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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




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