"Dirt trap" barefoot trim. Anyone heard of this?

[Landcruiser]

I have a horse out on loan a fair distance away, who is barefoot. I happened to visit him just after he'd had his hooves trimmed by a barefoot trimmer (a DAEP) and queried the trim, as the heels looked rather long. I was also slightly confused by the fact that some sole had been scoured out just inside the hoof wall on either side, from about half way along the foot, back to the heel leaving the wall proud by about 1/4inch I suppose. The trimmer told me that this was the "dirt trap" which he did in order to give the horse friction, ie allowing a pad of dirt to collect and sit in the hoof. He also told me that horses should not weight their sole except at the toe (and sure enough, that was the only bit in contact with the ground, post trim.

My other horse, also barefoot, self trims pretty much (we do a fair bit of road and stone track work). His walls wear pretty much flush with his sole, he has plenty of frog contact too. No dirt trap! Low heels. Lots of sole contact. I occasionally tidy up the edges but that's about it. He's sound on all surfaces.

My other lad, who now has the dirt traps and no sole contact(and also no frog contact with the ground either as his frogs are looking quite poor) has a history of foot issues and sensitivity.

I'm kind of stuck, because I'm not in a position to have my other lad back, and he's only field sound, but I'm a more than a tad worried about that trim. Has anyone come across this dirt trap idea before? The trimmer had trimmed others in the same way, at the same place, it wasn't just my horse. All my instincts are telling me it's wrong.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Find out if the trimmer is registered and then contact the registration organisation, personally it sounds like claptrap, the opposite of what is required, my horse self trimmed most of the time and no farrier touched the soles.
Not sure about the heels, can you post pictures of yours high/low is a matter of degree.
The digital cushion should be well developed compared to a shod horse.

 

[Goldenstar]

I have never heard of it .
From what I think you have described I can only think that it would compromise the foot and make it more susceptible to infection.

 

[stilltrying]

My previous trimmer did describe something similar to me for the same purpose (more grip) when i was still toying with the idea of competing on grass. In my mind I imagined it as sharpening up the bars a bit? But I might have got that wrong it was a few years back and we never did it as I gave up jumping.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

not heard of this and my trimmer was originally DAEP. Some trimmers used to like a 'quarter scoop' to relieve pressure and stop quarter cracks but I've not seen that much over here and not for a while. It didnt involve the sole afaik though?

 

[putasocinit]

Heels need to be flush with the frogs so they are getting the correct stimulation and this mean the arch of the pastern to the heels would be correct, your horse tell her you not happy his heels are too long needs another trim by a farrier not an overpriced barefoot trimmer

 

[cptrayes]

Heels need to be flush with the frogs so they are getting the correct stimulation and this mean the arch of the pastern to the heels would be correct, your horse tell her you not happy his heels are too long needs another trim by a farrier not an overpriced barefoot trimmer

Whoooooooooaaaah there!!!

The frog and the heels, in a healthy foot, are both ground bearing. If the frog is under worked and atrophied, then reducing the height of the heels to make the frog ground bearing could cripple the horse. Many horses like that will need the frog stimulated on conforming surfaces that pack up inside the foot, to increase frog depth, not heel height reduced to bring a shrunken frog into work.

As for the dirt trap trim, this trimmer takes away a natural anti slip surface so it can be replaced with a natural anti slip surface? Barking, interference for the sake of it.