Pauline wrote:>>Apart from opening or closing
the shoe there is not much else you can do to it when it's cold... so if you
want a really precise fit.. <<<
Well, in my experience, this is not necessarily
true. I can straighten branches, bend heels, point or square a toe,
slightly roll a toe, bevel an edge....all cold with a good
anvil.
Shaping the shoe correctly is not that hard -
what I can not do cold, is add a bar (though I can arc weld one) or pull a
clip. In the last 20 years, most shoes can be bought out of the
box with side or toe clips already in place. If the horse needs a clip in
a specific place due to a crack-then I can't do it out of the back of
my truck- I admit that and give the owner the name of
someone who can.
Most horses can be successfully cold shod by a good
farrier in less time and for less cost than they can be hot
shod.
I am very lucky in that I live close to a huge
blacksmith supply business that stocks most shoes and will sell them out of the
box by the pair if need be. I guess if that were not available, it would
be more prudent to make shoes than try to stock so many different kinds-
especially since you might have to by a whole keg to get a few pairs of what you
want. In fact, this may have led to my dependence on keg shoes, not the
development of my forging skills!! (Ah, the truth comes out!!)
Laura Hayes Vine Cliff Farms Brocton,
NY AERC# 2741
