Shoutout to the guy who told me to ditch the old rasp for a fresh one every 50 horses

I used to run my rasps into the ground. Figured I was saving money, right? Would use the same one until it was basically smooth. Then at a clinic in Boise, this older farrier watched me work and just said, 'You're fighting that tool for no reason.' He told me to mark the date on a new one and swap it after 50 horses, no matter what. I started doing it. The difference is night and day. My prep is cleaner, my finish is faster, and my arm doesn't feel like it's going to fall off by the end of the day. It costs a bit more, sure, but the time and effort I save is worth way more than the price of a new rasp. Anyone else have a hard rule like that for swapping out basic tools?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannahk191mo ago

My buddy kept burning through belts on his grinder until a vet asked if his tools were getting dull. He swapped them twice as often now and his work got way smoother.

dixon.spencer21d agoTop Commenter

Belts are cheap. Probably overthinking it.

the_fiona1mo ago

Oh man, that's so true! I used to fight with my sander for ages before I learned the same thing. A sharp tool just glides instead of grinding away. Total game changer once you get it.