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What is a horse rasp?

What is a horse rasp?

Shop for Rasp Files


A horse keeper lifting up their horse's hoof to put onto a hoof jack Horse rasps are used by horse keepers to keep hooves neat and tidy and to prevent them from getting too long. They are designed to cater for all aspects of hoof grooming in one easy to handle tool.

What are the characteristics of a horse rasp?

Image of a horse rasp showing cross section and outline

Cross section and profile

Horse rasps are blunt and rectangular in cross section.

Image to show that a horse rasp has rasp teeth on one side and double cut file teeth on the other

Cut

They have rasp teeth on one face and file teeth on the other.

Image of a horse keeper filing the bottom of their horse's hoof using a horse rasp The rasp side of the tool is used for the bulk of the grooming work, including smoothing down the edges of the hoof and keeping it flat.
Image of a horse keeper filing the outside of their horse's hoof with a horse rasp The file side of the tool is used for finer details, such as keeping the hoof’s overall shape and removing any lumps and bumps (flare).

For a step by step guide, see: How to care with horses hooves with a horse rasp?

A horse rasp with single cut edges Their edges can be single cut with file teeth, safe, or even set, meaning that the teeth do not reach all the way to the edge of the rasp. This helps to prevent the user from accidentally catching the horse’s leg during the hoof filing process!
Image of a plain horse rasp with file teeth at one and end rasp teeth at another Some horse rasps are made without a tang, in which case they tend to be double ended. The file teeth are cut on one end, and the rasp teeth are cut on the other.

As you are likely to be wearing gloves when grooming your horse’s hooves, this means you can hold a double ended horse rasp directly by the body.

An indication of the range of lengths in which horse rasps are usually available

Size

Horse rasps are usually available in lengths from 300mm (12 inches) to 350mm (14 inches).

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