Hot shoe vs. cold shoe on a heavy horse, which do you lean into?

I had a draft cross last spring that was testing me on every back foot. Old school farrier told me to go with a hot shoe, get that perfect fit, let it cool on the hoof. Another guy I respect said no way, cold shoe it and just be extra careful with the nail placement. So I tried hot for the first two trims. Burn marks, horse got nervous, took forever. Switched to cold for the third trim, used a diamond saw to shape it quick, horse stood better, I finished in 45 minutes flat. But the cold shoe didn't sit as flush on the heel. Now I'm wondering if I just need more practice with hot work or if cold is the right call for these big guys with tricky conformation. Anyone else go back and forth on this?

3 comments

3 Comments

riveradams10d ago

Nah, hot shoeing a heavy horse just makes sense for load distribution no matter how fussy they get.

oliver_morgan10d ago

My draft was 17.2 hands with a crooked inside heel so I feel you on the fit issue. Hot shoeing gave me a perfect seat every time but the smoke and smell ruined the whole trim for that horse. Cold works fine if you've got a good grinder and patience with the rasp but you lose a little contact on the heel.

the_laura6d ago

My 16.3hh shire had the same crooked heel issue and I actually switched back to cold shoeing after trying hot for two years. The smoke and smell bothered me way more than it bothered the horse, but the real problem was the heat transfer into the white line. Even with good wetting, I saw some separation that I never got with cold work. You don't lose as much contact as people claim if you use a radiused grinder bit and take your time with the rasp. Oliver's point about patience is the whole game really. Hot shoeing a draft just seems like an extra risk for not enough payoff compared to learning better cold technique.