Ever Seen A Reindeer Horse Shoe?

Sit down and take your time with this entry. I have stories to tell about this horse shoe and I think you will really enjoy these stories. At the end of the story I will tell you how you can buy one of these one of a kind hand forged treasures to hang on your Christmas tree this year.

My farrier stopped in today just a little while ago to give Derby a trim. After he finished we went out to his truck and I said to him "Well I guess I won't see you til after the holidays will I?" He said "Nope probably not." I said to him to be sure and have a Nice Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas. He stopped and started to think about something. He turned and asked me if I would like a reindeer shoe. I asked him "Yeah, sure! What's a reindeer shoe?" He says, "Hold on, I will show you, I am going to make you one right here right now." He asked me to get him a bucket of water while he got his tools and what not set up. I came back and he had some kind of small oven thing cranked up with his propane tank and it was glowing red hot inside.

This is the story on how he came to make reindeer shoes. As he heated the ends and beat them out on the anvil he told me about it.

One day he was given a whole bunch of these little horse shoes. Most miniatures and ponies are not regularly shoed so he really didnt have a use for them. He started fooling around one day and thought he might try to make something useful out of them. He thought maybe he could make a hoof pick out of them but it didn't really turn out the way he intended. Then it hit him. An idea to make reindeer shoes for Christmas time. Of course a reindeer's hoof is nothing like the shoe above, but it is the concept of Santas Reindeer wearing shoes.

After he curled the ends he heated and spread the holes a little where the horse shoe nails go. Then he inserted the nails and heated them and beat them flat. He then took his drill press and drilled a hole to hang the shoe. He buffed it some with the wire brush that he had but says the brush he actually uses it polishes it to a shine. He apologized and said he didnt have all his reindeer shoe making equipment with him.

Now all this is just too cool to me. Gifts like this mean so much to me, something hand made from someone. This was totally his idea and invention, which made it one of a kind for me. As if it wasnt already neat enough, he goes the extra mile and decorates it. I am not going to tell you what he does to it. I told him I wouldn't tell you so it would be a nice surprise when anyone that ordered these got them in the mail. He did tell me how he does it though, and it should look so beautiful and definitely have a country accent to it.

Now, onto a story he told me about a customer of his. Just like me, he made a shoe for her. This is where it gets good. Instead of giving the shoe to her 5 year old daughter she kept it. It had been raining and made the the ground somewhat muddy that Christmas eve. The mom took the shoe out into the front yard and pressed the shoe into the mud here and there like tracks in the mud. She then left the shoe out in the yard around those tracks. Then she wrote a letter to her daughter (being from Santa, not her) asking her to look for Rudolphs shoe, that he had lost it. Well the little girl found it of course, and if that isnt a magical Christmas I don't know what is! She didn't even care what else she got for Christmas, everything else couldnt compare to that reindeer shoe she found. She carried it everywhere for two months after that. She even took it to school for show and tell. The children could have brought any one thing they got for Christmas to tell about, but she took that reindeer shoe. Isnt that the best story ever? Just made me grin from ear to ear and right then I felt the Christmas spirit around me after he told me about that reindeer shoe and little girl. :)

If you would like one, they are fifteen dollars. I don't know what the shipping cost is, but I imagine it couldnt be that much. I will find out how much it costs the next trip to the post office I make.

This is a one of a kind, hand forged, hand decorated ornament. If you would like to purchase one I am taking orders. Email me at Fowfies@aol.com. He has asked me to please tell anyone ordering to send money orders only. After I recieve the money order from you I will immediately call him with your order. He says he will do his best to make sure all orders get there well before Christmas.

He usually sells them by word of mouth. I told him I bet there had to be someone here that thinks this is as neat as I do and that is why I am telling y'all about it. I tend to think that things like this are far more precious than anything store bought.