Discount Farrier Tools

You can buy discount farrier tools to help touch up your horse's feet in-between visits from its hoof care specialist or choose to do all your own work. Whichever tools you choose, you should know which ones offer the best deals and for which ones it would be better to buy the best you can afford. Below is a list of tools and what they do, and which discount farrier tools won't break you while you give your horse a pedicure.

The rasp file is the most commonly used farrier tool that all horse owners should have in their tack box. It is like a nail file for horses, and it lets you keep their hooves even and level if unshod, or lightly rasp back edges of a hoof that is hanging over a shoe that needs to be replaced. Any work you do to keep your horse's foot in condition between professional shoeing and hoof care is not meant to replace your farrier unless you have the skilled training necessary to do the work yourself. Inappropriately angled hooves can cause serious injury and pain to your horse. The rasp does not need to be an expensive tool. Most discount farrier rasps will do an equal job as expensive models and will last just as long.

You should always have either a single-edged or double-edged hoof knife in your tack kit. It is handy for trimming overgrown frog tissue or for cleaning the sole of the hoof occasionally. A double-edged one is best because it allows you to switch hands and use it either on your right or left side. While discount knives are fine when it comes to any cutting type of farrier tool, you should buy the best you can afford as the cheaper ones will wear out faster and may not even be as sharp as necessary when first purchased.

Do not buy cheap nippers. You will be asking for a backache and a harder job than necessary. The hoof nipper is a farrier tool that should not be handled without a lot of experience and training, so most horse owners never need to worry about buying them. If you have the experience to cut your horse's hooves and angle them properly, don't buy discount cutting tools. Cutting through a hard, boney hoof is hard enough with good tools.

While the average horse owner probably doesn't need one of these in the barn, it can come in handy if you have many horses. It can help if nails loosen and you need to reclamp one down. The nail clincher has a wrench-loosing grasp with one end that is rounded like a slope. It is used to bend the cut end of the nail that is holding the horseshoe on the hoof so that it isn't protruding where it can be caught on items. This item is fine to buy at discount prices, and it probably won't wear out with occasional horse-owner usage.

These are specialty items for farriers who make their own shoes and other iron products. They are used to heat metal and pound out shapes in the heated iron. These can be purchased at discount prices without problems as most of these items are going to be similar regardless of who makes them or how much they cost.