[RickB.]

Originally Posted by Dawn

Just because you heat the shoe to shape it doesn't mean you have to hot shoe with it.

You mean "hot fit" with it, right?

I'm very suprised that your farrier hot shoes all horses. It's not something that's warrented or even appropriate in all situations.

Why? Absent an adverse reaction from the horse, hot fitting has many advantages over cold fitting.

[RickB.]

Originally Posted by No1Dazy

How does that matter to the size discussion? Isn't the shoe the same size, whether it's put on hot or cold? It still has a size, and is shaped for the horse.

True. However, when a shoe is forged from bar stock, rather than referring to it as a size 0, etc, the farrier will generally remark that it took "X" inches of steel/aluminum, to make the shoe.

Also, since there are size variations among the various manufacturers of keg shoes, an '0'(for example) from one manufacturer may not be the same as an '0' from another manufacturer. To compound the problem, even shoes from the same manufacturer, labeled as the same size, may vary by style. eg: A St. Croix '0' lite rim shoe will not be the same size as a St. Croix '0' Eventer.

To add to the confusion, different manufactured shoes often have the nail hole locations in different places. ie.: some are punched "fine" (closer to the outer edge of the web of the shoe) and some are punched "coarse" (more towards the inner edge of the web of the shoe) and some are a compromise between the two.

Hand made shoes are all punched according to the dictates of the individual hoof and/or application.

[RickB.]

Originally Posted by GingerSnap

Out here we don't use hot shoeing at all. The farriers buy the shoes premade, they have an anvil and a hammer and the pound the shoe to fit the horse.

It has been said that farriers go to H-ell for two reasons:

1. Pounding cold steel
2. Not charging enough

I make a concerted effort to be guilty of neither.

When a farrier only works cold, s/he limits her/him self to what modification s/he can make to the shoe. This is, more often than not, not a good thing for the horse.

IMNTBCHO, every farrier has the ability to work competently in the forge.

Iron hangers on the other hand, do not. And though they may call themselves what they will, again, IMNTBCHO, they are pretenders to the throne.

By the way, hanging iron is not the same thing as horseshoeing/farriery. JMO of course.

[RickB.]

Originally Posted by Dawn

Hot shoeing is shoeing the horse with a hot shoe

Not quite. You imply that one nails on a shoe that is still hot from the forge. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Hot shoeing refers to the process of first forging either bar stock or a keg shoe, with any necessary modifications, to the shape of the of the hoof and then while still hot, checking the fit of the shoe and then making any necessary adjustments. Once all that has been accomplished, the shoe is cooled and amended to the hoof.

As noted, hot forging/fitting has many advantages over cold shaping/fitting, though in the end, if the job has been done correctly, the horse couldn't care less.

[NovDressageRdr]

Originally Posted by No1Dazy

How does that matter to the size discussion? Isn't the shoe the same size, whether it's put on hot or cold? It still has a size, and is shaped for the horse.

I never ask what shoe size my mare wears as when the metal heats up it is stretched then it is shaped, when it cools it will remain stretched.

[RickB.]

Originally Posted by NovDressageRdr

I never ask what shoe size my mare wears as when the metal heats up it is stretched then it is shaped, when it cools it will remain stretched.

Evidently, you've not had the pleasure of forging and/or hot fitting a shoe and then cooling it a bit too quickly.

Unfortunately, I have. Once again proving the axiom that "Good judgment comes from experience, and experience often comes from bad judgment"

[Dawn]

Originally Posted by RickB.

You mean "hot fit" with it, right?



Why? Absent an adverse reaction from the horse, hot fitting has many advantages over cold fitting.

Uh yes Sometimes I get a bit too into my thoughts and don't pay attention to what I'm saying.

I just said that it suprised me that her farrier did hot shoeing on all horses. Which through discussion we found out wasn't the case, but oh well.

[Dawn]

Originally Posted by RickB.

Not quite. You imply that one nails on a shoe that is still hot from the forge. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Hot shoeing refers to the process of first forging either bar stock or a keg shoe, with any necessary modifications, to the shape of the of the hoof and then while still hot, checking the fit of the shoe and then making any necessary adjustments. Once all that has been accomplished, the shoe is cooled and amended to the hoof.

As noted, hot forging/fitting has many advantages over cold shaping/fitting, though in the end, if the job has been done correctly, the horse couldn't care less.

Very true. Thank you for clarifying. I get in too big of a hurry sometimes and over simplify.