Fore! Golf Ball Offers Comfort While Rasping

If you spend any time around Tab Pigg at various Vettec clinics, you might notice that the Azle, Texas, farrier uses an unconventional rasp handle — a golf ball.

“I get a lot of funny looks when people see that,” says Vettec’s central regional manager before kicking off the annual Hands-On Workshop at the International Hoof-Care Summit in Cincinnati, Ohio. “I got the idea from the late Kirk Caudle from Bay Town, Texas. We were going to a lot of forging contests back then and he had a golf ball on a half round file. I picked it up and just liked the way it felt.”

The golf ball has been a staple for Pigg’s rasps since the early to mid ’90s.

“What I like about it is the pushing hand is right at the end of the rasp, not 3 or 4 inches away from the end,” he explains. “If you notice, a lot of the new handles on the market are doing the same thing, they just don’t look like a golf ball.”

Do you have a helpful tip that could benefit other farriers? Send them to Jeff Cota at jcota@lessitermedia.com.