Do wet hooves ruin farriers rasps??

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MagicMelon

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Strange question but my farrier had a little strop the other day when I hadnt brought the horses in for him (I leave them in my hardcored yard for him and it had snowed so their feet were damp), saying that he'd gone through so many rasps already that day because wet hooves ruin them. He's never ever said this (or asked me to bring them in)!! Im horrified as all these years I would have brought them in to dry off had I known this! Is this true?
 
I don't know but I always bring them in and make sure their feet are clean and dry. Good farriers are hard to come by so you want to make their job as easy as possible. Maybe he was having a bad day with the weather.
 
Our horses all live out and although we try to get them in the driest field in the winter its nigh impossible. We made sure our farrier knew he was taking on grass kept ponies and was fine with it. There are farriers we couldn't approach because of their policy of having horses in and dry feet
 
My husbands a farrier and snow completely ruins rasps. Wet and mud is also bad for rasps. To get the best job feet should in an ideal world be mud free and dry
 
I'm not a farrier, but I do know if I trim wet hooves and leave the rasp wet, it rusts :) So experience has taught me that the rasp comes straight home and is dried out on the underfloor heating :D

I can't think of any other way wet hooves (which are, after all, softer) would damage a rasp?
 
How odd, the farrier I use has at least 35yrs experience and was commenting last time he trimmed my horses feet how much easier it was to rasp when their feet are wet as the hoof is much softer but made no mention of it ruining the rasp.
 
I didn't know this. My horse lives out and I always hose his feet off before the trimmer comes. As I am usually cutting it fine before she arrives his feet are nearly always wet :o

She has never said anything to me, but I will try harder now to make sure they are dry.
 
Garnet said:
This is an article written by a farrier about the perils of shoeing wet feet.

http://www.equinefootprotection.co.uk/wet-horses-article.html

My farrier says the thing he personally hates most about shoeing wet horses is having to work in wet trousers for the rest of the day. A fair point I think!
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Gosh you learn something new every day - really interesting article, thanks Garnet.
I always thought it was nicer for farrier to work with dry legs/feet but never appreciated how it could make a such a difference to the quality of the job.
 
My farrier likes the horses to be kept in so their feet are clean and dry by the time he comes as he says it affects the rasp so I just make sure they are clean and dry ready for him.
 
My farrier is an angel ..... Mine are field kept, so no where to dry them off, especially with the flooding we`ve had (the mud here is just awful) ... i also work so can`t be there in day light hours. He turns up and sorts them out for me. I took some warm clean water down and left towels for him too, so he could rinse his hands off, and dry them afterwards, as i have no facilities. I`d be lost with out him lol !!
 
Brightbay said:
I'm not a farrier, but I do know if I trim wet hooves and leave the rasp wet, it rusts :) So experience has taught me that the rasp comes straight home and is dried out on the underfloor heating :D

I can't think of any other way wet hooves (which are, after all, softer) would damage a rasp?
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I agree. mud and wet damages edges, but the hooves themselves do not really absorb moisture so (it remains constant in the hoof wall) so wet hooves are the same "toughness" as dry ones.
 
I rasp my own horses, and yes they are easier to do after rain and the hooves are softer, they are a nightmare to do here in summer, they are like concrete (Spain)

and not sure about wet hooves ruining the rasp, but bits of grit/sand etc can blunt them, and mud fills the edges and stops it working so well, I always look after mine and spray with oil after use to stop any rust and keep it wrapped in a oil sprayed towel...
 
Mine get clogged up but not ruined. I have to spend a while picking out the hoof fibres in the tongues. Just takes longer. I have a wire brush which helps but wet hoof does need a sharp knife to dislodge at times.
 
Garnet said:
This is an article written by a farrier about the perils of shoeing wet feet.

http://www.equinefootprotection.co.uk/wet-horses-article.html

My farrier says the thing he personally hates most about shoeing wet horses is having to work in wet trousers for the rest of the day. A fair point I think!
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The other peril is wet hands from handling hosed legs in cold weather.My OH(farrier) gets chilblains and splits form working on wet horses. It is also important to remember that a farriers tools are generally much sharper than 'owner' rasps. This is how they can work quickly and accurately. One horse covered in wet mud can blunt these tools (rasps are not worth sharpening) and at 20 quid a pop it can be a cause of irritation.
 
Well - you learn something every day eh! I have never heard this one before and after 30 years of owning horses that is certainly a new one on me. I and I am sure all of you out there are now going to question our own farrier about this.
 
My farrier must be tough, whilst we try and get them clean and dry, it's not always possible. He's never whinged in 30 years, and he's not one to hold back! It's a outside job dealing with large animals that live in fields and poo, if they want to stay clean why not get a job in a shop?!

We keep ours going with tea and biscuits, that seems to keep him happy, and he'll be getting a 'thanks for 30 years hard work hamper' this year too :)
 
I'm another who thinks it's the wet that rusts the rasps and have found very dry hooves much tougher. Mud even traces is a different matter though. Over here they rust if left in buildings, the air is so damp.

Don't people wear gloves using rasps and hosing/washing in winter? I'm a softy obviously. :D
 
Stencilface said:
It's a outside job dealing with large animals that live in fields and poo, if they want to stay clean why not get a job in a shop?!
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That's a teensy bit harsh! If everyone who possibly can presents their horses clean and dry for the farrier, then I think that shows respect for our professional farriers and allows them to do the best job for us.

If your horses live out and a clean dry horse is impossible, then I am sure the farrier will understand, but if this thread informs a few extra people to present a dry horse for shoeing then that's good for all farriers.
 
OH is a farrier and does not ever want me to wash my horses feet before he does them, he would rather brush off the mud and work on dry feet. As an owner you are supposed to provide suitable facilities. I don't see why farriers should accept being covered in mud and poo. It's a hard enough job as it is.
 
Garnet said:
That's a teensy bit harsh! If everyone who possibly can presents their horses clean and dry for the farrier, then I think that shows respect for our professional farriers and allows them to do the best job for us.

If your horses live out and a clean dry horse is impossible, then I am sure the farrier will understand, but if this thread informs a few extra people to present a dry horse for shoeing then that's good for all farriers.
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I don't think it is harsh. Some farriers seem to forget that we are paying them and without us paying for there services they will be out of a job!

I had one farrier who I had used for years turn up at my yard an hour and a half early to shoe my horses. My horses were in the field. So he promptly turned round and yelled at me for not having them in waiting for him and what the hell did I think I was playing at.

He was told to get off my yard and to never return. He rang me for two weeks trying to get us back and he is nearly out of business because this "professional" farrier keeps speaking to all of his clients like this when things don't go his way.

I will not have farriers come to shoe/trim my horses/ponies and treat me like this because the weather isn't ideal for them, like its been said if they don't like it then get another job! They chose the profession they need to deal with the fact that it includes wet and muddy feet sometimes, because not everyone has stables.

After all we are paying them for a service and I expect this service to be done professionally.

If people can help by having feet dry then ok, if not they need to deal with it or potentially loose business and get a reputation for it and have potential clients put off. Which as I have said above has happened near me.
 
Farriery is not an easy job. They see many horses a day, have ones that are difficult, owners that are difficult, the constant bending etc. takes it's toll and I imagine by the last horse of the day they sometimes have had enough.
Add to that freezing wet conditions and snow to negotiate between clients...
 
I said I try to get them clean and dry, this is not always possible, he invariably turns up early! What I wouldn't expect is a farrier to have a hissy fit because he got his hands dirty, well boo hoo! Horses = dirt for most of us :)

Next you'll defend grooms whingeing because they smell of wee and horse :rolleyes:

My farrier also has to do it outside on hardstanding as we have no undercover suitably light for the job, we've had the same guy for 30 years, we can't be all bad ;)
 
I have always/would always do my best to present a clean dry horse to a farrier or trimmer, but that article imo is full of rubbish. I trim my own horses now, and their feet are most definitely not a different shape when wet. Research shows that only the sole absorbs water - hoof walls don't.
 
I think they are more likely to expand from the effects of the diet/grass (go splat) myself. Hooves aren't like "blotting paper" either but the inner wall is much less resistant to wet than the hard outer wall. If the outer wall has been rasped heavily through to the inner wall then I believe it can take on more water.

I am not defending rudeness or being un professional but I do like to do my best to help and can understand when a normally pleasant professional person loses it or is a bit short tempered. We are all human not machines.
 
My farrier has never said anything to me about having the horses feet clean and dry :confused: They are field kept and as such he knows we cannot physically do this. I apologised one day as I was running late and hadn't picked the pony's feet out. He said it made no difference to him whether I did or didn't. As for the wet rasp clogging up? He uses a wire brush to clean it. Something I would have thought common sense dictated he do :rolleyes:

Several things in that article made me roll my eyes, the first being the mention of Health & Safety :p and another being the statement that hooves soak up moisture like blotting paper . . . and it can affect the size of the shoe :eek: :rolleyes:


Seriously?
 
Actually, thinking about hooves responses in long term wet conditions I do think there is a possibility hooves spread. Feral horses that live in marshes and constantly wet conditions do have more spread hooves so adaption could be a factor. Keeping an open mind on that one.
 
My farrier is wonderful the ponies live outside and he would rather wipe of any sand himself than have them hosed as they have hairy legs and would be soaking wet. We dont have much mud as the soil is sandy but I believe the sand blunts the rasp He did say that for every trim he does every tenth one costs him a rasp. If it is muddy that drops to five.
I did have a farrier years ago that wouldnt do them if they were wet muddy or dirty from soiled bedding so I guess he was used to the thoroughbred industry where everything was sanitised He didnt last long in the real world
 
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