The Challenge of Winter Work
The cold, wet, and gray Cincinnati weather presents unique challenges for farrier work. After decades in the field, I’ve refined my approach to protect both my tools and maintain efficiency.
Garage Prep Station Setup
Professional farrier workspace showing custom Bay Horse aluminum work body with built-in grinding stations positioned at garage entrance. Features dual professional grinders, storage compartments, and seamless integration with permanent workshop space including Milwaukee tool storage and backup equipment.
Interior view of a professional farrier’s garage workshop featuring stacked Milwaukee Packout storage system, bench-mounted grinders, portable industrial fan for ventilation, and organized tool storage shelves. Exterior anvil visible in foreground showing complete workflow setup.
Picture of the full drawer.
My workspace optimization includes:
- Custom Bay Horse aluminum work body with all the organization, power and tools.
- Vice/ Grinder Cart with dual professional grinders: I built this old cart thing way back in the olden days for my enclosed trailer I used back in the early 2000’s. It works, but this is one of the first things I’d like to put real effort into building as a product. Its a fundamental tool for any metal worker, I think. Getting these grinders and the vise set up on here is one of the first things I put together after “The Weekend“.
- Garage organized tool storage and backup equipment
- Proper ventilation system: In this case, I’m using the fan set on top of the Mechanic Packout to push the grindings away from the garage. This whole farrier/ fabrication corner is put at the door of the garage as much for this reason as it is convenience for my farrier stuff. I consider myself a ventilation nerd of sorts and its important to me.
Winter Workflow Optimization
The key to efficient winter work as a farrier is maximizing time under the horse rather than shuttling back and forth to the rig. My approach:
- Pre-grinding shoes in the garage to minimize exposure.
- Fully stocking drawers to minimize refills (also minimizing exposure).
- Maintaining organized supplies and equipment for efficiency and monitoring supplies.
- Additional Winter Considerations: Keeping certain supplies or personal items warm and protected.
- Goal: Maintain operations during extended cold and wet weather events
Some clients opt to pull shoes for winter
I’ve been building up my backup heating systems (propane) for extended power outages and stuff. Actually, I’ve been using them to supplement our house system in the mornings and evenings and I love it. Just a buddy heater in the rooms we are in just cruising on low seems to help the comfort a ton.
Personal Note
Currently listening to the Martyr Made Podcast by Darryl Cooper, starting with his series on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. It’s remarkable how much information we have access to in our current era. I’m starting at the beginning, which was 2015 and it is still going strong. Tons of really deep dives.