Hot shoe vs. cold shoe for nail clinching - what's your go-to?
I've been going back and forth on this for months. My mentor swore by the hot shoe method, said it locks the nail better. But I tried cold clinching last week on a draft horse in Boise and the hoof held up fine. The heat takes extra time and I'm worried about burning the sole. What do you guys prefer and why?
Read in a farrier forum last week that draft nails are actually softer than people think, just thicker. A guy who shoes Clydesdales for a living said he cold clinches them all the time and only had one pop in ten years.
Olivia Allen has a point about draft horse nails, but I cold clinched a Percheron last month that walked out like nothing happened. I figure if you're careful with the hammer and clip the nail right under the clinch, heat is just extra work. Got a buddy who hot clinches everything from a Shetland to a Belgian, and he burned a sole on a warmblood once, so I stick to cold now. Less gear to carry, less risk, and the hoof holds just as good if you seat the nail right.