I used to think a hot rasp was just for show until a horse in Kentucky changed my mind.

For years I'd shape a shoe cold, then fit and nail it, thinking the extra heat step was a waste of time. Then I worked on a big warmblood with a shelly, crumbly hoof wall that wouldn't hold a nail without cracking, and the farrier I was helping pulled out his hot rasp to seal the nail holes. Seeing how it fused the horn and stopped the cracks cold made me a believer overnight. How many of you still work cold, and what would it take to change your mind?

3 comments

3 Comments

victor2191mo ago

Well, my stubbornness about hot work lasted right up until I tried to dress a wonky hoof wall cold and made it look like a beaver went at it. That was a pretty quick lesson in humility, let me tell you. The smell of burning horn still makes me cringe a little from that day. Now I see that heat is just another tool, and sometimes it's the right one for the job, even for a guy who likes to keep things simple. It's hard to argue with results when you see it actually fix a problem you can't solve cold.

palmer.zara1mo ago

My old farrier used to say a cold rasp on a bad hoof wall is like trying to carve marble with a butter knife. I guess the beaver method proves his point. That burnt horn smell really does stick with you, doesn't it? It's like the hoof's way of saying you should have just plugged in the nippers.

kim_nelson1mo ago

Totally get what you mean, @palmer.zara. I finally gave in and used heat on a nasty flare last month after fighting it cold. The wall just melted back into place like it was supposed to be there, no beaver teeth in sight. Sometimes the simple way is just wrong.