Home Current News News Archive Shop/Advertise Ridecamp Classified Events Learn/AERC
Endurance.Net Home Ridecamp Archives
ridecamp@endurance.net
[Archives Index]   [Date Index]   [Thread Index]   [Author Index]   [Subject Index]

Re: [RC] [RC] [RC] hot shoeing - Truman Prevatt

I had a talk with my farrier Friday when he came out. He shapes new shoes in the forge but when he's resetting the current shoes, he does it cold since there is little shaping needed. Even when it is hot and he's checking the fit, he doesn't sear the foot. He'll case harden them if you need that. There maybe a puff of smoke here or there but that's about it. He's been at it for 30 years and seen just about everything. He started in CO and came to FL to make his living in the racing industry since he could work year round in FL but not in CO. He got started in the racing industry where you can't "hot fit a shoe" because as he says, there is not enough foot there to do it. In fact he told me that the test to shoe at the track - when he took it - included completing shaping a set of shoe cold that fits the horse and putting them on within a set time.

Of course the good ones leave the racing industry because they get tired getting beat up by marginally trained horses and not getting paid on time. But he said the OJT they get in the racing industry is indispensable because they see a lot of different horses and every kind of problem possible and learn how to deal with it. He still actually makes shoes from scratch from - from preshaped bar stock - when necessary (but as you will pay for his time in doing it).

As far the searing of the hoof keeping the hoof drier ( which some believe is the case) he pointed out that most of the moisture enters through the sole - at least in the really wet climates like FL in the wet season and searing the wall has absolutely no effect on keeping the water out.

The farrier I had before the current on was before we moved here. He was Tokay but young. His father, however, was the farrier at the Univ of Ill vet school. His father retired and moved to FL and would go out with Lee sometimes - particularly in the winter when there was more work and the weather was cool. The first time the father was at our house we were shoeing a horse for the first time. Lee trims the foot and fires up the forge. His father ask him what he was doing and Lee said shaping shoes for this horse. His father told him to turn off the forge and walked over and picked up each of Rocket's feet and looked at them. He went over pulled out four shoes, shaped them cold. When he matched them to Rocket's feet the were damn near perfect. He had to tap one a little. Within 20 minutes he had four shoes on the horse. The horse went 6 weeks in those shoes without a problem. After that when Lee did them Rocket would always yank one of his fronts. We always had trouble with Rocket till we moved and found our present farrier. Since we did that Rocket has not yanked a shoe.

The bottom line is to find a good farrier - one that has been around enough to have the necessary experience to help your horse. If they shoe hot - and they are good, fine. If they shoe cold and are good, that's fine two. The important thing is what works.

Truman

Barbara McCrary wrote:


Now to come to the point.....he always fitted a hot shoe, then doused it in cold water to harden the steel. I didn't know there was any other way, until I had to use younger horseshoers who fit shoes cold. I have no preference as long as the shoes fit and do a good job for my horse.


Barbara
Who is fascinated with American history and family history.



--


"The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. The opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth." Niels Bohr -- Nobel Laureate, Physics




=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=