Shoutout to the old farrier I met at the Calgary Stampede in 2010

I was there just watching the draft horse show, and this guy named Hank saw me struggling to get a shoe to sit right on a big Belgian. He pulled me aside and showed me how to use a crease nail punch to open up the nail hole in the shoe before driving it, something I'd never been taught. I've used that trick on probably a hundred heavy horses since. Anyone else pick up a game-changing tip from an unexpected place like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

palmer.avery23d ago

Game-changing tip from an unexpected place" is the best. My most useful skill is still how to open a stubborn ketchup packet, which I learned from a very angry guy at a drive-thru. Sometimes the real wisdom is just about avoiding a mess.

loganthompson23d ago

The best life hacks come from stressed people in weird places, like @palmer.avery's drive-thru guy. It's all about solving small daily problems before they blow up.