Barefoot rasping.....

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Triskar

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On Christmas Eve, OH (who always rasps the horses' feet to keep them from fraying, and tidies up their frogs between trims) bought a mini electric belt sander from Screwfix for £25...... all 4 horses have now had their front feet done with it - Tris and Nuevo didn't mind at all, Shiks was a bit surprised by the noise, but quite happy when she got used to it - Bertie hopped about a bit, but then he's only 4 and does the same when a normal rasp is used - so very successful! Even I used it - and it's SO much easier and quicker, it was almost a pleasure....
 
He got the idea from an American farrier who always uses a power tool to smooth the edges, except he was using something really scarey looking! At least this is small and innocuous, although surprisingly loud. We always use a circuit breaker with anything electrical around the horses, as well.
 
I don't have a problem with it in the right hands and a suitable paper. An orbital sander is a different matter and a lot of damage can be done with a hand rasp in one or two strokes.
 
TigerTail said:
Far too easy to over trim and over rasp up the hoof wall and therefore weaken it for when it grows down.

No thanks!
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plenty of trimmers are able to do that quite adequately with a rasp. :rolleyes:

OP just had a look on the screwfix site and that looks a really neat little sander. I can see it would be fun to use.
What would make it totally perfect would be a cordless one that was the same size.
 
In a terrible and short term thankfully job where I had to groom other folks stinking dogs, I discovered using a Dremel on their nails was superb. Same thing really.
 
Think I'll stick with my farrier thanks....all my guys are barefoot and very happy with it (no conscious decision made about it, just seems to work well for them) but there's no way I would be tempted into messing with their feet for all the tea in china - once damage is done it takes a bl**dy long time to recover, if they ever do fully recover.
 
Nudibranch said:
I have one of those and I cannot get it to rasp for love nor money. Probably easier for a man though!
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I use one and I am not a man :)
you need to reverse the blade and then pull the tool towards you rather than push it away then they are very easy and light to use. Much easier than a rasp for just a quick rounding.
 
And why not, good idea. When electric clippers came in, I am sure we had the usual "over my dead body" hand shears crowd weeping and moaning just the same....
 
gdh said:
You're probably pushing it forward, the same as with a rasp but you need to pull it. I find the blade comes adrift too easily :)
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Yes, I heard with the Stanley one you need to reverse the blades :)

Happy enough with my trusty Savedge though ;)

I am getting older and creakier, though, so the idea of a wee belt sander is becoming appealing... main problem is a mains problem! Horse lives out in a field with no electrickery :D
 
The stanley tool is useless, it won't touch my horses feet,Brought one after somebody on here recomended it, useless thing. good old rasp is all I would use.
 
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