Farrier tools - best brands/prices/where to buy.

Kallibear

Kallibear

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I trim all my own horses and also do a couple of friends ponies who are too difficult for the farrier to want to bother.

I've presently got a cheapo rasp and hoof nippers and no hoof knife, as I've lost it somewhere. You get what you pay for and it takes ages to do a set of feet as they're not great.

For my Xmas pressie (to myself) I'm wanting to buy a really decent set of tools because it'll make life so much easier!

Please reccomend some decent tools, and whether paying a premium on seriously expensive tools (i.e £110 nippers!) are worth it. I've looked up a couple of places that sell them but I don't know enough about the brands to make a decision.

I want: a decent sharp rasp that stays sharp! Double sided (not half and half on each side). Do I go for a £30 rasp, a £50 or a £70 rasp?
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nippers: a sharp pair that stay sharp (again!). I've got small hands so 12" ideally. Some do sprung nippers- any good? I'd like a pair that last a life time (or until I loose them
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). Again, £30 nippers, £70 nippers or £120 nippers?

hoof knife: Decent brand or lots of cheap knives?. I have a cool hoof knife sharpening thingy - like a pointly little spear - that easily resharpens the blade - do I go for a decent expensive knife (i.e £30) or lot of cheap knifes and get rid once they're worn? I'd like either a double handed one, or needs a left handed one and right handed one. I've never used a loop knife. Are they any good? I use the knife mostly for scrapping down the sulcuses to remove any grotty stuff, so a point-y ended loop knife maybe won't work.

Thanks!
 
Most horse owners wont know about farrier tools either, because thats the farriers job. Generally in life you get what you pay for so i would say spend as much as you are able, you are then more likely to get better quality tools. You say you want them to last a lifetime but there is no such thing! If you use them they wear out, its as simple as that. Most farriers will use one rasp a week, so even with less use you will need to change it regularly.

I have to say though that i dont approve of unqualified people doing their horses feet. It takes 5 years to become a farrier. That is 5 years of on the job training, seeing horses limbs and feet 5 days a week and regular exams and assessments. Foot balance is so important and you can easily cause unlevel strain on joints and ligaments. It is hard enough keeping horses sound as it is, without the potential for poor foot balance causing problems. This may not show up for a few years (e.g. arthritis) but by then its too late, the damage is done.

I feel the same about 'back people' , dentists, etc. The problems that can be caused by unqualified people can be quite considerable, however well meaning they may be.

Sorry, i know that wasnt what this post was about but i just had to state my point of view! In regards to the farrier that cant be bothered- that is unacceptable so change farrier!
 
I assume that you still have a farrier to check your horses hooves, so can you not ask him/her?

My husband occasionally rasps a little off our little guys feet, but only after being thoroughly instructed by our farrier, and between farriers visits if they look a little raggy, as his hooves grow really quickly. His hooves are always checked over by our farrier on his usual visit. Our farrier was happy to recommend a good rasp, and show him how to do it properly. He doesn't remove length as such, just untidy edges f they arise to avoid splits. I don't think that an owner without training can substitute what the farrier does.
 
I think the difference here, is that Kallibear is a qualified equine vet. Also, she is only trimming, not shoeing - there are a number of barefoot trimming courses you can go on and be "qualified" in a matter of weeks!

Kallibear - not sure about tools, maybe ask a farrier for their advice? I think someone on here is a farrier, otherwise you could ask Nailed as I believe she was an apprentice.
 
Only yesterday my farrier was saying he uses about 1 rasp a week, at about £15 a time.

No idea about the rest though, I just have enough stuff to take a shoe off should a situation arise where it needs to come off - i.e. half twisted off.
 
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I think the difference here, is that Kallibear is a qualified equine vet. Also, she is only trimming, not shoeing - there are a number of barefoot trimming courses you can go on and be "qualified" in a matter of weeks!



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I wouldnt have a barefoot trimmer either! A few weeks does not constitute a qualification to me, even if the person gets a piece of paper (certificate) at the end of it.

I personally believe that trimming is just as important as putting the shoe on. So it is not 'only trimming' to me, even if it is legal for anyone to do it.

At least kallibear has a knowledge of anatomy and physiology then. Unfortunately i have known a couple of farriers that cringe when a vet gets near a horses feet!
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kallibear may be a vet but she/he still puts goldfish in her water trough to save cleaning it!!! and swings towards NH, as for feet farrier!! vets dig to austrailia and back to get an abcess!! my opinion only!! i scrub my water troughs each week and have no need for fish!
 
i have a full set of farrier equip to remove shoes, pick and dig for abcesses, and to do risen clenches and i think bar the rasp were all 120 upwards. rasp quality varies but most farriers go through one to 2 rasps per week! talk toa good farrier for supplies. but as a vet you will have all the trade contact details???
 
Hubby and I did a 3 day trimming course (introduction) with Dan Guerrera. I wouldn't dare trim our own without professional input but I have more idea of what they should look like and we can nip the odd broken bit off between farrier visits!
Have a look at his website for tools as he markets his own knives and will recommend rasps to you if you email him

http://www.barehoof.com/Barehoof_Home.html
 


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I wouldnt have a barefoot trimmer either! A few weeks does not constitute a qualification to me, even if the person gets a piece of paper (certificate) at the end of it.



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Neither would I - but then you see lots of people marketing themselves as barefoot trimmers etc and they have literally had about 3 weeks of training.

As for vets messing up feet, well I have seen a number of qualified farriers messing up feet - its a huge generalisation.
 
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kallibear may be a vet but she/he still puts goldfish in her water trough to save cleaning it!!! and swings towards NH, as for feet farrier!! vets dig to austrailia and back to get an abcess!! my opinion only!! i scrub my water troughs each week and have no need for fish!

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Seriously, what is your problem? what has putting goldfish in a water trough got to do with the original question of what kind of farriery tools to get (and quite sad if you went back through old posts to retrieve that information, even sadder if you have retained that information in order to find an opportune time to post it).
 
I bought my rasp from Mole Valley farmers for a tenner.
I do all my own rasping - no trimming. I rasp every couple of weeks to keep on top of it so they never need anything taking off. My farrier checks them whenever he comes to shoe my others to make sure I'm not doing anything horrific
 
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As for vets messing up feet, well I have seen a number of qualified farriers messing up feet - its a huge generalisation.

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I was just stating what a couple of farriers have said- not me. They are the ones generalising- not me.
 
Ive seen many vets cringe at how some farriers mess up horses feet. Most recently a farrier was asked to take some off the lateral wall of the hoof and roll the toe. "Apparently"(according to clients) a good farrier, but took a ridiculous amount of time to shoe all round (no joke!!) and actually took off far too much medial wall and not near enough lateral wall. The horse was much more balanced before he started. Horse had been shod by the same farrier for 2 years yet farrier said he found it really difficult to shoe him. Cant say Id be recommending him personally.
Unfortunately in recent times, the majority f farriers Ive met in the area are not upto scratch.If anything needs any sort of remedial work they dont seem to know what to do. There is only one Id recommend and maybe 2 others Id use if I was stuck.
 
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kallibear may be a vet but she/he still puts goldfish in her water trough to save cleaning it!!! and swings towards NH, as for feet farrier!! vets dig to austrailia and back to get an abcess!! my opinion only!! i scrub my water troughs each week and have no need for fish!

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And the relevance to this post is..... ?
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