WWYD - lost nails in the field..

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

So the same day Dex had his first set of shoes put on he twisted a back one and completely pulled out two (maybe 3) of the nails in his 2 acre field..

It’s given me anxiety ever since that he’s going to come in with one through his foot, it would be just my luck! Not helped by a friend having just PTS one of hers for the same injury that got an infection that travelled to the bone etc..

So WWYD? Would it be mental to try and source a man with a metal detector on a day rate?

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I believe it is possible to hire a metal detector; it is something I'd deffo consider if I was in your position, and worried.

Alternatively you might find a local metal-detecting club would be able to help you out; you'd need to make a decent "donation" I would think, but it might be achievable, particularly if in your part of the world there's some sort of "history" around. I had a couple of metal detectorists at my place; they found some old coins and a few other items like what was in all likelihood the tiny little shoe that my grandmother's Dartmoor pony had, plus some massive great chunky shoes that obviously belonged to the big draught horses used on our farm and which my mother used to talk about.

 

[Burnttoast]

Most detectorists would do it for free if you were happy for them to dig any other signals as well. The guy who does my pest control gives me a discount and he and his dad come and detect on my field (not that they find anything of much interest!) Local smallholder/farmer groups on FB will have them as members.

 

[Orangina]

Or a big magnet, you get them on wheels that rotate and uou wheel along the ground. Some farriers have them

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Perhaps I’ll speak to the YM and see if she would mind, I think she’ll be nervous they’ll make a load of holes in the field but it’s worth a try - she’ll think I’m mad!

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Or a big magnet, you get them on wheels that rotate and uou wheel along the ground. Some farriers have them

Ohh this could be an idea, I’ll have a Google

 

[Orangina]

Ohh this could be an idea, I’ll have a Google

 

[Tiddlypom]

It’s hard enough to locate a missing shoe in a field doing visual sweeps up and down. It would be virtually impossible to find a couple of nails with a metal detector in a 2 acre field.

Unless you can narrow the area where the nails came out right down to a manageable area to sweep?

 

[Orangina]

It’s hard enough to locate a missing shoe in a field doing visual sweeps up and down. It would be virtually impossible to find a couple of nails with a metal detector in a 2 acre field.

Unless you can narrow the area where the nails came out right down to a manageable area to sweep?

I reckon you could do it with the rolling magnet if you di it as if you are mowing a lawn,up and down in straight lines

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

This is about a third of the field, so it might be unrealistic. I just know that despite it being next to impossible to find he’ll probably manage it with the sole of his foot . I wondered if you may get longer metal detectors you may be able to do large sweeps, I’ve never used one I have to admit

 

[Clodagh]

I think you’d be mad! And we had metal detectorists in my paddock at home and although they put the sod back it came out again and I ended up with holes everywhere.

 

[Fieldlife]

I have over the decades loads of lost shoes in field. Most shoes turn up eventually if not found on first walk. But I am sure some will have lost nails in the process of coming off that are never found. And never had a horse impale itself on one. Most lost nails will be horizontal not vertical if trodden on. I think the risk is pretty low. Did you friend's horse tread on a nail in a shoe? A lost shoe nail by itself? Or some other kind of nail?:

 

[rabatsa]

I bought a metal detector several years ago. It has more than paid for itself in finding parts that have dropped off the tractor. Warning you are best not wearing metal toecaps in your boots and mine kept setting the detector off.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

This is about a third of the field, so it might be unrealistic. I just know that despite it being next to impossible to find he’ll probably manage it with the sole of his foot . I wondered if you may get longer metal detectors you may be able to do large sweeps, I’ve never used one I have to admit

View attachment 142327

The field might be big, but if your YM does agree to it, and you do happen to have some metal detector enthusiasts nearby, then it sounds to me like a situation where you won't lose anything on giving it a try. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, but at least you gave it a try. If it does work, great!

The magnetic pick-up sweeper looks to me like something meant to be used indoors on a factory floor or similar, but maybe it actually also works outdoors. If you decide to give one of those a try, and it works, that would also be great.

 

[Orangina]

The field might be big, but if your YM does agree to it, and you do happen to have some metal detector enthusiasts nearby, then it sounds to me like a situation where you won't lose anything on giving it a try. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, but at least you gave it a try. If it does work, great!

The magnetic pick-up sweeper looks to me like something meant to be used indoors on a factory floor or similar, but maybe it actually also works outdoors. If you decide to give one of those a try, and it works, that would also be great.

They work fine outdoors. Our farrier uses one quite easily over rough ground

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

. Did you friend's horse tread on a nail in a shoe? A lost shoe nail by itself? Or some other kind of nail?:

It was a farrier nail somewhere between the yard and the field, a seriously unlucky accident but Sod’s Law timing with Dex pulling his nails out!

I think I’ll just try and push it to the back of my mind and cross my fingers, the YO will not want holes dug all over the field

 

[Slightlyconfused]

View attachment 142326

We have this people werent picking up nails after shoing at the yard so the YO brought one.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

I have a metal detector (I inherited it)

I suspect, as others have said, the chances of finding the nail are very slim but if it was my field, I'd probably pop out and spend a little time looking just in case I could find it. It would make me feel better to have tried.

 

[PurBee]

That sweep magnet looks good - you might also pick up valuable micro-meteorites…(a new online fad at the moment!)

Ive got a metal detector and have used it for searching for tractor parts, flails flown off the topper etc - if you were to get a person in to sweep it with a MD - the signal given for a nail near the surface would be a lot different to the audio signal given for something buried deep. So the MD would know the difference, and if you didnt want them to dig for ‘other deeper stuff’ and just sweep for the nails, they’d know which audio signals to ignore.

If i was close to you i’d come and sweep it as i equally would be worried about his foot finding it and know that burden!

They’d likely want paying - i could sweep an acre of short grassland like your picture in around 2 hours, so 4 hours roughly for 2 acres, working in lines of sweeps to cover all the ground.

Have a word with your land-owner - because even if you ask them to sweep just for nails, and they happen to come across a very exciting deep signal of something significant, then if prior to sweeping you all agree to split ‘potential hoard proceeds’ fairly between you that the british museum would likely pay for - that gets everything squared and agreed before searching begins. Record the ‘pre-meeting’ via video phone as proof of verbal equal splitting contract. Land owner needs to give permission for any search and dig.

Its a long shot but these things do happen! ‘Woman loses horse shoe nails in field and a viking hoard of gold is found instead” type of headlines!
If the legalities are all sorted out beforehand then it keeps it fair and prevents nastiness, should something significant be found.

Metal detectors have the capability of pin-pointing various metals to the specific metal - if gold happens to be found while sweeping for a horse nail, it is so rare for it to happen, it would be foolish not to dig, especially a very large signal. There’s hoards found all the time in the MD community. So much of the past is still buried in lands never searched.

Dex may inadvertently be the cause of a windfall!

 

[PurBee]

A nail lightly pressed into the surface would give a very definite loud audio signal than deeper buried metal. Ive found all my tractor parts easily with my MD that’s a professional model. Even an amateur model should find surface iron/steel.
It’s rusted old thin nails that are harder to find as the metal has degraded away to rust, and give very weak blip blip signals.

 

[Mrs G]

When my TB was shod he’d pull shoes all the time, I always tried to find them and all the better if the nails were there too (more than often they were, and usually with a fair amount of hoof too!) If he did stand on a nail it was when he only partially took the shoe off and it was hanging off or twisted - your friend was incredibly unlucky for a stray loose nail to cause a puncture wound, so I wouldn’t worry unduly.

 

[AandK]

There are definitely metal detecting enthusiasts in the area (you are close to me) as I had one message me on FB when I put a post up on an local village group about finding Chinese lanterns in my field. Worth seeing if someone would sweep the field (with YO permission)

 

[mini-eventer]

I often struggle to find the shoe, and it is not for lack of trying

 

[SpotsandBays]

We have somebody who comes and detects on our fields. He’s really good at filling in the holes and putting the turf back on top so that it doesn’t really look like it’s been dug!
He hasn’t found us a pot of gold coins yet which is disappointing. Lots of old horse shoes though!

 

[Alibear]

As the owner of a serial shoe puller and a metal detector, I really don't rate your chances. I try not to worry about it.

 

[Birker2020]

As someone that had a nail go through Bailey's foot which had been left on the floor after shoeing and not been swept up it would worry me.
She was lucky that it hadn't gone through any important structures and I was lucky that I was able to photograph it before the vet came out so we could see where it had penetrated.

However, the chance that your horse could step on it in a 2 acre field as opposed to a 3 x 3 m area of concrete where horses were stood to be shod would be pretty neglible I would have thought.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Honestly in all the years I've been around horses which is over 40 years I've only known 2 to have something puncture the foot, my own horse trod on some sharp metal and a friends mare got a tiny tack stuck in her hoof.

I wouldn't be searching my field for nails with a metal detector I've had loads of shoes come off in my field over the years and I look for the shoe but not all the nails.

 

[Roxylola]

I think there's a difference between a sharp unused nail and one that's been hammered in twisted off and knocked down in terms of standing on and doing significant damage. Not saying it couldn't but id be pretty surprised if a pulled nail on a soft surface managed to do massive damage

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Thanks for all the replies, you’ve made me feel much better about it! I have had a few lose shoes in the past and I’ve always gotten the shoe but like you say, not all the nails necessarily. I think because he lost the nails and not the shoe it’s made it feel more of a risk than it is!

 

[BSL2]

Try not to worry. A lost shoe, yeah walk the field to find it. The nails will sink into the surface over time and disappear. You would be really unlucky to get an injury from 3 nails from a horse shoe in 2 acres. If you think about it, who really knows what has been laying dormant over the years on the land we graze.