Shoutout to the old guy who showed me a better way to set a shoe on a draft horse

I had a job up near Redmond last month, a big Belgian with a persistent quarter crack. My usual method with clips and a pad just wasn't holding. This retired farrier, name was Frank, was there visiting the owner. He watched me struggle for a minute and said, 'Kid, try setting that shoe cold and just burn it in from the top. Let the foot tell you where it wants to sit.' I was ready to argue, but I tried it. I shaped the shoe to the trimmed foot, held it in place, and used the forge just to seat it. The fit was perfect, way better than my forced hot set. It took half the time and the horse stood quieter. I've done it that way on three heavy horses since and it's been a game changer. Has anyone else had an old-timer tip completely change how you handle a common problem?

3 comments

3 Comments

milesj7023d ago

Used to swear by full hot sets, but trying that cold fit with a quick burn-in totally flipped my thinking.

nina_jenkins1mo ago

Wait, you're still burning it in from the top though? That's not a true cold set. A real cold set means you shape the shoe to the trimmed foot and nail it on with no heat at all. The burn-in trick is smart for seating, but if you're using any forge, you're doing a hot fit. A full cold set is faster and even quieter for the horse.

johnson.daniel1mo ago

You're right about the pure definition, but in practice most folks I know call it a cold set if you shape the shoe cold first. The quick touch of heat just for seating isn't the same as a full hot shoeing where you shape the whole thing with fire. It's a middle ground that works well for a lot of horses and still keeps them calm.