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Sole shedding, wait to trim?

1K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  ACinATX 
#1 ·
Pony's sole is shedding. He also could use a trim. I'm thinking that I don't want to trim him while his sole is getting ready to shed, because it's going to give me an incorrect idea of how much / where to trim. So, do I want to just wait for it to come off, or should I take it off myself? It's really powdery underneath, and in some places I can just get the hoof pick under it and pop it out. I'm not sure if it's going to be like that everywhere. Or should I trim him regardless? IMO his feet are due for a trim, but not overdue.

Sorry for the picture quality, but I think you can get an idea of what I'm looking at. The sole that wants to come off is decently thick.
 

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#2 ·
What I always do is take out anything I can remove with a hoof pick, then do a trim.

But if there has been a period of dry there may be a good amount of sole that will shed soon, so keep an eye on things. If the sole sheds out suddenly you will want to trim again before you normally would.

When I have waited for the sole to shed before trimming, I've suddenly ended up with very long walls, when it wasn't convenient for me to trim.

I think it depends on how much sole it being retained and how much the weather changes. After periods of dry weather here, the hooves might be a good half inch or more taller than in wet periods. When it starts raining, all that sole might come out suddenly.

If a horse is shedding because the toes are being brought back, the shed is usually less dramatic and more sustained than a shed due to weather changes.
 
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