Switched from hand rasps to a flex shaft grinder and my back finally stopped screaming at me

Used to do all my hoof work with a hand rasp. Took forever and I was always hunched over. Three years ago I finally bought a Baldor grinder with a flex shaft. Cut my shoeing time per horse from 45 minutes down to about 25. The older guys at the barn said I was cheating but my lower back doesnt ache after every single horse now. Has anyone else made the switch and felt weird about it at first?

3 comments

3 Comments

eva_thompson102mo ago

I get what adam_nguyen7 is saying with "your body's gotta come first" but I see it a little different. To me, switching to a grinder right away is like skipping the hard part of learning the trade. Hand rasping teaches you about the hoof in a way a machine never can. You feel the sole, the wall, the flare, all of it. A grinder just chews through stuff and you can easily take off too much if you don't have that feel from doing it by hand first. I'm not saying stay bent over in pain forever, but I think there's a middle ground where you learn the hard way first then upgrade later.

taylor.paige16d ago

Yeah exactly, I've been there too. When I first started I was all about hand tools because I thought grinders were cheating or something. But honestly, after a few years of that I ended up with a messed up shoulder and had to change my whole setup. @adam_nguyen7 is right that your body has to come first, but you can still learn that feel with a grinder if you take your time and check your work constantly. I keep both now, use the rasp for fine tuning and the grinder for the heavy stuff, and my horses are way better off for it.

adam_nguyen72mo ago

Honestly man, good for you, your body's gotta come first no matter what anyone says.