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Hot
or Cold Shoeing: What is your Farrier Doing?
"Farrier-Friendly"™
series By Bryan
S. Farcus, BS, CF and Clyde
H. Alloway, JR. DVM
Attitudes--Past &
Present
One of the hottest issues
in today's horseshoeing industry is the concept of shoe fitting. If you
were to gather a group of farriers and initiate a round table discussion
on this topic, you would find yourself in the middle of a heated debate.
This debate, however, is not a new one. As early as 1890 a book, entitled
The Practical Horseshoer, clearly illustrated opposition among many prominent
farriers and with a bit of poignancy, M.T. Richardson summarized it best:
"The advocates
of each system of fitting are numerous, but the weight of evidence seems
to be in favor of cold fitting, in theory, and more or less hot, in practice."
He later states:
"There
are many who think differently from me on the points I touch upon, but
my experience has proven my views--to my satisfaction... A horseshoer
must understand the anatomy of the horse's foot; he must understand the
position and composition of those parts..."
Modern day attitudes
seem to deviate a bit from Richardson's viewpoint. Too often, I witness
a more narrow-minded interpretation of shoe fitting. Whether it be horse
owners or even some horseshoers, The common approach to fitting a horseshoe
to any particular horse seems to be an arbitrary decision at best. Some
horse owners tend to follow fashionable, rather than factual advice. For
instance, if a horse experiences a round of lost shoes, the search for an
easy solution leads to a choice based on existing "popular-practices". Popular,
in most cases, because of the ease in which they are applied and not necessarily
because of their effectiveness. If a farrier insists on only one shoe fitting
approach, whether it be hot or cold, some questioning may be in order. Not
every horse can tolerate constant hot fitting and, conversely, there are
those that will not benefit from a simple cold fit. So, as you can see,
the decision of hot or cold fitting should not be based on a mere "fashion
statement". A good farrier should choose a shoe fitting approach that is
completely supported by sound anatomical observation of the horse's foot,
just as Richardson advised in his 1890 writings.
It's Better To Analyze,
Rather Than Generalize
By now, you may be thinking
that this topic is not only immensely important, but also somewhat confusing.
Perhaps you're right. However, sorting out the facts will give you the ammunition
to enhance your understanding. First, lets start by deciphering the terms
and examine a few concepts that you maybe apt to overhear during an everyday
casual conversation between two farriers. Even if you consider yourself
an astute listener, a discussion of shoeing philosophy can still be overwhelming.
Irregardless, the terms do have separate connotations and distinction between
each is helpful. In a text written by Dr. Doug Butler, The Principles
of Horseshoeing,II, I found the clearest definitions. Butler begins
his discussion regarding the application of horseshoes with this simplified
and straight-forth statement:
"The aim
of "physiological horseshoeing" is to minimize the harmful effects of
the horseshoe, and to take advantage of its useful effects."
He then continues by
specifying: "The horseshoe is a beneficial tool (For the reasons listed
below, it will...)
- Protect the horse's
foot from excessive wear and resulting tenderness when its continuous
use is necessary.
- Provide traction
when necessary for safety and/or speed on slippery surfaces.
- Correct or influence
the stance and/or gait of the horse.
- Correct or improve
"abnormal" and pathological conditions of the feet and legs."
Upon reviewing the
information Butler offers, the following terms become less obscure:
- Hot shaping
refers to shoe bending or cutting procedures with the use of heat (forge).
- Cold shaping
involves shoe bending or cutting without the use of heat.
- Cold fitting
is best described as the process of "hammer-leveling" a horseshoe and
"rasp-leveling" a horse's hoof to create a union between each with the
majority of this union being one of friction, rather than relying heavily
on compression of the hoof and shoe from it's nails. Proper cold fitting
can be time consuming. However, if mastered, it can benefit the horse,
especially in situations where hot fitting can not be tolerated.
- Hot Fitting
or often times referred to as "scorching" is a result of using the heat
of the shoe to create a union by directly imprinting it on the hoof,
immediately after removing it from the fire. For the unskilled farrier
this procedure , however, can be injurious to the horse. It takes a
working knowledge of each individual horse's hoof to determine if hot
fitting can be tolerated. Over-burning a thin, sensitive sole could
cause severe pain and may require several weeks or even months of stall
rest. Most competent farriers will be conservative in their hot fitting
practices and rely on the theory that heat should be used to "seat",
rather than to "cheat". In this context, the word seat is used to signify
a marking technique for shoe placement, rather than an actual impression
or deep burning of the bottom surface of the horse's hoof.
The Ultimate Decision
A master farrier,
one who is considered an expert of the craft, will always choose a shoeing
approach that results in a "friction-related" contact between the hoof
and the shoe; quite similar to that of a nice, "clean-cut" a carpenter
performs on the adjoining ends of a handcrafted, wood framed project.
With a "clean-cut" of a hoof to a "hammered-leveled" horseshoe, the friction
created between the hoof and shoe will result in less stress from the
shoeing nails. In cases where the hoof and shoe connection is not "clean",
but "sloppy", friction will not be present and the hoof wall will inadvertently
obtain more stress due to the "compression-related" forces of the shoe
and its nails. This, undoubtedly, can be the greatest fault in horseshoeing.
Good shoeing decisions are a result of a constant pursuit of accuracy.
No farrier is perfect, but he or she should continually aspire towards
perfection. If your farrier is concerned about maximizing your horse's
hoof health, rather than continually compromising it, then you can be
relieved and trust in what he or she is doing.
Resources:
The Practical Horseshoer, M.T. Richardson, Johnson Publishing, Boulder,
Co. The Principles of Horseshoeing II, Doug Butler, Butler Publishing,
La Porte, Co.
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© 2000 Bryan
Farcus. All rights reserved.
Bryan Farcus, certified farrier and head of the
Department of
Farrier Science at Meredith Manor International Equestrian Centre, has been
combining the skills of horseshoeing, teaching and riding for the past ten
years. He has also achieved a BS in Business Management. Bryan is the creator
of "Farrier-Friendly"™ articles and products aimed at improving
the general understanding of horseshoeing through horsemanship. For a complete
collection of "Farrier-Friendly"™ articles
click
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