Pretty cool looking tool. I just came across a note about it on the ECTRA yahoo group and thought I would post it here.
http://www.longridersgear.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=616
Bonnie S.
I had a client email me about this. It seems like a good way to keep the roll on a barefoot hoof. For those of you who aren’t familiar with why we finish the hoof with a roll, or “radius” as farriers call it, this technique helps keep the hoof wall from cracking.
One barefoot web site likens how a roll works to keep the edges of the wall from cracking to a broom handle. If you take a rounded broom handle and pound it into the ground repeatedly, it will get smoother and rounder (but will form an edge over time if you don’t vary the direction). Take the same broom handle and cut it off straight without rounding the end. As you jamb it into the ground, the ends pull apart. Eventually, you may get it to round off, but first the pieces that are too long are going to crack.
It’s a good analogy. So if there is a rasp that helps owners maintain the roll on their horse’s feet between trims, I’m all for it. Be sure to get your farrier to show you how to use it, even if they want to laugh.
Just my $0.02. 
Why not just use a regular rasp?
To scrub that short rasp around the hoof wall, looks like more work than just taking nice long strokes with a regular rasp. But then that’s just my opinion.
[QUOTE=Painted Horse;3925603]
Why not just use a regular rasp?
To scrub that short rasp around the hoof wall, looks like more work than just taking nice long strokes with a regular rasp. But then that’s just my opinion.[/QUOTE]
To use a regular rasp effectively you need a foot stand. But I agree I wouldn’t spend my money on another gimic. I also feel that amatures shouldn’t be messing with their horses feet. Today they might just round the corners but who knows what they attempt tomorrow??
Regular cheapo rasp, new, costs @ $18. And putting a roll on a hoof requires pulling it forward, so a stand is helpful, but not required. Until I had my knee hyperexended by a kicking horse, I finished all their feet on my leg rather than bothering with a hoof stand. Nothing like limping around a couple of months to make the hoof stand worth the bother! The farrier would need to teach the owner how to pull the horse’s foot forward in order to put a good roll on it.
Anywho, it seems to me that for the motivated owner, this little tool may help them to put a reasonable roll on their horses’ feet without a hoof stand or without having to learn to make a table with their legs (i.e. the farriers’ way).
Most of the people I’ve given rasps to and asked them to keep the roll refreshed don’t do it. I don’t know if it is fear of making a mistake or the difficulty of using the rasp the way I show them. If this gadget helps them help their horse, I’m in favor.
Using a rasp is not easy if you are not familiar with it. If you use your knee as a stand you need a leather apron or alot of pants are going to get ruined. It is also far more difficult holding the foot on your knee with one hand, trying not to rasp your leg at the same time and handling is big humugus file with the other and when you switch from inside to out or vise versa it becames ackward.
I saw a video with that particular rasp and the lady didn’t seem to be too effective.
Before I bought a farrier’s apron, I used riding chaps to protect my legs.
The rasp in question isn’t for doing major trimming: it is for smoothing out the edges. It is designed for owners, not farriers. Safer, fewer cuts on the hands, no need to pull the leg forward.
If my client orders it and I’m unimpressed with the product, I’ll say so here.
My husband trims all our horses (he’s a vet) but I would like to be able to clean up the edges myself. However, I have nerve damage that weakens my right hand and recurrent tendonitis in the left wrist, which make handling a full rasp difficult for me. I’m going to try this tool out myself and see how it works.
I bought the riders rasp since my pony’s hoofs grow so quickly. I was hoping that I could use it between his 6 week trim appointments since his hooves grow so quickly. Let me tell you, I am dissappointed with it. The rasp is just not sharp enough. It is so dull!!! I do have nerve damage in my arms due to a ruptured disk and also have bursitis in one shoulder, so maybe I don’t have enough strength to use it properly. It is very comfortable to hold onto, but I don’t feel like it does the job it should do. If anyone wants to try it I could send it out for the cost of postage. Maybe it will work better for someone else?
[QUOTE=morganmare;3947858]
I bought the riders rasp since my pony’s hoofs grow so quickly. I was hoping that I could use it between his 6 week trim appointments since his hooves grow so quickly. Let me tell you, I am dissappointed with it. The rasp is just not sharp enough. It is so dull!!! I do have nerve damage in my arms due to a ruptured disk and also have bursitis in one shoulder, so maybe I don’t have enough strength to use it properly. It is very comfortable to hold onto, but I don’t feel like it does the job it should do. If anyone wants to try it I could send it out for the cost of postage. Maybe it will work better for someone else?[/QUOTE]
That’s very generous of you. I saw a video on using it and thought at the time it is just another gimic on the market.
The marketing got me. I really didn’t want to go out and buy the trimmers apron and the gloves and a real trimmers rasp, etc…
The riders rasp is very easy to hold, and would be easy to use if it just wasn’t to damn dull. If the rasp within the riders rasp was high quality, I believe it would work well. It’s too bad they cheaped out on the rasp quality.
Thanks for the feedback. This is an important point.
[QUOTE=morganmare;3947858]
I bought the riders rasp since my pony’s hoofs grow so quickly. I was hoping that I could use it between his 6 week trim appointments since his hooves grow so quickly. Let me tell you, I am dissappointed with it. The rasp is just not sharp enough. It is so dull!!! I do have nerve damage in my arms due to a ruptured disk and also have bursitis in one shoulder, so maybe I don’t have enough strength to use it properly. It is very comfortable to hold onto, but I don’t feel like it does the job it should do. If anyone wants to try it I could send it out for the cost of postage. Maybe it will work better for someone else?[/QUOTE]
Why don’t you send it back to the Company? Or ask for different rasps?
[QUOTE=morganmare;3947979]
The marketing got me. I really didn’t want to go out and buy the trimmers apron and the gloves and a real trimmers rasp, etc…
The riders rasp is very easy to hold, and would be easy to use if it just wasn’t to damn dull. If the rasp within the riders rasp was high quality, I believe it would work well. It’s too bad they cheaped out on the rasp quality.[/QUOTE]
RidersRasp has a finish file. If you are use to a regular rasp it will feel different. And it is not a trimming tool, it is a maintenance tool for horse owners. Not every horse owner should have access to a farriers rasp. The RidersRasp was created by a farrier who is very picky about rasp quality. Not sure what you mean by rasp quality. Or are you refering to coarseness?
[QUOTE=Shadow14;3947927]
That’s very generous of you. I saw a video on using it and thought at the time it is just another gimic on the market.[/QUOTE]
I doubt Garrett Ford, President of Easy Care, who has used the tool would give a testimonial if he felt RidersRasp was a gimic.
[QUOTE=HeatherT3;4006395]
I doubt Garrett Ford, President of Easy Care, who has used the tool would give a testimonial if he felt RidersRasp was a gimic.[/QUOTE]
You seem to be taking this personal. Do you work for the company??
I have been a farrier for 22 years and thought if was a dumb idea from the start.
It’s spelled “gimmick” (sorry, couldn’t help it)…
I saw this the other day, and asked if you could replace the file part, the shop owner said yes.
It just looks like a wrong angle to me (it’s set at right angles) to work really well. I suppose for an emergency quickie rasping it might work, but I think if your horse is trimmed right to begin with you won’t have a bad chipping that would require this.
Maybe Easycare has a $$$ stake in the rasp company?
[QUOTE=Shadow14;3925928]
To use a regular rasp effectively you need a foot stand. [/QUOTE]
Oh really ? 
Some don’t.I can think of 3 top trimmers that never use them.
The rest of your post was not only true, but cute .
[QUOTE=AZ Native;4006622]
Oh really ? Some don’t.I can think of 3 top trimmers that never use them.
The rest of your post was not only true, but cute .:)[/QUOTE]
You need a $100 apron to rasp on your knee and it takes getting use to. Putting the foot on a stand frees both hands and you don’t run the risk of rasping your knee either. Most can not handle a rasp one handed. To rasp with the foot between the knees is also ackward. Again I have been doing this for 22 years and gave everything a try working out my way of doing things. We even rest the hind legs on a cradle these days instead of hooking over the hip. Anything to make the load easier on the back.
I also use mechanics gloves to protect the hands but have not master nailing with them on. I loose the feeling that I have with a bare hand. My 3 fingers rest on the side of the hoof and this tells me the angle of the nail.
I rarely used a hoof stand until I got my knee hyperextended doing a hind foot. The horse kicked back and my kneecap was on the wrong side. I finished trimming the horses that day, once I was able to get off the ground. That was unpleasant. Now I use my Hoof Jack almost exclusively, despite it taking a few extra minutes to use. I hate limping.
Having said that, a farrier’s apron is not required for rasping a foot held forward. Simple riding chaps will protect pants from a rasp. The beauty of the gadget being discussed in this thread is that pant will be protected by the plastic handle. So, no chaps or farrier apron required.
I’ve only been doing this for 5 years. We were not allowed to use hoof stands when I took a farrier course. The reasoning is that some horses don’t tolerate stands well, so we had to learn how to trim without them. It’s harder than it looks.
