Horse Nation DIY With DMVentions: Farrier Hoof Stand

This month’s DIY challenge: a make-it-yourself farrier hoof stand, perfect for the home trimmer! Donna-Maria Flood shows us how.

“No hoof, no horse.” We’ve all heard that quote and know it to be true!

Lots of horse people like to take care of their horse’s feet, but holding them up for any length of time … well, it makes us appreciate our farriers and trimmers a whole lot more!

Some of us just want to file a bit of a chip away or nip off some broken hoof or loose frog. Others learn to do all the trimming for their own horses. So to help all of you, here is a simple afternoon project to make your own hoof stand.

All photos by Donna-Maria Flood.

All the supplies are easy to find at a local hardware store. Most things you’ll  find in the plumbing section. With a few tools and an hour or so, and you’ll have a great stand that will last forever! And it costs less than $20!

Let’s get started!

Supplies:

• 3/4″ treated plywood – cut 18″ x 15″
• 3/4″ floor flange – black steel
• 4 Carriage bolts and nuts – Carriage bolts have rounded tops
• Black Pipe nipples  – 3/4″ –  I use an 8″ and a 12″
• 1 Tennis ball – I like to make it a Happy tennis ball!

Additional supplies for cradle:

• PVC pipe T – 3″ x 1 1/2″ Santi-Tee
• PVC threaded Bushing 1 1/2″ by 3/4″ – be sure it screws into the 3/4″ pipe nipple
• Leather or other heavy duty material for sling
• Screws to attach leather to PVC cradle

Tools:

• Screwdriver
• Drill and bits
• Wrench for tightening bolts
• Wood saw for cutting PVC pipe

Cut a piece of 3/4″ plywood to 15″ x 18″. Most big hardware stores and lumber yards will cut it for you. Place the flange on the board, centered in one direction but slightly off center in the other. You’ll find setting the flange off center makes it easier for you to position the stand; if you have a playful horse that likes to tip the stand, you can stand on it with your foot and keep it upright. Drill out the 4 holes for attaching it to the board.

Use carriage bolts with a rounded top. Put the rounded tops under the board and the nuts on at the top. This keeps the board more level when placed on concrete or other flat surfaces. Check that the carriage bolts fit through the holes in the flange when you buy them. Tighten the nuts down tight with a wrench. Wow, you are almost done!

Screw in one of the black pipe nipples …

… and cut an X in a tennis ball and smush it on top of the pipe.

Now you have a great hoof stand!

To change out the size for different horses, just use a different size nipple. The black nipples cost averages around $3.00 – $5.00 each. You can have many sizes for different horses. Some people like to use a very short one for older, arthritic horses that can’t hold their feet very high.

If you’d like to make the cradle attachment for the hoof stand, it only takes a few more supplies. A PVC pipe T and a bushing to step the size down to your 3/4″ pipe. With an added piece of leather or heavy material, you’ve got a super cradle to support your horse’s hoof.

Here are all the supplies you’ll need for both the stand and the cradle.

Cut the 3″ pipe in half. Any basic wood saw will cut through the PVC pipe.

This shows the half pipe and a piece of thick leather for making the cradle. Cut the leather long enough to wrap over on both sides.

Use small nuts and bolts to attach the leather to the half pipe.

Time to assemble the cradle — screw one of the pipe nipples into the PVC bushing.

Firmly press the bushing into the bottom of the cradle. You can also glue it on with PVC glue.

If you are using leather, I recommend oiling the leather and wrapping it with some string to form the cradle properly. After a day or so, it will maintain that shape. I got carried away with the oil and oiled my board too. Looks nice, eh?

As always, we welcome photos of your Horse Nation DIY creations! Check back often to Horse Nation for more DIY tips, tricks and new ideas from DMventions and DMpowering Horsemanship.

About Donna-Maria: DMpowering Horsemanship and DMventions showcase my thirty years in the horse business. I found a need for new ideas and handy tips and hints – from one horseperson to another – and DMventions was created.

DMpowering Horsemanship is here to help riders with the four basic foundations of horsemanship: goals and dreams, confidence, knowledge and skills. Through clinics, private lessons and my website theuniversityofhorsemanship.com, I help riders understand what is holding them back and help them to finally have the horse of their dreams! DMpowering is a complimentary training to other disciplines — whether you do jumping, western pleasure, dressage, natural horsemanship or trail, DMpowering has the tools to help you be happy with your horsemanship and find success.