Guy at the shop tried telling me a rasp is fine after 50 horses

I was at a clinic in Kentucky last spring and some kid showed up with a rasp that looked like butter knife. He swore it still cuts fine. I let him borrow one of mine for a trim and he couldn't believe the difference. A worn out rasp slips more and you end up filing your knuckles off trying to get a clean foot. I go through about 8 rasps a month on a busy schedule. Anyone else run into folks who hold onto tools way too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

oliver_morgan2mo ago

8 rasps a month, that's some serious volume. It's like people think a tool is fine until it literally falls apart, same way they keep using a dull kitchen knife that's more dangerous than a sharp one.

ryan_gibson841mo ago

Man, 8 rasps a month? That is a wild number. I mean, I knew professional farriers went through tools fast but that sounds like you're basically eating them for breakfast. It honestly makes me wonder how anyone gets by with just one or two for the whole season. That kind of turnover must add up quick in terms of cost too, even if it saves your body in the long run. But yeah, if you're working that hard, you gotta have the right gear or you're just fighting yourself all day.

keith_rodriguez2mo ago

Dude, 8 rasps a month is about right when you're doing it for real. A dull rasp just makes you work twice as hard and messes with your feel for the hoof. I always tell people to grab a fresh one when it starts bouncing off the wall instead of cutting clean. Saves your hands and gets the job done faster.