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Saw a barefoot trim in Kentucky that changed my angle on hind feet
I was watching an old timer work a crooked-hocked mare in Lexington and he barely touched the inside heel. Told me he learned that from a ranch in Wyoming where they let the hoof tell him what to trim, not the other way around. Anyone else find themselves taking less off the medial side on hind feet?
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jamie_adams4mo ago
Overthinking a trim job, maybe.
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shane_hayes4mo ago
...and that's exactly what my farrier told me when I was fighting with a mare that had a club foot on the right front. He said just let the hoof guide you, stop trying to force it into what you think it should look like. I spent three trims chasing a perfect angle and she just kept getting sore. Finally I backed off, took less off the toe, left the heel alone even though it looked high to me. She went sound within two weeks. Makes you wonder how many horses are being messed up by people who read too many books instead of just watching how the horse moves in real time. That Wyoming ranch guy was probably onto something with that whole "listen before you cut" approach.
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aaron_mitchell4mo ago
Honestly, that farrier nailed it. I saw a guy once try to fix a horse's "underrun heels" by hacking off half the hoof wall in one sitting. Horse went dead lame three days later. Sometimes the hoof just needs time to tell you what it wants.
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