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First Time Trimming Horses Feet

4K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  xXEventerXx 
#1 ·
SO im getting into barefoot trimming and well my farrier hasnt been able to come out for 4 months! so my horses hooves are getting so long and chipping off so i decided to trim them myself!

like i said my FIRST TIME EVER so dont expect them to be perfect.

My horse is quite flat footed and he has a few chips and cracks so i did the best i could to make them better, i prob took off 1cm of hoof, he was pretty long as you can tell by the cracks. I just used nippers and a rasp.

Back hoof you can see he still has a bit of flare but i didnt wanna take off to much on the heel.



Same hoof just side shot. You can see where he had a little chip.


Now hes the BIG chip i tried to get as much off as possible.


Front shot


front feet







 
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#3 ·
Good on you! You picked up the tools and did it. Looks like a good credible first effort. I suspect the "before" pictures would have been a little scary if you took off a whole centimeter. Not perfect but a really good first effort.

First time is the hardest. You'll think about it, how it went, what you see on the bottom of the feet, how the feet look now, what it sounded like when you used the rasp, what the foot felt like, the frog, sole depth, and that is good. You will wonder what you could have done better and that will take you to sources like DVD's, more knowledge, and you'll get better and better.

Something to think about. If you go to an Orthodontist, he doesn't grab your teeth with a tool and twist them into alignment (OUCH!). Instead, he applies constant pressure in the right direction and lets the teeth align themselves. It's pretty much the same with horses feet.

You manage your trims to encourage the foot to grow into it's natural healthy shape. That can take time, it took me over a year, but with patience most horses feet will follow the "pressure" (or lack of it in the case of hoof wall seperation) and correct any issues, like quarter flare, etc.

The key, then, is to know both what you are looking for and how to read the existing condition of the feet to see what direction they need to go and from that what to do to take them there. That's where things like DVD's from folks who know what they are doing (Pete Ramey for example) come into the picture.

Fitch
 
#4 ·
I'm very sorry, Eventer, but I gonna be harsh here. You left lots of flares on both sides of the hoofs, the edges look "wavy", and I wonder how deep to the sole you get to (because I can see that white line on side of the hoof on last pics). If you want to do it yourself get someone with LOTS of experience to watch you and guide you through the process at least first couple times. And I know it's very tough in the beginning and you can't get it "perfect".

Unfortunately, trimming done incorrectly for long time can bring lots of harm to the horse, and even with all reading, tapes, and even classes it's not easy to do (especially correct balancing of the hoof).
 
#5 ·
I'm very sorry, Eventer, but I gonna be harsh here. You left lots of flares on both sides of the hoofs, the edges look "wavy", and I wonder how deep to the sole you get to (because I can see that white line on side of the hoof on last pics).

Trimming done incorrectly for long time can bring lots of harm to the horse, and even with all reading, tapes, and even classes it's not easy to do (especially correct balancing of the hoof).
Yes! Those long points in the back (the flare) and the rough edges are what will cause the chips and cracks. They need to be filed smooth and even.
 
#6 ·
I know you tried your best with the hoof that has the crack and you kind of have the right idea but the way you have trimmed the crack in addition to leaving the flare is going to put even more pressure on the crack.

The way that particular hoof is currently I would be very concerned about him quartering it. If you can have a farrier out to correct it I would be organizing them to come and do it ASAP.
 
#7 ·
I'm not trying to be rude, or offensive, or deterr you from learning how to trim, but I suggest you get some lessons and learn basic balancing before you try to trim again.

The flares have not been addresses at all and there is too much heel. I'd like to see solar shots as well.
 
#8 ·
I know it was my first time, like i said my farrier couldnt come out for 4 months so what is best to trim myself or leave it for his feet to get worse????

And i left the flares for my farrier to do because i didnt want to attempt and screw it up, so for trying it for my first time i think i did pretty good.

Also trimming wrong for along time yes will cause damage BUT i only did it to prevent from more cracking and chipping. if i didnt trim him he would be without a farrier for another 2 months !
 
#9 ·
I don't know what's the farrier situation in your area, but can't you just use another farrier? I went through 3 farriers before sticking with the one I use now (for couple years already).
 
#13 ·
In my area there are only 2 farriers, the one i dont use SUCKS like holy crap sucks and the one i use is always busy and when ever i make an apt she says lets wait till its a bit warmer so i wait and then she is busy with something else. and where i live we had a huge snow storm for almost a week, its been soo cold so i dont blame her. I think id know the risks for the flares my horse has had issues with his feet for a while. And actually leaving the hooves to chip would be a worse idea, if you didnt notice the cracks its created from chipping.. alot worse. and my horse is on pasture right now on soft snow so its not like hes on hard ground.
 
#14 ·
Hi Eventer, Firstly I'd like to say good on you for giving it a go, when it seems the only alternative was to leave them to further neglect.

From what little can be seen from those pics(unfortunately different angle including solar are needed for more detail), it seems you did do a reasonable job on the toes, but agree that the heels & flares shouldn't have been left. I disagree with Sara that trimming the toes puts more pressure on the flares(& she must have always been in a well populated area to find lack of farriers so hard to believe), but it does appear likely there's a lot of strain working against those cracks.

If you would like to post more pics, I could better tell you what is likely needed. If you were comfortable doing the toes like that, don't stress about quarters & heels - they're no harder to do & the same principles apply. Just make sure you learn to make sense of those principles. I suggest barefoothorse.com, hoofrehab.com & barehoofcare.com as 3 good sites to learn more from. If you're planning on doing it yourself, I would highly recommend Pete Ramey's 'Under The Horse' DVD series. It's not the cheapest, but is WELL worth the money & you will learn HEAP.

In my area there are only 2 farriers, the one i dont use SUCKS like holy crap sucks and the one i use is always busy and when ever i make an apt she says lets wait till its a bit warmer so i wait and then she is busy with something else. and where i live we had a huge snow storm for almost a week, its been soo cold so i dont blame her.
Actually, I wouldn't 'blame' her either, for not *wanting* to work in bad weather - who does?? But for one, you just said the snow storm was for a week, not 4 months, and it sounds like she's palming you off & you're accepting it. Who knows whether she actually cares about the horses or there's some other problem, but if she's a good farrier, she will know the problems that this is causing. But more to the point, you know yourself what state your horse's feet are in and it's your responsibility as owner, so next time you ring to book her, either don't take no for an answer, or if you reckon your horse can 'wait till it's warmer', book her there & then for that 'warmer' time, rather than waiting until she's booked up again.

And actually leaving the hooves to chip would be a worse idea, if you didnt notice the cracks its created from chipping..
Not necessarily, but I do agree that it can well be worse, and from the look of those cracks, the feet should be well & frequently maintained. I don't believe it's just a bit of excess growth & chipping that has caused the cracks though. They have obviously been far longer term probs for a start.
 
#15 ·
I think you did okay for a first time. I think you could do your horse a huge favor though and go back out soon to trip his heels down. By leaving them long you are putting stress on his tendons, muscles and on the cracks that he has. Just do little by little if you're worried and keep updating on here for opinions if you need help :) Remember that you that you can always take more off, but you can never put it back on. A suggestion is to do his heels with a rasp, that way is it much slower, but you will be MUCH more likely not to take too much off. The flares will eventually take care of themselves with consistent work, don't try to force his hooves into a shape that they are not. Good luck! :D
 
#16 ·
I agree that the heels are too long, especially on the feet with the flares and the crack (the rear feet?). I think the reason the flares are there to begin with, is because the heels have gotten too long. The horse is trying to bring them down lower, but they don't chip or break off, so all they can do to realign themselves is to flare outwards.

I wouldn't hack the heels too short either, but I would probably take just those heels on the flared feet down close to another centimeter. At least even with the scoop in the quarters.

The rest of the job looks pretty good. Good job rasping the edges to prevent further chipping. :)

Really, use the sole as your guide. You don't want to trim into the sole at all, but you don't want to leave the hoof wall a lot longer than the sole either. The heels should flow smoothly into the sole level at the quarters. The heels shouldn't be pointed into the ground like cleats. I have heard it said that the heels should be down at the same level as the frog. I personally leave the heels a bit longer than the frog. But if the heels are A LOT taller than the level of the frog, you know you need to take off more heel.

I have been trimming my own horses for a number of years now, and I highly recommend Pete Ramey's and Jaime Jackson's books. One is called "Making Natural Hoofcare Work For You." I don't have them in front of me at the moment, so I can't give you the exact titles, but if you don't have them already, they will help you a lot. Very good books! Jaime Jacksons is the best if you can only buy one. But both are worth the money and are a small price to pay to learn to trim your own horses. :D
 
#18 ·
I have been trimming my own horses for a number of years now, and I highly recommend Pete Ramey's and Jaime Jackson's books. One is called "Making Natural Hoofcare Work For You." I don't have them in front of me at the moment, so I can't give you the exact titles, but if you don't have them already, they will help you a lot. Very good books! Jaime Jacksons is the best if you can only buy one. But both are worth the money and are a small price to pay to learn to trim your own horses.

Thanks for your support. I actually have been reading and watching pete ramey hes very helpful, i was gunna go to school for farrier but im more interested in barefoot trimming.

I think you did okay for a first time. I think you could do your horse a huge favor though and go back out soon to trip his heels down. By leaving them long you are putting stress on his tendons, muscles and on the cracks that he has. Just do little by little if you're worried and keep updating on here for opinions if you need help :) Remember that you that you can always take more off, but you can never put it back on. A suggestion is to do his heels with a rasp, that way is it much slower, but you will be MUCH more likely not to take too much off. The flares will eventually take care of themselves with consistent work, don't try to force his hooves into a shape that they are not. Good luck

I wouldnt want to force my horses feet into the "proper shape" as some people say. My horse once hadnt been trimmed for awhile and when he got trimmed the farrier took off a bit to try to make them the "proper" shape and his tendons stretched from his fetlocks sinking down wards because his toes grew so long, so then when he got trimmed he was a bit sore for a few days. Right now its not so bad for him to walk on the ground because the snow is soft he isnt lame or anything.
 
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