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Can we talk about the shift from hot fitting to cold fitting for corrective work?
I've been seeing a big change in the last five years or so, especially with the younger farriers coming up. It used to be that most corrective jobs, like for a club foot or a bad breakover, meant heating and shaping the shoe right there at the anvil. Now, I see more and more folks using pre-made, cold-fit plates and just grinding to fit. The main push seems to be from clinics and online groups focusing on speed and less stress on the horse's hoof from the heat. I'm not totally against it, but I miss the craft of a custom hot fit. Has anyone else had clients ask specifically for cold work over hot?
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hunt.shane5mo ago
Yeah, that bit about missing the craft of a custom hot fit really hits home. I get why the shift is happening, but it does feel like something's being lost.
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patricia_morgan325mo ago
My old mentor used to say the smell of burnt hoof was the smell of a job done right, which is a pretty gross thing to be nostalgic about. He'd spend an hour on a single shoe, and the barn cat would just nap on the anvil block.
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james_ross4mo ago
Man that cat on the anvil block is such a perfect image lol. @patricia_morgan32 I have a feeling your mentor and mine would have gotten along great, mine used to say the perfect shoe was 90% sweat and 10% burnt hair. I once spent 45 minutes trying to fix a shoe I'd already burnt twice and ended up with a hoof that smelled like a barbecue gone wrong the whole time.
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