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Hot Shoeing and Cold Shoeing Horses Hooves

Hot Shoeing and Cold Shoeing

Discover how each technique affects your horse’s comfort and hoof health.

Hot shoeing and cold shoeing are two common farrier techniques, each offering distinct benefits for maintaining your horse’s hoof health and performance. 

When it comes to shoeing, we often get asked a bunch of common questions. “Why do you hot shoe?” “Is hot shoeing better?” “Do these techniques hurt the horse?” “What are the pros and cons of hot shoeing and cold shoeing?”

Hopefully, by the end of this blog, I will be able to answer some, if not all the questions you have about this important aspect of horse shoeing. I’ll also include some tips for you to help with both hot and cold shoeing procedures. 

 

A Brief History of Hot Shoeing  

If we hark back to when every horseshoe was made by hand, we will find that farriers took the shoe while it was still hot, to the horse to examine the shape, size and fit of the shoe they were making. They would check to see how it would fit and make any adjustments that were required.   

As the rasps farriers used were not as well made as those we have today, the farrier would sear the hoof with the hot shoe, to obtain a level hoof contact with the shoe.  

This ensured good contact between the shoe and the hoof, eliminating gaps between the hoof and the shoe, sealing the bond and facilitating good hoof growth.  

It has been said that by burning on the shoe, we seal the horn tubules in the hoof wall, reducing moisture absorption. The heat of burning the shoe softens and expands the horn thus making it easier to nail and securing the nail more firmly. (Hickman and Humphery. 1999)

The practice of only hot shoeing horses and mules was so ingrained into the Military culture of the British and Colonial armies during the South African Boer War 1899/1902, that standing orders forbid many units of farriers from cold shoeing horses! Thus, the vast distances and widespread campaigns resulted in horses and mules not being shod at all, leading to appalling loss of horses from inadequate hoof care. So much so that, a royal commission after the Boer War found that it was impractical in large campaigns to demand that all horses be hot shod due to the logistics.  

As a result of the report that came from the Royal Commission, when they later formed the Australian Veterinary Corp in 1909, the recommendations concerning hoof care were adopted thus, providing far better care during the First World War.  

So Why Do We Hot Shoe Today? 

In today’s instant world, we have a great array and variety of horseshoes and products to choose from.  

Yet the fact remains, to fit a horseshoe properly to a well-trimmed foot without changing the shape of that trim, is a skill set in itself! 

Horses' hooves have many different shapes, sizes, and individual requirements. We as professional hoof carers may be required to modify a factory shoe to reach the best possible fit and outcome for the horse and client. 

When I say modify, not only do I mean changing the shape, but this may also include: 

• Facilitating Breakover  

• Adding or removing clips  

• Manipulating ground forces 

• Modifying the angle of the shoe, toe to heel or medially/ laterally  

 

So, while the shoe is still hot it is much easier to shape and fit. It is also far easier on your body! One thing to remember is that when the shoe is hot, the steel will expand approximately 2mm. We as farriers when fitting hot need to remember that when cool, it will shrink back that much as well. It is prudent to remember this expansion, to get the best fit possible.    

 

The Advantages Of Hot Fitting Horse Shoes  

• The shoe is much easier to shape (especially large shoes) thus reducing farrier 

injuries such as tennis elbow or golfer's elbow by reducing repetitive concussion.  

• A superior bond between the trimmed foot surface and the shoe surface, leaving no gaps and creating a flat bond. 

• A superior clip fit especially with side clips or quarter clips. 

• Ease of accuracy while fitting and facilitating a more flowing shape in the shoe e.g.: no sharp turns in the shoe material. 

• The shoe makes it easier to get level. 

 

Hot Shaping Shoes 

Traditionally farriers hot shape horse shoes on an anvil, using the horn for bending and the flat surface to level the shoe. A shoe making anvil will usually have a round horn. However, there are many anvils on the market today that have a variety of horn shapes as well as turning cams, which are used for cold shaping. 

Choosing an anvil that will service all shoeing styles is a wise choice, as your anvil is usually a one-off purchase that lasts forever. The type of anvil I use in my rig is an Odwyer Centurion 38kg anvil, this type of anvil has turning cams on the end to facilitate cold shaping if required.  

My home shop anvil is an Odwyer No 3 95kg Anvil, with a round horn for shoe making. 

 

Tips For Hot Shoeing  

• When hot shoeing, leave a little wall to burn, horses trimmed too short may be sensitive to the heat, although the horn of horse’s feet is very resistant to temperature.  

• Only bring the shoe into contact with the foot for a short amount of time, long enough to see what adjustment to the shoe is necessary. 

• Make sure the shoe is a blue heat, not red hot.  

• Don’t burn too much and cause sole pressure. 

• If the horse is new to hot shoeing? Shoe it beside another horse that is used to it, and not reactive. This helps the horse get used to the noises and smoke (remember horses are creatures of flight).  

 

Cold Shaping Shoes    

Cold shaping horse shoes can be done in a variety of ways, however, it is still best to use shoeing tongs to prevent injury. At Racing Stables, you will observe most farriers using a small type of device on 3 three legs with turning cams on it, this is a stall jack. It is a lighter device that is easily carried to shape shoes using the leverage of the turning cams. 

The stall jack will also have a flat surface on the top to enable levelling of the shoe. 

When you consider most racehorses today wear aluminium plates, a stall jack may service your requirements. 

 

Tips For Cold Shoeing

Cold shaping horse shoes is not as simple as most people think. I prefer to hot shape shoes as it's easier on the arms and body. Even Aluminium shoes can be heated slightly for ease of shaping, provided you don’t get them too hot. 

One of the biggest mistakes people make when cold shaping is holding the shoe in one place and hitting it, subsequently ending up with a sharp bend and not a flowing shape. This also results in a dent or disruption to the inside web of the shoe which looks untidy. 

To prevent this from happening: 

• Always keep the shoe moving back and forth over the turning cams whilst hitting the shoe.  

• When levelling, hit the ground-bearing surface of the shoe on the outside and the hoof bearing surface of the shoe on the inside. 

• Use tongs to hold the shoe to prevent injury and always wear safety glasses. 

     

Why Don’t All Farriers Hot Shoe? 

The answer is simple, it takes more skill, more time and more equipment hence, it costs more. So, we must take into account that to do it right, you need a forge, LPG gas, a good anvil, shoeing tongs and hot fit tongs or pritchel, water, a bucket and above all training. 

Another reason may be the farrier has not been taught to hot shoe so may not be confident undertaking this process. Other additional reasons may include: 

• The horse may not be used to it and doesn’t like the smoke. 

• The area provided is not suitable to undertake the task (Total Fire Ban Day or Safety hazard e.g. shoeing a horse in a loose box with straw). 

• The farrier may be using Aluminium shoes or race plates. 

 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, I believe hot shoeing is the superior method. However, this is not to say that a good job cannot be achieved by cold shoeing. It’s just harder to get the foot surface and shoe surface to meet as well. 

As I stated earlier in this blog, horses suffered during the Boer war campaign by not being shod at all. We are lucky to have a wide range of shoes and products at our disposal today.  

As farriers and hoof care providers, we should always be looking to improve our skill set and knowledge. We should try to provide the best care possible for the horse and client. Investing in the right equipment and investing in yourself by upskilling, is no burden to carry, it's never too late to learn and improve. 

  

                                                                                   Best of luck      Dean Lewis AWCF  

    

Hickman. J & Humphrey. M (1999) Hickman's Farriery (2nd edition) J.A.Allen