Barefoot farrier trim?

[flitz02]

Ok,apologies for yet another barefoot question ...however im sure someone can help. Long story short-Am reading feet first book but havent got to the bit i need yet!I want my farrier to trim with a view to taking my mare barefoot/(Comfortable without shoes). I dont want to tell him how to suck eggs as he is a fantastic farrier & im sure he will be happy to work with me on this as we've tried everything else!!!! So what are the key points to him trimming her feet please that differ from a normal trim?
Thanking you in advance.

 

[TwoStroke]

Two things spring to mind...

Frog trimming is rife. Snicking off little flappy bits which trap infection is ok, but no sculpting of the frog.

More serious is sculpting of the sole - this can cause real problems for horses, and is usually done when a foot appears too long due to p3 sink.

So no sole sculpting and minimal frog fiddling .

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

If the horse is still shod at the moment, do all the above plus if they can shoe so as to allow the digital cushion at the back of the hooves to develop and get nice and bulbous, this will help the horse (not only help once it is barefoot to make it comfy but also help it prevent the navicular bone being brought into work it isnt meant to have to do.

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

if still shod take the hinds off, continue work with the fronts shod! then after 2 X tske the fronts off. sorry i am in the farriers are best gang! barefoot works for some not al and do factor in your work load!

 

[flitz02]

Thankyou for your replies, she has had these bloody awful casts on her feet for the last 3 months (to make her more comfortable on hard/rough surfaces!) as she is on field rest (for an injury behind!) but they keep coming off & are making her feet even more brittle than normal.I think trying to get her frogs doing what they should be doing is the key hopefuly.I too am not about to ditch my farrier you never know when you might need his expertise! x