Anyone willing to assess these hooves please?

ester

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What type of gloves do folk recommend for trimming?

And thanks for the tip, I’d have cracked on without any :oops:.

Thin rubber covered/nitirile gardening ones is what I use. From somewhere that makes them in proper glove sizeing

My hoof jack (2nd hand) was one of my best purchases and I've held onto it in case.
 

alibali

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I use nitrile builders gloves - fabric with nitrile coating, can't manage with anything thicker it makes me too clumsy. I too trimmed for the first time using a brand new rasp and no gloves..... Struggled to pick anything up for a week after ?
 

Tiddlypom

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Marigold4

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How did it go with the trimmer yesterday, OP :)?[/QUO

It went well, thanks. Trimmer had had a good look at the xrays and his analysis of the balance was that not only was the toe long, but it was also high, resulting in the heels looking lower as he is tipped back. He has remedied this and everything else the vet pointed out. He also disagreed slightly with vet on the pedal bone issue (slightly ragged edges in two places, one on each foot) and thought that this was because we were looking at the immature pedal bone of 4 year old and he thought nothing to worry about. He is coming back in three weeks to trim him again, but wants to do this himself as the high and long toe issue is not as simple to trim as just a long toe - if that makes sense.

Little horse is sore today but trimmer said he would be as he had taken quite a lot off. Raining hard so hoping for softer ground. Both vet and trimmer think I might be able to ride him in the not too distant future. In the meantime, bad ass 13.2 companion pony is having to take up the slack!IMG_2188.JPG
 

Tiddlypom

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Thanks for the update. Have you got hoof boots to protect his feet for a bit as he’s sore? If not, maybe keep him for a day or two on a deep shavings bed til he’s more comfortable.

I have to say, it’s disappointing that he is sore, though. Hoof imbalances need to be corrected gradually, but your trimmer says that he took a lot off?

Would be interested to see side on pics of how his feet look now :).
 

Marigold4

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Thanks for the update. Have you got hoof boots to protect his feet for a bit as he’s sore? If not, maybe keep him for a day or two on a deep shavings bed til he’s more comfortable.

I have to say, it’s disappointing that he is sore, though. Hoof imbalances need to be corrected gradually, but your trimmer says that he took a lot off?

Would be interested to see side on pics of how his feet look now :).
Yep, he's had hoofboots on but wet and slippy ground so not tonight. He's on bute for 10 days. Trimmer says he'll stop being sore in about 48 hrs so we'll wait and see ...
 

bouncing_ball

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So he was correct when he said your vet wanted him to dump the toes, because that's the only way to shorten a toe and reduce that stress if you don't/can't get increased heel height/strength.

Clearly though, for your horse, he was wrong not to do that. I certainly wouldn't leave the length of toe on the pictures above if the horse didn't have constant movement on abrasive surfaces to do it naturally.

I'm not a fan of EP trained trimmers, but I think they are the only UK based school of training now, aren't they?
.

No I use an AANHCP qualified trimmer.
 

bouncing_ball

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The EPA trimmer said if he trimmed the toe on my horse any more, the horse would bleed. Wrong. I offered to get x rays to help him, but that is when he told me he wouldn’t trim her any differently if I did. The toe was long, and getting longer. The farrier did not dump the toe or make the horse uncomfortable at any point.

A reminder of the before and after pics, a retired Cushing’s mare, not in any work. Pics 5 months apart.

View attachment 55866
View attachment 55867

Conversely my horse has done a similar transformation but coming out of shoes and with a non EP trimmer.
 

bouncing_ball

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It may help if you trim in between visits? I do with mine, I end up trimming one mares toes every few weeks (yes they really do grow that fast) and she always grows one side faster than the other which is nothing to do with trimmer. So, I make sure they are kept in check. The other two don't need any such intervention. Just the one dodgy mare :D.

I was going to post same thing. A bit of a toe tidy is fairly easy to learn.
 

tallyho!

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I trim my ponies feet. I get a professional in 2 or 3 times a year to make sure that i am keeping the balance right, and just trim as often as they need. I sort of look at them after every ride, and if they have started to square off at the toes, I rasp down the "corners" until it is rounded again. I get hand me down rasps from the professional when they get too blunt for them to use, but are fine for me. I also have a rider's rasp which I might use to get the roll.
I am going to get myself a pony hoof stand soon to make it easier. I don't know how farriers and trimmers do it - I am puffed just after doing one pair of hooves!
I use a small traffic cone with a split tennis ball on top. A tip I got from HHO!

Yes keeping on top of it is a good idea. You often see posts about long toes and problems and then find out the last trim was 2 months ago :D hooves grow much faster barefoot.
 

tallyho!

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Thanks for the update. Have you got hoof boots to protect his feet for a bit as he’s sore? If not, maybe keep him for a day or two on a deep shavings bed til he’s more comfortable.

I have to say, it’s disappointing that he is sore, though. Hoof imbalances need to be corrected gradually, but your trimmer says that he took a lot off?

Would be interested to see side on pics of how his feet look now :).
Sometimes it's better to intervene quickly. I've had to do this for a mare we had in. It's transient and will be better in the long run.
 

IrishMilo

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Three out of the four frogs look really great and then there's just one that's contracted (third pic). I think overall the feet are very nice - still look very long though!
 

Marigold4

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Thanks for the update. Have you got hoof boots to protect his feet for a bit as he’s sore? If not, maybe keep him for a day or two on a deep shavings bed til he’s more comfortable.

I have to say, it’s disappointing that he is sore, though. Hoof imbalances need to be corrected gradually, but your trimmer says that he took a lot off?

Would be interested to see side on pics of how his feet look now :).
Photos posted now
 

Reacher

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Good start, when are you planning on having the farrier back? (You need shorter trimming interval until you get feet back to regular length).
 
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