Unpaid Review- Rider's Rasp

Shortly before we left on the trip of a lifetime, I was called out to trim our Favorite Ponies On The Planet. Their owner had recently acquired a Rider's Rasp, and we had the chance to test it out.

Now, before I go any farther, I will say one more time: This is an unpaid review. The people at Rider's Rasp have not contacted me, and we have no agreement for my review of their product.


The days test subject was the little handsome bugger pictured above. Tiny feet and all, he was willing to be our model.


I liked the fact that there is really no way for anyone to rasp the skin off their hands. The shape of the tool fit my hand well, and was balanced nicely.

That was pretty much where it ended for me though. I understand that there are two types of blades available- smooth or fine (which we had to use,) or more coarse, almost like a real rasp but not as rough.

Maybe it was the size of the tiny hoof. Maybe it was the fact that we had the finishing blades instead of the more coarse blades. (Replacement blades are available for around $20. The tool itself runs around $40.) Maybe I'm just too used to using regular real rasps.

But I was somewhat underwhelmed by the Rider's Rasp.

Would it work for emergency use? Maybe. You'd be there a mighty long while though.

Would it do to maintain hooves between trims? Again, a solid but half hearted maybe. How much is your time worth?

Would it be worth spending $40 on? No- you can get a rasp from your hoof care provider usually for free to touch up any issues in between trims.

My big issues with it?
Small rasp area means a lot more work on your part to get the job done. Even if it is just a minor chip, to smooth out rough edges it is going to take you a good bit of time, versus two or three swipes with a regular rasp.

The cost of replacement blades: for that price, you can get a brand new SavEdge rasp. Which would last your average horse owner just about a lifetime.

The idea was not a bad one. But the execution needs tweaking. I'd like to see a bigger work surface and better quality rasp blades. Just making those two adjustments might make this much more worthy for the average horse owner to keep on hand. And it might go a long ways towards making the initial $40 purchase price more justifiable. But for now, if you want to have a tool on hand in case you need to smooth something out, pick up a regular rasp from your hoof care provider, duct tape the tang (pointed end,) and watch your knuckles.

Again- this was an unsolicited review on this product.