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 Well illustrated with appendices of full-page illustrations, historical reference material, and resource guides.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

. . .

-30-

Merry Christmas!!!

   Of course, we never have a White Christmas 'round here. But this picture is from some years back when we came kinda' close.

   It snowed every week of December. Still managed to be snow-free for Christmas, then it snowed on Boxing Day!

~ ~ ~

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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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SHOE YOUR OWN DAMNED HORSE! Release.

 

Press Release

MILLWATER PUBLISHING
Dave Millwater
SYODH@MillwaterPublishing.com

For immediate release.

SHOE YOUR OWN DAMNED HORSE! LAUNCHED.

Comprehensive yet good-natured paperback primer for horse owners who want (or need) to learn how to trim or shoe their own animals.  Written by a veteran farrier and horseman. Well illustrated, and with emphasis on practical economy.

[Dateline: Albemarle, NC, September 23, 2024]  --  Sometimes there really isn't a professional around when you need one.  Social and economic trends are likely to make it difficult for many horseowners to access the services of competent farriers.  SYODH! is designed to be a light overview of what is involved to adequately service one's own horses, as opposed to a heavy textbook intended for aspiring professional horseshoers.  It includes basics of hoof and limb evaluation, hoof trimming for barefoot or shoeing, shoe selection, modification, and application.  Also covered are tool selection and production. 

Millwater Publishing was started thirty years ago to release the first modern lexicon of farriery, The Pocket Dictionary of Farrier Terms and Technical Language (LCCN 94158685), which was followed by eight, ever-expanding editions of The New Dictionary of Farrier Terms and Technical Language, and finally culminated in the illustrated, encyclopedic Millwater's FARRIERY.  (Dave Millwater's extended bio is available on his Amazon author page, linked from the aforementioned book pages.)

Shoe Your Own Damned Horse!
ISBN: ‎ 9798338547410
Amazon link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DGF3CZVD

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Download Press Release PDF.

TEMPUS FUGIT!

    Somebody posted a meme about how "thirty years ago" seems like it should be big collars and bell-bottom jeans, but is actually just 1994.  And it dawned on me that 1994 is the anniversary of the publication of the Pocket Dictionary of Farrier Terms and Technical Language.  The pathfinder for a whole series of farriery lexicons that culminated in Millwater's FARRIERY.

   While 1994 doesn't seem like it's THAT long ago to some of us, a lot has changed in that time.

   Today I found myself groaning at the hassle of having to re-upload a book manuscript to my P.O.D. after fixing a PDF formatting error that they (fortunately) detected.  Big uploads take a while (several minutes) with our out-in-the-boonies Internet. 

   Then I remembered putting together and publishing that first dictionary.  P.O.D. wasn't really a thing then.  Neither was Amazon, really.  The Internet as we know it was just getting started.  PDF was still in development. 

   Most of the work on the Pocket Dictionary was done on an archaic (even by '90s standards) Commodore computer, which is why the main body text was output by daisy wheel printer.  Got a 68030 Macintosh to help towards the end.  Didn't have fancy printer or scanner to go with it, so it was off to Kinko's with diskettes in-hand to intimidate the nerds out of the way so we could monopolize the machines needed.

   Back then, for us, "cut and paste" involved actual scissors and glue!  I had to create photo-ready master sheets, make copies and assemble them into prototypes.  We'd take all this to a printing shop and get a literal truckload of books made, paid-for up-front.  Hauled 'em home to warehouse.  No wonder I tried to keep the page-count down, and omitted anything fancy!  I had no guarantee any of the bloody things would sell to recoup that investment.

   And selling them was problematic, since online retail wasn't really a thing yet.  We had to get people to snail-mail us checks so we could package-up and ship books to fill their orders.  So cumbersome!

   But the press releases and review copies did their job, and before long, half of the first printing was gone and we were in the black on the project.   From there it was onward and upward, publishing-wise. 

   Can't say I miss the "good ol' days" of publishing too much.  Though I am nostalgic for when more people were into reading...  I'm too old and homely to do trendy video content!

.

- 30 -

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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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- 30 -

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ACERUGS Synthetic Saddle Review.

   Some years back I realized that my primary saddle, a top-of-the-line heavy ranch work model I'd been using and abusing since the days of big collars and bell-bottoms, needed to be replaced.  Much as I loved the old thing, it was not only showing its years, but no longer fit my old carcass.  (Middle-age and medical conditions can turn Bo Duke into Uncle Jesse!)  Plus, I'd gone from riding normal-sized quarter horses to mega-beasts half-again bigger, so the saddle didn't really fit them either.

   I'd long thought about building my own saddle.  And, since nothing on the market seemed close to meeting my needs, and I didn't want to mortgage the farm to pay for a needlessly fancy custom job, I went ahead and did it.

   What I built was not only big enough to accommodate my usual physique, but a good bit extra in case (Providence forbid) I get bloated-up by another episode.  Cantle spacers functioning like a truck's sliding seat.  It also has extra-long bars halfway between full QH and draft, specifically sculpted for best load distribution over the backs of horses in the 17hh, 1600# neighborhood.  Oh... I also wanted the tree sturdy enough for Gwangi roping, and impervious to Dixie humidity.  So it got steel internal reinforcements, carbon fiber external, and full fiberglass covering.

   It came out homely as a mud fence, but it fits my big horses and me nigh perfect.  Still ,it has a few drawbacks...

   First, it's quite heavy.  Around 70#.  I can usually sling that up onto my 17-2hh colt okay, and he doesn't notice a few extra stone...  But, if I get a bit busted-up or sickly, there's not anyone else around who can do it for me.  And some horses don't have that much spare carrying capacity.

   Second, I do sometimes get to ride normal-sized horses, and the Frankensaddle doesn't fit them so well.

   Third, while my saddle's tree is watertight, the leather it's dressed and rigged with is not.  Particularly troublesome, since the hills of North Carolina are trying to identify as some kind of rain forest lately.

   So I decided to get a secondary saddle.  Something light, that would fit quarter horses better (while still being usable on the bigger critters), weatherproof, and cheap to semi-disposable. 

   I looked around a bit and wound-up ordering an Acerugs synthetic western saddle through Amazon.  These come in a plethora of colors and variations.  I resisted the urge to get one in hot pink zebra stripes with rhinestone pinwheels and went with the 18" Black Endurance model.  This version forgoes most of the bling accents in favor of sturdier double-screwed lanyard rings in useful places.  It came with a matching saddle pad, bridle, reins, and breast collar.

   All for around $300.  My 1970s utilitarian ranch saddle retailed for nearly four grand in 2021 dollars.  So expectations aren't too high going-in.

   Out of the box we noticed that, for a saddle made of not-leather, it was surprisingly easy on the eyes.  The pommel, horn, and top of the cantle are covered with a leather-like vinyl.  The various panels are covered in Cordura, which is apparently a kind of nylon with a denim-like surface texture.  The seat is synthetic suede and well-padded, and did legit measure 18".  It has conventional D-rings, front and back, with nylon rigging.  Black synthetic sheepskin underneath.  Blevins buckles on the nylon stirrup 'leathers', which are stock-saddle style, meaning that the fenders are not load-bearing.  (This is a good thing).   The stirrups themselves are Cordura covered and lightly padded.  About 5" inside width measurement at the tread, which is typical for regular size western saddles.  Very light saddle overall. Around 20#.

   The saddle pad is a 30" long, cut-back with black synthetic fleece on the horse's side, slick material on top with leather-like wear pads in the usual places.  Some Amazon reviews complain of receiving pony-size bridles, but the one they sent us appears to be normal QH size.  Wide, neoprene-lined, decorated brow-band type.  The split reins are plain 7' nylon with Conway buckles.  The breast collar is neoprene-lined Y type with small star concha decorations matching the bridle brow band, and has a quick-attach snap for connecting to the cinch.

   The saddle came with nylon off billet, 'latigo' strap, and flank billets...  Oddly missing is a flank cinch.  (Not a packing error. It is not included.)

   Since the new saddle is built on quarter horse bars, I chose ol' Troubs, our 15-1hh, 1200# quarter horse, for the first test.  I used the included pad and breast collar.

   The saddle seemed to fit him pretty well, with ample wither clearance.  When I tightened the cinch, the rear of the saddle raised up off his back a bit, suggesting that the front D-rings may be placed a little farther forward than ideal.  Not a big problem though.

   The stirrup 'leathers' were set all the way out from the factory, and were a bit too long for me that way.  So they are long enough for tall riders.  The stirrups themselves were a problem though.  This wasn't a surprise to me, being a sasquatch and all... But I thought I'd be able to at least get my narrowest riding boots in far enough to do for a few laps around the yard on a well-broke horse.  I hadn't figured on the lightness of these stirrups.  Having almost no mass meant that they just 'bounced' away when a boot touched them.  Had to lean down and put them onto (and off of) my boot toes.

   The saddle was generally comfortable.  The shallow slope created by the padding from mid-seat up to the top of the cantle did, however, act as a ramp, gradually sliding me forward into the pommel.  This was partially due to limited ability to push myself back through the stirrups.  It seems like something that will fade with break-in, as the memory foam crushes down, leaving a more upright cantle.

   Several Amazon reviews complained of the "slick" saddle pad causing the saddle to shift while riding.  They were correct.  Not only the slickness, but the puffy nature of the new pad resulting in the cinch being effectively looser than intended, made the saddle prone to sliding around on the horse.  The pad might be better broken-in under a saddle that already has been.

   For the next test ride, I used our 16-2hh, 1450# quargian.  The included breast collar did have enough adjustment to fit her.  I replaced the Acerugs stirrups with Royal King black oversized westerns, and used a trusty old saddle pad.

   Still had a slight problem footing the stirrups due to the 'leathers' holding them parallel to the horse's sides.  This is common in new saddles.  It remains to be seen if the synthetics will 'train' like leather does with a broomstick holding the stirrups twisted-out in storage.  They did seem to 'fight' me less as the ride progressed.  If necessary, it's easy enough to add gadgets that turn the stirrups 90 degrees or let them swivel.

   Even with the broken-in pad, the saddle wanted to shift side-to-side at first, especially on the low-withered mare.  But, after it slid back a two or three inches, that stopped.  It seems that this saddle likes to be set a little farther back than my others in order to rest firmly in the 'pocket' of the horse's back.  Once there, it fit pretty well, and didn't try to slide-back further. (The breast collar didn't get overly tight.)

   It sits rather nicely, and I think it'll get even better with a bit of breaking-in.  I wouldn't suggest using it for heavy ranch work like roping or ponying recalcitrant fillies, as I doubt the lightweight tree would hold-together.  But, for this price-point, it's a heck of a deal for moderate riding purposes.  

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Happy Thanksgiving!

   Hard to believe the holiday season is already upon us again!

   Folks following Millwater Publishing know that I've been busy with the ongoing project.  At least until events at Prophet's Thumb started demanding so much time and attention.  (Rough start to an already late dairy season.)    Thankful to have got through that rough patch...  And to have made it to the slow-down phase of the season where I'm not spending all night, every night, in the dairy kitchen!

   Also thankful to have a barn full of healthy Quargian (AQHA/BDHCA) youngsters coming up.  Just hope I've still got it in me to make proper mounts of the industrial strength beasties.  Especially the colt.  A yearling now, and already a 16+ hand locomotive.

   Sadly, for a {ahem} middle-aged Sasquatch like me riding Jurassic Park refugees like these critters, the saddle that fit 1970s me and working quarter horses perfectly won't quite get it done.  So I've been distracted with another long-overdue project...

   "He sold his saddle" is cowboy speak for something akin to "He sold his soul."

   Wonder what it means when he builds a new saddle from scratch...

   Anyway...  Here's hoping you all find yourselves with plenty to be thankful for this turkey-day, and may it be the start of a joyous holiday season!

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