gavin_kim•5d agoProlific Poster

I think hot shoeing gets too much hype at clinics and here's why

Was at the Mid-Atlantic Farrier Conference back in March and watched a big name guy spend 20 minutes fitting a shoe hot when the foot was already balanced and cold. Crowd ate it up but I couldn't help thinking about the wasted time and risk of burning the sole. I hot shoe when I need to for adjustments (you know, tweaking toe grabs or clips) but for a basic flat fit on a sound hoof, cold works just fine. Am I missing something or does the theater of it just sell better?

3 comments

3 Comments

ramirez.vera5d agoTop Commenter

You mentioned the 'theater of it' and I think that's a big part of it. But here's what I'm wondering - do you think the heat actually helps with the fit in any real way, like settling the shoe tighter, or is it more about making the farrier look like they know what they're doing? I've seen guys burn through a hoof wall just trying to get a flat shoe to sit, and it seems like a lot of risk for not much gain. What's your take on whether the heat changes the shoe's hold on the foot after it cools down?

jason_stone595d ago

Nah. People overthink this stuff way too much.

phoenix_martin405d ago

Wait, did you say you watched a dude burn through hoof wall just trying to make a flat shoe sit? That's wild, @ramirez.vera, I've seen some messy hot fits but never a full on burn through for a basic shoe.