Dean's Dusty HorseShoeing
ONLY THE BEST FOR YOUR HORSE!
LET'S GET BACK TO THE BASICS!
Hot Shoeing, Cold Shoeing, Barefoot...
Hot Shoeing a horse used to be the ONLY way to shoe a horse. This was back when horses were used as cars are used today. Over time we as people find better ways to do things. Horse shoeing is not one of these things. We did find a cheaper & easier way to shoe a horse and that is what we call cold shoeing. This may sound great to us, but if our horses could talk they would have a different point of view. We also seem to think that our horses don't need shoes. This is what we call a Barefoot Trim. For information on cold shoeing & barefoot trims see tab "About Cold/Barefoot".
We Specialize In Hot Shoeing
Hot Shoeing
The process of hot shoeing is quite different from what most people have seen when having their horse shod. This process ensures the job is done with the health and benefit of the horse in mind.
Steps of Hot Shoeing
1. Observation- Knowing the horse's background, diet, past lamenesses, job, and evaluating the horse as it stands.
2. Trimming-Trim the foot to make it as close to perfect as that foot will allow. Sometimes it is not what you take, but what you leave behind that can make all the difference.
***This includes shaping the foot. A horse's front foot should be rounded, while the back feet should be more spade shaped. This is because the front feet steer the horse and should be able to turn in many directions and the back feet are for digging in and propelling the horse forward.***
3. Shaping Shoes- We heat the shoes to approximately 1700°F in order to shape the shoes. Heating the shoes allows for a few different things. It allows the farrier to shape nearly any shoe to any foot, no matter how oddly shaped it may be. Heat also allows for clips, therapeutic shoes, and handmade shoes.
4. Hot Fitting- It's exactly what it sounds like, putting a hot shoe on a horse's foot. It cauterizes the bottom of the foot to aid in moisture retention and prevent infection. Hot fitting also lets the farrier know what adjustments they need to make to the shoe, if any. This may look painful, but it does not hurt the horse in any way.
5. Nailing On- The nails should go about a third of the way up the hoof. They are aesthetically appealing if they are all at the same height, but should actually be a little stronger if they are staggered. Either way is fine as long as they are not too low.
6.Clinching- A fancy word for bending the nail tips down. Underneath the nail exit point should be grooved so that the nail sits flush with the hoof after it is bent over. This will prevent "popped" clinches. Popped clinches allow movement of the shoe which leads to a lost shoe.
7. Finishing-Rasping down the clinches, clips, shoe, and hoof will create a smooth, even surface all around the hoof. After that sanding or hoof dressing, or both, will make the hoof look smooth and shiny.
