Millwater Books In Print 2025...

 

Millwater's Farriery:
The Illustrated Dictionary of Horseshoeing and Hoofcare:
Encyclopedic Reference for Professionals, Students, and Horseowners.

The encyclopedic dictionary of the art and science of farriery, designed for cross-referencing. Well illustrated with appendices of full-page illustrations, historical reference material, and resource guides.
This is the culmination of out farriery lexicon project started in 1994.

Paperback $22.50     Hardcover $36.50    Kindle eBook $9.95
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1466444819/




Shoe Your Own Damned Horse!

 SYODH! is comprehensive but good-humored primer for horse owners who want (or need) to learn how to trim or shoe their own animals, written by a veteran professional farrier and horseman.

Well illustrated, and with emphasis on practical economy.

Sections on hoof and limb anatomy, essential biomechanics, hoof handling, trimming for barefoot, tools and their functions, horseshoe choice/modification and application, cold and hot shoeing, managing common faults and pathologies, and even how to build a forge.  Lots of practical, insider hints sprinkled throughout.

Paperback $9.95
https://www.amazon.com/Shoe-Your-Own-Damned-Horse/dp/B0DGF3CZVD





The New Dictionary of Farrier Terms and Technical Language.
The 9th and final "New Dictionary" of the series before the jump to MILLWATER'S FARRIERY. 

Paperback $18.12
https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Farrier-Terms-Technical-Language/dp/1449594689/






The New Dictionary of Farrier Terms and Technical Language.
The tenth anniversary edition, coil-bound, no-less.  For the completionists out there.

Coil bound $13.42
https://www.lulu.com/shop/dave-millwater/new-dictionary-of-farrier-terms/paperback/product-1k9gr6.html




MILLWATER'S FARRIERY:
Deluxe Hardcover.
The AMAZON hardcover is a bit less expensive, and pretty nice.  But, as of the production of my proof copies, the LULU production quality was a little better.  (Amazon's hardcover printing might have improved, it was in beta then.)  Though they did manage a humorous SNAFU by sending me one copy with our cover wrapped around a completely unrelated book.  They make good on such errors quickly though.

Hardcover $50.00
https://www.lulu.com/shop/dave-millwater/millwaters-farriery-the-illustrated-dictionary-of-horseshoeing-and-hoofcare/hardcover/product-1wzpq4rz.html


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Guild of Professional Farriers Publications.

   The Guild has been dormant for some time now, but was an influential player in American farriery in the '90s and first part of this century.  These booklets are maintained for historical reference.  The .PDF downloads are free.  (Sorry about the hassle of checkout.  That's the PoD service's hang-up.)  The printed versions are at the PoD production cost.

   Note:  URLs an mail addresses in these old publications are out of date.




Registered Journeyman Farrier Exam Guide

$4.72 Paperback
https://www.lulu.com/shop/dave-millwater/rjf-exam-guide/paperback/product-1zdrpk.html

Free Download
https://www.lulu.com/shop/dave-millwater/rjf-exam-guide/ebook/product-1rgy5d8v.html

New Guild Chronicle #1

Includes the content of the RJF Exam Guide, other Guild material, and articles from Guild President Henry Heymering on the Strasser barefoot trim fad and weight-bearing mechanisms of the hoof.
 
$7.53 Coil bound
https://www.lulu.com/shop/dave-millwater/guild-chronicle/paperback/product-1jzpw6.html

Free Download
https://www.lulu.com/shop/dave-millwater/guild-chronicle/ebook/product-1qzp6zjn.html

New Guild Chronicle #2

Includes the Guild's constitution and bylaws as they stood in 2005.

$5.88 Paperback
https://www.lulu.com/shop/dave-millwater/new-guild-chronicle-2/paperback/product-1qvwjr.html

Free Download
https://www.lulu.com/shop/dave-millwater/new-guild-chronicle-2/ebook/product-1gv6rnwd.html

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Black Friday Coming...

 

   Okay...  The big political circus has wound-down a bit, now we look-up and see that the holidays are coming at us fast!

   So let's get a head-start on Black Friday sale pricing by knocking Millwater Publishing's newest release "SHOE YOUR OWN DAMNED HORSE!" down to $11.50 on Amazon.

   All Amazon Prime delivery, reward points, and other discounts apply.

https://www.amazon.com/Shoe-Your-Own-Damned-Horse/dp/B0DGF3CZVD

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Handy Tool for Farriers!

 FARRIERS!

   Do you have some of 'those' clients?  Always thinks you're doing it wrong, because of something a trainer, vet, riding instructor, Social Media expert, or random person at the tack shop said? 

   Here is a succinct way to reply...

   Hand them a copy of, or at least forward them a link to...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DGF3CZVD

   Maybe they'll take the hint.  ;)

#farrier  #hoofcare  #horsecare
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Why would you want or need to shoe your own horses?

 Excerpt from Shoe Your Own Damned Horse!

Why would you want or need to shoe your own horses?

   I'd be the first to agree that a good, professional farrier is worth twice his fee.  But, with things going the way they are, a lot of horseowners are liable to have trouble coming up with half of what a pro farrier has to charge to stay in business, or may not have the option of hiring one at all due to career shoers needing to consolidate their services to the most lucrative stables.

   It's been said that equines are a luxury in modern times.  So, if folks can't afford to pay for essential things like hoof care, they just shouldn't have horses at all.  But I'm not too crazy about the idea of restricting the Horse World to just the wealthy elite as the Middle Class withers away.  Heck!  With petroleum prices as volatile as they've become, ordinary Americans might just be back to horse and buggy anyway.

   Even during the boom years of the 1990s, when I was an officer of a national organization of professional farriers, I frequently received calls from horseowners telling me that there were no real farriers available in their areas.  Sometimes what these callers really meant was "Nobody wants to come shoe for beer money."  But often their claims proved true and I couldn't find a decent journeyman taking on clients within a hundred miles of them.

   The ever-increasing standards of pro farriery, as well as the advancements in the science, have since contributed to the stratification of the trade between expensively equipped, trained hoofcare technicians and jackleg shoe-horsers. 

   So horseowners may find themselves with few options:  Expending considerable effort and treasure to haul their horse to the nearest qualified farrier willing to take them on...  Settling for the local Cheap John horseshoer and hoping for the best...  Or resorting to one of the magic barefoot trim or horseshoe alternative fads.

   Or you could learn to do it yourself.  Of course, no collection of printed pages can teach you to do that without some real world training.  But this book may give you some idea of what you're getting into.

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Fire... So easy a caveman can do it?

 

Excerpt from SHOE YOUR OWN DAMNED HORSE!

   At our regional farrier group's first public clinic, one of our
guys broke out his most recent acquisition. An antique, but fully
functional roll-out coal forge. Like most horseshoers circa 1990,
his experience was almost entirely in gas forges. He poured the
pan full of green (uncoked) coal, stuffed some paper in over the
grate, lit it, and started cranking away.

   In a few seconds the paper was blown away as ash and the
forge was still cold.

   So he tried again. With more paper, harder cranking. After
several attempts with no success, he got a bit frustrated and
went for the gasoline.

   I backed up several steps.

   Coal got soaked with gas, match was tossed-in, and our guy
cranked the blower like a madman, resulting in a spectacular
pillar of flame straight out of The Ten Commandments... For the
twenty seconds or so it took for the gas to burn away. Then our
intrepid blacksmith was left with non-burning coal, singed
beard, and a smoldering cap brim.

   At this point he seemed ready to accept assistance, so I got a
scoop of burning coke out of my forge, put it over the grate of
his, mounded-up the coal around it, wet-down the outer stuff,
and cranked easy 'til we had a proper fire going.

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How SYODH! Came To Be...

 

   Okay...  It may seem strange that, after so many years of promoting farriery as a proper profession with a high standard of practical competence, I would publish a primer for horseowners wishing to shoe their own animals.

   This project actually didn't start out that way.  You see, one of my primary interests for decades has been "doomsteading".  Basically, setting up and living on a rural farmstead designed to withstand the various social, economic, and natural disasters that happen from time-to-time.  I was part of some of the Internet's discussion forums on the subject of coping with broad collapse, and was bemused by how much nonsense some "Doomers" were throwing around.  Especially when it came to hippie-dippy wishful thinking about self-sufficiency from a tiny garden and reliance on a "community" of similarly clueless people.  Especially (and irrationally) optimistic was the notion that they could wait until AFTER some apocalyptic, civilization-ending event to start their doomsteads.

   Having been on our own doomstead since Y2k was the upcoming End Of The World threat (no, we weren't really worried about that one), we'd figured out a good bit of what did and did not really work.  So I decided that my next book would be on low-nonsense doomsteading. 

   I soon realized that the book was becoming a full set of encyclopedias.  Real world derailments and health crises made me realize that it was likely that either myself, Western Civilization, or both, were going to go belly-up before I could get the thing finished and published!  So I scaled the project down to my general field of expertise, horse keeping...  Then again to my professional bailiwick, horseshoeing.

   It doesn't take a nuclear war type KABOOM to create a situation where lots of horseowners will be unable to hire competent, professional farriers.   You don't have to be too geriatric to remember times when folks simply didn't have the money to pay fair prices for horseshoeing, and journeymen farriers couldn't afford to drive all over the countryside doing small-time stops.  It is probably no coincidence that magical "barefoot horse trimming" snake oil  blossoms in popularity when there is even a moderate economic downturn.

   Considering how much some people vying to rule the country loathe fossil fuels, it might not be a bad idea for folks to learn to shoe their own damned horses.  Just in case they become involuntarily Amish!

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Hardcover now on AMAZON!

HARDCOVER now on AMAZON!

   On my desk now is my new proof copy of the MILLWATER'S FARRIERY hardcover version.  Nothing new about having the book in hardcover, except now it is available directly through Amazon rather than a more obscure and less trusted vendor...  And the price is considerably lower.  Don't get confused by Amazon listing 2022 as publication date.  This is the same content as the original MILLWATER'S FARRIERY paperback and hardcover.  This version is just new to them.

   The print and binding quality appear to be as good or better than the Lulu version.  Amazon says it usually ships within ten days now.

   I might have added the Amazon casewrap months ago, but health issues essentially launched me from (ahem) Middle-Aged to the far-end of Geriatric late last year, leaving me too tired and addled to get much accomplished.  Quacks may be getting a handle on it now...  Or maybe the cussed orneriness at my core is finally burning through the fog.

   In any event, the next Millwater Publishing project is well underway.  I should have more on that soon.

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'Tis the Season...

   Well, the Thanksgiving Feast is done.  Hope this season found y'all well and in good company!

   Now it's for those turkey sandwiches, midnight pumpkin pie raids, and (of course) the start of the holiday shopping season!

   For those of you with tech-inclined horse-folks on your shopping list, Millwater's FARRIERY, the encyclopedic reference of hoofcare and horseshoeing, is now available in Kindle Edition for less than half the trade paperback price.  This ebook version includes all the content of the print edition, and has hyperlinks for cross-referencing with a tap or click!

   For the Christmas season, I'm activating Amazon's "Matchbook" feature that allows folks who buy the paperback to add the Kindle Edition for $2.99.

   For Black Friday / Cyber Monday you can also get the trade paperback version of Millwater's FARRIERY for one-third off the list price by ordering direct and using code ZT7855DA .  This code only works for direct order, not on Amazon.

   Of course, Amazon will be running various promotions of their own.

   You can follow Millwater Publishing on FaceBook and Twitter for the various discount sales of the Hardcover Edition and eBay promo copies.

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Millwater's FARRIERY: Getting Modern...

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   I published the 2010 version of the lexicon of farriery to (then still fairly new) Amazon Kindle e-reader using Amazon's online system to convert it from the original PDF file of the print edition.  I was never that happy with the results, but it actually sold some 'copies'.

Quick revisit of the final "New" Dictionary of Farrier Terms.

   I wanted to do it better with the current Millwater's FARRIERY, so the conversion was done in-house, much of it manually.  Which is why the Kindle (and other e-reader) port has taken so long to release.

   Cross-referencing has been a big part of the design since the first Pocket Dictionary in 1994, relying not only on SEE:, SEE ALSO:, and similar instructions, but on typesetting cues within the definitions and articles themselves.

   With the Kindle version, we can take that a bit farther with hypertext.  Instead of just seeing words defined elsewhere in the book printed in boldface italics, you'll actually be able to tap/click on them and go directly to their entries.

   Aside from the magic of hypertext, the content of the new e-reader version is identical to the trade paperback and hardcover editions...  Even though the Amazon page count is over 100 pages higher.  That's due to the very tight formatting in the physical print editions getting a lot of content onto each page.

   The text content is "flowable", so you can change the size smoothly...  The graphic elements have been reformatted for best display on base Kindles while staying withing the data size limitations of the format.  On some of the higher resolution new models, these element may initially display small, but you should be able to blow them up and still have good viewing resolution.

   At around half the price of the trade paperback, there are some advantages to this newfangled age.

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Millwater's FARRIERY: Horseshoe Repair for Horseowners.

   Hope you're all having a very merry Christmas season!

   Over the years, I've heard from many horseowners that their access to truly competent horseshoeing is limited because the quality farriers are too far away and don't want to make the trip for small barns.

   What people may not comprehend is that pro farriers build their practices on providing reliable service to their customers, and that goes beyond just the scheduled shoeing days.  No matter how well a horse is shod, there will occasionally be a loose or thrown shoe.  (In fact, shoeing approaches that sacrifice proper support and protection to make the shoes harder to lose are a major source of the "evils of horseshoes" concept.)  So the farrier isn't just thinking about whether he should drive out to you place to shoe your horses, but also whether he'll be able to get out in a timely manner to do patchwork.

   One thing that makes it easier for a farrier to say "yes" to a remote client is the knowledge that he won't be asked to warp his schedule out of shape to come tack one shoe back on.  Horseowners capable of doing their own patchwork are not only attractive clients for dedicated farriers, but also can travel with their horses knowing that they won't have to rely on some stranger if their horse manages to hang a shoe away from home.

   And patching a shoe doesn't require a professional farrier's rolling shop.  A simple, inexpensive kit is sufficient...

   Nor does the task require the skills of a journeyman farrier.  With the hoof already trimmed and balanced, the shoe already fit, and the nail paths through the wall already established, flattening the iron and tacking it back on is well within the layman's capability.

   This sample from MILLWATER'S FARRIERY: The Illustrated Dictionary of Horseshoeing and Hoofcare is assembled from several of the book's encyclopedic entries, and gives an overview of how to fix that thrown, loose, or bent horseshoe for horseowners.

   Of course, the book is designed for cross-referencing, so you don't quite get the full effect here. And the illustrations are much higher resolution in print (downgraded to keep the online file smaller).

.PDF files at links.  

Fixing Loose & Thrown Shoes...

Alternate Link if Above Fails...

   Be forewarned though...  This is the kind of capability that can make one perhaps a little TOO popular around the stables or group trail ride.

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Millwater's FARRIERY: 20 Years of the Farrier's Dictionary...

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   Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, and are progressing into a merry Christmas Season!

   2014 marks the 20th anniversary of Millwater Publishing's dictionary of farriery publications. It started with just a humble, saddle-stitched glossary with pen and ink diagrams and daisy-wheel generated master copies...

   Since then, there have been many updates, expansions, and upgrades in production.  Now it's a perfect-bound trade paperback or glossy hardcover with photographic illustrations. The content has evolved into more encyclopedic form, with extended articles and lots of cross-referencing for efficiency.  Covering ground from basic horsemanship to advanced farriery, with a focus on practical application. 

   It makes me a little embarrassed to look back at some of the early editions.  But they do serve as interesting markers to the eras in which each edition was published.

   The current edition is designed to be a handy reference for horseowners, students, farriers, and other equestrian professionals.  

   I usually post promotional discount codes for the hardcover version on the Millwater Publishing FaceBook Page and Twitter feed.  (I don't make those up.  I just report 'em!)  

   Right now, Amazon is doing 30% off the trade paperback if you use checkout code HOLIDAY30

   And, to celebrate 20 years of the lexicon project, I'm going to do them one better for Black Friday through Cyber Monday with 50% off the trade paperback when you ORDER DIRECT and use check-out code RXYKQG6P

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Internet Horse Experts...

   Despite my preference for coal forges over gas, trucks with hand-cranks over hypercomplex modern vehicles (and horse & wagon over both), I'm not a Luddite, really.  I was an early adapter to the Internet.  Mine might just have been the first farrier's page on the WWW, back when most of the horse-set didn't know what the Web was...

   But I somehow seem to have been outrun by the advancing technology, and fallen behind a new class of Internet Horse Experts.  While these brilliant prodigies have apparently developed the ability to fully evaluate, diagnose, and prescribe for various equine problems simply by looking at a digital photo on a flat screen, I still find myself often at a loss without the ability to get the full, four-dimensional observation, as well as additional data.

   In anticipation of foaling season, I've been watching some of the breeding/foaling forums and groups on the Internet.  Lots of people posting pictures of their mares' udders, and plenty of responses regarding how much longer before the mares foal.

   Makes me feel inadequate... After spending a lifetime around broodmares, midwifing generations of foals into the world, darned if I can look at a picture and tell you "Relax, you've got weeks to go!".  Maybe I'm getting senile, but I sure seem to recall knowing mares who had full udders several weeks before foaling, others who had pretty much no bag until just before labor, and still others everywhere in-between.

Take that out of town trip. Plenty of time before she foals!

   Of course that's nothing compared to the Internet Experts on hoof-care.  A couple of pictures of a hoof and they can tell you everything that's wrong and diagram a trimming approach to fix it.  Decades as a credentialed, professional farrier and my backward self still has to see more than a few angles, observe the horse in motion, and consider the animal's total confirmation before I can begin to seriously evaluate the situation and propose a trimming and/or shoeing approach.

   Silly me.  I really should catch-up on how to be a modern Internet Expert.

'

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