Farrier/barefoot trimmer with holistic approach & remedial exp?

[Gracie]

Hello everyone,
Since leaving my last yard I wasn't able to take my wonderful farrier with me who used to trim my barefoot TB (he had a very good understanding of barefoot horses having worked out in the USA and taken part in trials with native horses as well as being a remedial farrier with a wealth of knowledge about the physical makeup of horses with various confirmation issues).
I have yet to find another barefoot trimmer or farrier who is able to offer a really good understanding of how to trim my horse both for the way she moves (she dishes quite considerably) and as a barefoot horse.
Barefoot trimmers I have come across seem to have much less knowledge about how to balance my TB's feet properly even though they seem to have a more holistic approach to hoof care including nutrition, feeding and exercise etc.
I also don't know how much barefoot trimmers and equine podiatrists are actually trained to deal with horses with confirmation issues?
The current yard farrier seems to have a 'one size fits all' attitude to trimming and sadly isn't a patch on the last farrier we had. We are based near Godalming and any recommendations would be most gratefully received. Thank you!

 

[Clava]

I pretty much let my TB trim her own hooves regular roadwork does it fine. Horses can sort their own issues if given the chance and the correct diet.

 

[Gracie]

Thank you Clava - how much roadwork do you do? And do your horse's feet wear evenly? Due to my horses conformation her feet wear very unevenly in front - perhaps this is the way they should wear, but if so why does a farrier always even them up again?

 

[maccachic]

MY TB doesn't self trim if I go too long between trims and he develops cracks.

I use an awesome trimmer over here but mention the method and people get very opinionated. The results speak for them self and the improvements from the photos prove it.

So maybe email round a few and ask for case studies and get them to explain there methodology to you that way you get a feel for them and can see evidence that what they are saying actually rings true.

 

[cptrayes]

Thank you Clava - how much roadwork do you do? And do your horse's feet wear evenly? Due to my horses conformation her feet wear very unevenly in front - perhaps this is the way they should wear, but if so why does a farrier always even them up again?

Because that's what they are taught to do.

Take a look on rockleyfarm.blogspot.com for asymmetric adaptations made by horses,whose legs aren't straight.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

When I went first barefoot, the local farrier trimmed him from time to time, and always trimmed them "perfect", for about four days after this the horse was uneven until things settled down.
I was lucky that the conformation issue was a minor twist, not extreme, so it did not matter, another farrier just made them tidy, rasping the edge to prevent breaking but left the unevenness in, so the balance of the horse was unaffected.
In time , I worked out that 20-30 mins on a tarmac road self trimmed. The most radical changes occur in the first six to ten weeks as the sole adjusts from soft /chalky to smooth and strong.
The frog also adjusts, if out in soft fields 24/7 they are not as good as if on tracks and so on, but one has to adapt/accept certain compromises.
Rockley farm has arranged things to suit the barefoot regime and gets pretty good results from horses which have all sorts of long standing problems.
Their trimming ethos seems to be "lesser is better"

 

[Gracie]

Thank you Mrs D - do you mean 20 - 30 mins a day?

 

[Clava]

Thank you Clava - how much roadwork do you do? And do your horse's feet wear evenly? Due to my horses conformation her feet wear very unevenly in front - perhaps this is the way they should wear, but if so why does a farrier always even them up again?

I do a couple of two hour rides a week , some roadwork some stony paths some headlands. The farriers looks at them occasionally but they don't need doing 9 times out of 10.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Yes per day, regular exercise is essential imho, especially at first, you need to look at the feet every day anyway, to become familiar with the changes, which will educate you. It is an interesting subject, and not all farriers/other horse owners, will be sympathetic so you may need to be able to understand what is going on, and stand up for your principles!
Read Feet First, [ignore seaweed] and read Rockley Blogs [Celery]

With respect to why farriers always even them up... not all farriers do, but most will, they do 30 horse per week and on average this will be the most suitable trim. And they are so used to lifting the feet, trim down either side of frog, and so on, the trimming part of preparation for shoeing is just a few minutes of a an hour's work

 

[Gracie]

Thank you all for your help, Feet First popped through the door this morning so I'm looking forward to reading it all. I realise now my horse has the right diet for a barefoot horse but she grazes in a soft field all day, is schooled on a soft surface 3 X per week and her feet only touch tarmac once a week. So the exercise regime needs to change! My baby is due this week but as soon as I am back on board I will be able to add much more roadwork and varied surfaces when riding her. Thank you all again.