Rant: I've cold shod for years without issues, but at gatherings I'm the outlier

Cold shoeing saves time and money, but critics say it risks lameness, so where do you stand on this debate?

4 comments

4 Comments

logan_wells1mo ago

Is it really that risky? I've seen plenty of horses stay sound with it. People just get stuck in their ways.

lily571mo ago

My old farrier in Texas said he'd cold shod over a thousand horses in his career and only had two come up lame from it. The risk isn't in the method itself, it's in the skill of the person doing it. A good cold set shoe fits just as well as a hot one if you know what you're doing. The problem is when someone slaps on a shoe that doesn't match the hoof shape at all. That's where the real danger is, not the temperature of the metal.

sean8541mo ago

Honestly, I've seen too many horses go lame from a bad cold fit.

jessica7075d ago

Skill is the whole game here. A master can cold shoe a horse perfectly fine. But a bad fit is a bad fit, hot or cold, and that's what hurts them. The metal being warm just lets a good farrier mold it a tiny bit better to the hoof. So maybe it's not the method, but it sure helps cover up small mistakes. Too many people out there calling themselves farriers without the real eye for it.