Learn how to make horseshoes by following these easy step by step instructions to become a successful homesteader.
- Use a straight piece of about 5/16 inch by 3/4 inch by 11-inch mild steel. If you have a large or small horse, adjust the size of the metal.
- Mark the center of the steel with the hardy. Then make two more marks 1-3/8 inch on either side of the center on the flat side.
- Heat the steel and those marks will create a bubble, which will help you find center. Only heat about 3/4 of the steel so you can hold one end with tongs.
- Lay the steel over the round end of your anvil. Use a series of hammer blows to bend the steel to a 90° angle with the center mark exactly at the outside corner of the angle.
Lay the end of the steel on the round end of the anvil again. Curve the straight end of the steel around to be the same roundness of the horse’s hoof. If you have an already-made shoe it can be your pattern.
Run around the outside edges to bevel them and round them as you did the frog eyes. Then level up the whole shoe and make sure it is a mirror image. You will also have to make nails for the shoe.
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Excerpted with permission from The Ultimate Guide to Homesteading: An Encyclopedia of Independent Living by Nicole Faires. Copyright 2011 by Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
