Cold Foot vs Hot Foot Farriers

[Colour_Crazy_Gi]

Ok so, i already know that a cold foot farrier doesn't heat the shoes, and a hot foot one does, but what are the benefits of having a cold foot farrier?

I've always had Zola shod with a hot foot farrier, and was just wondering the benefits of a cold foot one and why people have them.

Thanks! :D

[vimto92]

Well I suppose one of the main differences is the fact hot footed shoeing can give a better fit:)

[budgiebone]

cold shoes dont take as long to put on, so works well if you have a horse that doesnt like being shod

[Wally]

For the farrier it makes all the difference, much easier to shoe hot than cold.

You get a better fit, and some horses will not accept hot shoeing.

Some folk will tell you that burning on seals the tubules in the foot thus stopping moisture getting into the foot. This is not true as water can be taken up all over the hoof.

[eventerbabe]

i remember being told years ago (think it was my old YO) that hot shoeing fits the shoe to the foot, cold shoeing fits the foot to the shoe. I've always had mine hot shod, my farriers have never done cold shoeing.

[CurlyWurlyRach]

curly was hot shod for the first time with me yesterday and it was alot quicker but it STANK! :p

[Wally]

You end up stinking too.

If I have spent a day shoeing the smell of burnt horn clings to you like poo to a blanket. I quite like the smell........

[Jenni]

I love the smell of hot shoeing!

[Trewsers]

Just read this thread - my farrier will have to cold shoe Joe if he comes and its too wet to take the van down to the field - just praying that it works the same, as Joe has always been hot shod. Also my vet mentioned a Natural BAlance shoe?! Anyway, I saw on another thread that your farrier really needs to be trained in using them or something.

[showjumper-zoe]

My farrier does both

[Joyscarer]

Mine does both depending on the needs of the horse. One of ours was hot shod today and spent a lot of time drinking in the smell which I love :o

[Ms Kitty]

My Dad does only cold shodding, but he has been trained to do both. One of the main differences is that with hot shodding, you are able to get the shoe to have a good fit against the sole of the hoof easier. But if the farrier is good enough, it can be achieved with cold shodding as well.

One of the things that I don't like about hot shodding is, that if the farrier is silly and puts a too hot shoe against the hoof, it can cause the hoof wall to come loose, causing all sorts of problems starting from cracks and going all the way to infections inside the hoofs.

i remember being told years ago (think it was my old YO) that hot shoeing fits the shoe to the foot, cold shoeing fits the foot to the shoe.

This is true only if your farrier is crap. The shoes are moulded the same way in cold shodding as they are in hot shodding, to fit the hoof. I do have to admit that I have seen farriers just slap a shoe on when doing cold shodding, but that is very bad farriery. It is easier to avoid doing that with hot shodding, as that will definitely show you if the shoe does not fit. But when done properly, cold shodding is as good as hot shodding. Just a question of preferance and what is available.

Nina x

[NicP]

I haven't had Cody long and the first time he was shod it was cold. To be honest I wasn't that impressed with the farrier - he was rude about Cody and I didn't think the fit of the back shoes in particular was that good.

On Monday I have a new (female!) farrier coming out who hot shoes so I will see what the difference is in both the shoeing and the farrier.

[NicP]

Well I def prefer the farrier who came out today. She took much more time, shod him hot, shoes look better and there were little things like finishing him off with hoof moistures stuff.

She was also on time (and cheaper!).

I will be using her in future. This is more a farrier to farrier comparison though than hot to cold as one did one and one did the other.