Cold shoeing failed me on a laminitis job

I always figured cold shoeing was fine for most horses, you know, to save time and skip the forge. But last week, I worked on a horse with bad laminitis and just did my normal cold shoe routine. The owner called back after two days saying the horse was worse off, barely putting weight on that foot. I mean, I felt pretty terrible about it, maybe it's just me. I ended up asking an older farrier for advice, and he pushed me to try hot shoeing for a tighter fit. So we fired up the forge, shaped the shoes hot, and nailed them on. Within a few days, the horse was moving way better. Now I'm not so sure about always skipping the heat, especially for horses with serious foot issues.

2 comments

2 Comments

black.claire1d ago

Oh man, that's the classic 'shortcut that isn't'! Trying to save time by skipping the forge just made you do the whole job twice. Nothing like a little hot iron to make you respect the old ways, huh?

thomaswebb1d ago

Most modern forges actually use steel... iron's too soft for a lot of work now.