Hoof Jack Review & Bellota Finish Rasp Review

Hoof Jack Equine Innovations & Bellota Finish Rasp

I've been finishing horses for my brother for probably about 8 years now. Every summer since my freshman year in college.

We work out of Great Falls, Montana so I've worked on rodeo stock, draft horses, pack mules, reiners, cutting horses every kind of horse really.

Two things you know you need when you finish horses: a stand and a file (you also need a clinch block, nail clippers, a gouge, a finish hammer, maybe a hot rasp for reiners/ropers, plus miscellaneous shoeing equipment but this is a spotlight on the Hoof Jack and the Bellota Finish Rasp).

If you're looking for a clench block, clench cutter, or any of the other tools I mentioned above, they are online here.

You can see the utility of the Hoof Jack right away those magnets on the side are heavy-duty and can hold stacked nippers and nail clippers, rasps or hammers. It is versatile and won't crack in half like other magnets do.

Back to the job at hand I know you can use a different rasp to level the foot, but I couldn't resist using this new rasp to get the job done quick. Being an apprentice (for 6 years--"That's a long time to apprentice," you think-- remember, this was for summers during university), I never really get a new rasp because my brother is somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to his job.  

Watch him build a fullered roadster in this video, and you'll see what I mean.  

So when I got the chance to demo this rasp I did as much as I could with it. I leveled and dressed the feet all in about 15 minutes with the new Bellota Finish Rasp.

We've got some rasp options for farriers up online here if you are in the market for one.

This is a quick aside to the utility of the Hoof Jack you can see in this picture (below), while I am leveling, that the hoof rests comfortably (for the horse) in the saddle of the jack.

This ease of utility in the Hoof Jack is a double edged benefit.

If you're a new shoer who hasn't mastered being comfortable under a horse (like me), and you stand bent at the hips, then this stand might just make your problems worse.

Why? 

If you put the foot in the stand and then bend straight at the hips (like I am doing in the picture below) it puts all the strain on your hamstrings and translates directly to pain in the lower back.

This Hoof Jack will prolong a good farrier's career, no doubt about that because it takes that horse weight off your body just remember to get under those hinds by bending your legs rather than just flopping straight over like I am doing here again.

I know the picture below looks like an awkward grip you will come to see that our photographer Jake is really into the high-speed capture action on his camera.

This picture was taken mid-flip, from the rough side to the smooth side.

You can get a ridiculous finish on the wall with this rasp. Smooth and blended up to the coronet band perfectly.

When you finish fronts, you can switch out the Hoof Jack stand-additions. The Hoof Jack comes with interchangeable stands for fronts and hinds.

For me, the Hoof Jack is really valuable especially on the fronts it is higher than most stands and has an added adjustable height ability that allows you to set that foot perfectly so you can get the right angles for a clean and tight hammer finish.

And doing this demo meant I didn't have to use my brother's tiny troll stand from about 1930 that's 8 inches tall and rocks like an old kitchen table (not pictured obviously).

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