Beginner Horseshoe Bending Information

Since the DVD HAMMERING HORSESHOES came out this summer I have had numerous people ask me what they need to start bending shoes.

Common Beginner Horseshoe Questions: Can you give me a good horseshoe progression for a beginner? What types of wraps should I use and where do I buy horseshoes and wraps for them?

It’s really pretty simple to prepare for successful horseshoe bending. You will need four things:

• Horseshoes You Can Bend
• Horseshoe Bending Wraps to Protect Your Hands
• Padding to Protect / Desensitize Your Body
• Proper Horseshoe Bending Technique / Instruction

Now, let’s take a look at each one of these in more detail.

Beginner – Level Horseshoes

The best place I have found to get a good selection of shoes is a local farrier supplier. These shops have a wide selection of shoes from most of the major manufacturers of horseshoes. If you don’t have a farrier supplier local to you, a great resource is www.ken-davis.com. They will have every shoe you need to get started.

Another option is Tractor Supply Co. They carry many of the Diamond Classic shoes. Many people will need to start with easier shoes than these though. A good progression of beginner to intermediate shoes is:

• St. Croix Forge Ultralite
• St. Croix Forge Polo
• Diamond Classic
• St. Croix Forge Lite Rim

Make sure you get different sizes to work on.

Wraps for Bending Horseshoes

Most people use suede/leather wraps to bend horseshoes. I purchase my wraps from the local Michael’s Craft Store. They are Tandy Leather suede. They come in 8.5” X 11” pieces and sell for around $6. Each piece will make one set of wraps. Just cut the piece up the middle in the longest direction and you have a great set of 11” X 4” wraps.

Make sure you feel the suede before you buy it. These pieces are remnants and some are thinner than others. You want the thicker pieces.

Padding for Horseshoe Bending

Padding for horseshoe bending is a personal choice. I recommend that beginners use padding when they start their journey for safety reasons. After you have bent shoes for awhile, you can decide whether or not bending shoes without any leg padding is for you.

What I have found works best is a folded up hand towel. You don’t want this to be too big or it will absorb too much energy and hurt your bending. The other option is a few pieces of the wrapping material folded up. The suede makes a good transition from using a towel to going with no padding as well.

Horseshoe Bending Instruction: Hammering Horseshoes

Finally, you need to get our DVD Hammering Horseshoes. This DVD has helped countless people become horseshoe killers and has received great reviews from some of the best shoe benders in the world!

Now go kill some shoes!!!

Mike “The Beast in the East” Rinderle

Hammering Horseshoes DVD Reviews

Mike and Jedd have managed to condense the knowledge that would normally take years of potentially dangerous trial and error training to acquire into a concise and entertaining video package. I enthusiastically recommend this comprehensive tutorial for anyone interested in pursuing the rewarding and richly historical pursuit of bending horseshoes with your bare hands!

Eric Milfeld
(Captain of Crush #3 & Red Nail Certified / Horseshoe Bending Legend and Steel Benders Hall of Fame Member)

Bravo! Hammering Horseshoes was a pleasure to watch. The video is very structured and organized, how a training video / “How to” video should be, including step by step examples, some of which are even in slow motion. I especially liked the horseshoe progression ladder. I was impressed. I already know a thing or two about horseshoe bending and frankly I didn’t think I was going to learn anything from watching it, but I was pleasantly surprised. That being said, “Hammering Horseshoes” is good for beginners through advanced and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to make a name in the bending community or even if you just want to show-off your horseshoe bending skills to family and friends. Five stars Mike and Jedd!

Paul Knight
(Captain of Crush #3.5 & Red Nail Certified / Extraordinary Horseshoe Bender and Steel Benders Hall of Fame Member)

Pick up Hammering Horseshoes today: How to Bend Horseshoes Instructional DVD.