by reading “Shoeing For A Living” featuring Ritner and RJ Goff in the May/June issue of American Farrier’s Journal.

Do you have a helpful tip that could benefit other farriers? Send them to Jeff Cota at jcota@lessitermedia.com.