4 weekly trimming???

Leo Walker

Leo Walker

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My little cobs loaner has come back to me and said he needs a trim. He was done just over 3 weeks ago. When I've queried why he needs a trim soo soon shes told me that his hooves are chipping. I'd expect that a little bit as hes now in full work, hacking out on stony tracks, occasionally on the road and in the sand school. Apparently she asked the farrier for advice and hes offered to tidy him up next week and has said he will need doing at 4 weekly intervals?!?

Last time I saw him he was very overdue as I hadnt been physically able to walk him the 40mins to the yard :( But he was done and his feet looked great. I've suggested he may need a milton soak in case theres any sort of infection and that chipping is normal giving the change in his lifestyle, but shes adamant he needs to be done 4 weekly. Im very worried about this! Hes got great feet and has previously self trimmed pretty well just needing a trim every 12 weeks or so, so long as he was getting out and about in hand hacking etc. I dont want to ruin a loan thats going well, but I REALLY dont want him trimming every 4 weeks by a farrier I suspect that will very quickly end up with no hoof and him being sore and needing shoes. But on the ther hand I may be missing something?!

The only thing I can think is if shes changed his feed to something full of sugar as hes on a limited grass diet. I'm going to go back and check that now, just in case. But otherwise I cant think of any reason a cob with good shaped rock hard feet would need trimming every 4 weeks??
 
They grow faster in the summer, and chips are better kept away than to let grow and cause cracks. My friends stallion needs done and i was the one who held him three weeks ago to be done, looks like he hasn't been done in months!
 
You know the horse better than anyone, I think it sounds as though loaner has not taken on board the management and feeding that he needs, to be honest I would not expect any chipping in a horse that is well into the zone.
Farrier has given advice over the phone possibly, and has made an appointment, he should only need rasped round edges at four weeks, what else is he going to do?
I wonder if loaner is not bothering about regular road work, and is keeping him in a grass field and working only on soft surfaces, and as you say, has decided to feed "normal " rations.
Better go and see and find out exactly what is happening.
 
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Hes only 4 and a bit. Hes been in work for just short of a month after a winter out at grass, so a big change for him. Farrier has seen him as he was taken to be shown to him when he was on the yard, so hes seen him and obviously sees something?! I prefer my horses barefoot but I'm not evangelical about it. However he has fab feet, always has! I would expect some chips and things after such a big change, I wouldnt expect cracks to form though in healthy feet??

I really do NOT want him shod, ever! And am pig headed enough to take him away from a good loaner if thats the way its going to go, but obviously I'd much rather we could work it out, and if he needs 4 weekly trims then so be it, but I cannot fathom any reason why he would ever need that unless of course theres an underlying infection?
 
Not unusual and in fact more often the better. My youngster is done 4 weekly at this time of year or else the toes just get far too long!
 
My cob is trimmed every 5 weeks as that is when the farrier comes, and in summer I really need him done more often as his feet chip if they get long.
 
I managed my horse so he never needed trimmed, to me this is the ideal as it means his feet are perfect every day......... it was not difficult, enough regular hacking on roads to rasp the hooves.
if he was in a field and not in work it was maybe 6-8 weeks.
 
Patterdale said:
:eek3:

The farrier is coming to mine next week. Prior to this his last visit was September.
Is it really normal for unshod horses to need trimming every 5 weeks!?? Do they live in or something?
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I'm with you! I was genuinely shocked at the thought of 4 week trimming, esp now hes working. I'm doubting myself now though!
 
FrankieCob said:
Apparently she asked the farrier for advice and hes offered to tidy him up next week and has said he will need doing at 4 weekly intervals?!?
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If the farrier is saying he needs doing every 4 weeks without really knowing the horse, it sounds like that is that particular farrier's approach rather than a individual assessment of that horse's needs.

It was actually a farrier who taught me to be laid back about trimming. When Frankie was first barefoot his feet were looking very untidy with big chips. My farrier at the time had no intention of coming out just for a trim and always did him when he had a horse to shoe. So when I texted some pictures, he told me he'd be fine and he was. I carried on riding, he chipped of the bits he didn't need and then smoothed the edges on the bridlepaths. By the time the farrier finally visited, he didn't need doing.
 
Every horse is different but barefoot horses hooves grow much faster as they have more stimulation from the ground. At this time if year horn grows much faster anyway and when we say trim, it might just be checking the balance. Of course, some people will place more of an importance on that than others. It's very individual and there is no right or wrong. What there is...is what is in front of you and you make a judgement based on work, growth, climate, hoof quality etc etc etc.
 
tallyho! said:
Every horse is different but barefoot horses hooves grow much faster as they have more stimulation from the ground. At this time if year horn grows much faster anyway and when we say trim, it might just be checking the balance. Of course, some people will place more of an importance on that than others. It's very individual and there is no right or wrong. What there is...is what is in front of you and you make a judgement based on work, growth, climate, hoof quality etc etc etc.
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I think thats my issue. The farrier wants to trim as his hooves are chipping but his foot balance is good and as far as I'm concerned the chipping is a natural side effect to a big lifestyle change. I just get the feeling its a farrier looking at barefoot hooves and wanting them to be perfectly round and smooth, and thats what worries me :(
 
Trimming the wall isn't so much of a problem if it suits the horse to have his walls short and is not getting enough work on abrasive ground/roads to keep them short but if sole or frog is routinely trimmed this a problem and often causes sensitivity.
Perhaps suggest she gradually increases road work and learns to run a rasp or sand paper round the base of the wall to keep tidy if it bothers her! There are some rasps designed for owners to put a roll on/tidy edges the hoof. Radius rasp and another I can't recall the name of.
Good idea to go and see for yourself and talk it through with her.
 
Mine all grow a lot of foot, and I'm keen to keep the feet balanced, hence the 4 weekly visits. Its taken my current farrier a long time to correct the faulty foot balance caused by my ex farrier, so I'm happy for him to come every 4 weeks to keep them in order.

There's always plenty of hoof off cuts to keep the Jack Russell happy :).

They're out 24/7, on bare grazing (sometimes supplemented by soaked hay), with twice daily token feeds of a handful of soaked hi fibre cubes, pro hoof or balance, and salt. Two of them also get micronised linseed (not the cob, as it makes him hyper!).
 
Frank could have done with being done after 4 not 6 weeks last time round. As hard as I try I cannot work him enough to keep up with the growth and he is quite a busy chap working 6 days a week, 4 of those 1.5- 3 hr hacks and does a fair amount of roadwork. - They are all different so to say that keeping them self trimming is not difficult really isn't fair IMO.

If he were mine I'd want to go and have a look if that were poss OP.
 
ester said:
ir amount of roadwork. - They are all different so to say that keeping them self trimming is not difficult really isn't fair IMO.
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I agree Ester, some hooves grow very fast and unless you have abrasive track turnout for eg. as well as work it can be hard to keep those from getting long.
There are lots of ways that work as well as no trimming if hooves are growing too long, you have to find what works for the individual in his circumstances and of course this changes throughout the year and when work levels etc.change. Barefoot horses have changing needs so you have to learn to go with the flow by seeing his response to work, diet changes and trimming. It's very different to having a shoeing package.
 
I am so glad mine self trim pretty much! My farrier came after 8 weeks and my boy only needed a rasp and my mare had about 1/2 cm taken off the inside and the outside just rasped. The dogs were very disappointed...
 
Depends on the horse and its workload...my 2 in work are getting done every 4--5 weeks in the summer, and in the case of the Endurance pony, he really needs it, otherwise his toes shoot forward and his feet go splat! The unridden companion pony is fine at 8 weeks or more, and her feet don't look too bad at that point.
 
FrankieCob said:
I think thats my issue. The farrier wants to trim as his hooves are chipping but his foot balance is good and as far as I'm concerned the chipping is a natural side effect to a big lifestyle change. I just get the feeling its a farrier looking at barefoot hooves and wanting them to be perfectly round and smooth, and thats what worries me :(
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I see... Yes, well that is a conundrum then.... Do you normally use a qualified trimmer or farrier?
 
amandap said:
Trimming the wall isn't so much of a problem if it suits the horse to have his walls short and is not getting enough work on abrasive ground/roads to keep them short but if sole or frog is routinely trimmed this a problem and often causes sensitivity.
Perhaps suggest she gradually increases road work and learns to run a rasp or sand paper round the base of the wall to keep tidy if it bothers her! There are some rasps designed for owners to put a roll on/tidy edges the hoof. Radius rasp and another I can't recall the name of.
Good idea to go and see for yourself and talk it through with her.
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Good idea!
 
It's the yard farrier. I wouldn't say he's great or terrible. Just your average farrier. The farrier I use on my shod horse is amazing. If he said it, I'd accept it without a murmur. Maybe I should just let them get on with it. He has good feet so I can't imagine too much damage would be done
 
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