Self trimming

pistolpete

pistolpete

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Anyone still in the allowing horse to self trim camp? My barefoot experience is limited to Rockley rehab education and the 4-5 week trim cycles so many horses I know are on baffles me. I’m no longer riding my own pony so he just gets a tidy up when he needs it. More in summer less in winter. He never grew much foot even when ridden.
 
The ground isn't hard enough or quite right here for a horse to actually self trim. I do walk like on rock and/or the roads from time to time. He definitely has some to trim off every 5 to 6 weeks.

My last horse grew a fair amount of hoof too even though he was regularly ridden on all sorts of surfaces.
 
Mine is also retired and never grew much foot either. I did have him trimmed regularly when he was in work but it was always a case with him of the less that got done the better. Nowadays I just run a rasp around every now and then if bits of wall are looking a bit tatty and I do get the farrier to check now and then, mainly just to check his heels and the overall balance really. The farrier last looked at him in August and rolled the walls a bit but that was mainly just to humour me I think. I might have him have a look next time he comes to my other horse but the feet look fine to me at the moment so I might not bother.

I do know other horses who grew a massive amount of foot even when regularly ridden and they did need a proper trim every six weeks or so, so maybe it just depends on the horse and the environment?
 
I self trim weekly or their abouts and have a professional out every 5 weeks. Growth varies. But there is always foot to take off and rebalancing to do. We never take sole.

I typically take toe back to golden line weekly, and even medial lateral balance up (more growth than wear to the inside of 3 feet and outside of one. And take off any excessive bar growth.

Horse lives out, walks 50 minute round trip to school without boots. Typically hacks in boots as trying to grow hind heel height and want to limit wear.

That said I think different horses need different things. And depends on the environment, my horse needed less trimming when his living environment involved more brick / paving slabs / hardcore.
 
Since installing @250mtrs of hardcore tracks, as tractor and horse access routes to/around/through fields, mine have been self trimming in summer really well.

I’m sooo chuffed that worked-out well, as they grow hoof wall quite quickly, so wasn’t sure if the tracks were going to make much difference, but was proven wrong.
They’re mostly in soft fields grazing in summer, but use the tracks to get water, change fields, come up to the yard to have a nosey - so end-up doing a fair few km’s on the tracks weekly during summer.

Also their night-time ’dry-lot turnout with barn bed shelter’ area is hardcore so they stomp around on that all night, all year round. (I have to save field trashing due to oodles of rainfall we get here, soft land, so rarely is 24/7 turnout, hence building dry turnout)

Initially when they went on tracks i was half hand on the rasp as i’d see a bit of uneven growth starting, only to find soon enough the track walking had chipped it off. They run on the tracks too, skid and frolic which all helps self-trimming.

Theyve always had the dry-lot turn-out, but adding tracks definitely achieves a very good self-trim.

It’s brilliant not to be bent double so often to trim them.
 
My homebred 19 y/o, never a shoe on his life TB, pretty much self trims, unless for some reason he's not getting enough work on roads etc.

The other two still need boots for some hacks, and so still need some help trimming. The goal is no boots and self trimming, but they both had shoes on a young age, and both also have separate body issues, so it is a work in progress.
 
PurBee said:
Since installing @250mtrs of hardcore tracks, as tractor and horse access routes to/around/through fields, mine have been self trimming in summer really well.

I’m sooo chuffed that worked-out well, as they grow hoof wall quite quickly, so wasn’t sure if the tracks were going to make much difference, but was proven wrong.
They’re mostly in soft fields grazing in summer, but use the tracks to get water, change fields, come up to the yard to have a nosey - so end-up doing a fair few km’s on the tracks weekly during summer.

Also their night-time ’dry-lot turnout with barn bed shelter’ area is hardcore so they stomp around on that all night, all year round. (I have to save field trashing due to oodles of rainfall we get here, soft land, so rarely is 24/7 turnout, hence building dry turnout)

Initially when they went on tracks i was half hand on the rasp as i’d see a bit of uneven growth starting, only to find soon enough the track walking had chipped it off. They run on the tracks too, skid and frolic which all helps self-trimming.

Theyve always had the dry-lot turn-out, but adding tracks definitely achieves a very good self-trim.

It’s brilliant not to be bent double so often to trim them.
Click to expand...

Envious! I have asked for a Dymondback Rasp by Cody James Tools for Christmas as fed up of laboring with blunt rasps! Hoping this will make it less hard work. https://www.equinepodiatrysupplies.co.uk/product/littlefoot-rasp-by-cody-james-tools/
 
My horse is self trimming. It's unsettling 😆

The farrier comes to see him but the last 3 visits he's had a look, watches him walk up and down and said there's nothing to take off. Farrier is due again tomorrow (he sees a few horses here).

Baby horse in light work (one ground work session, one long ish hack and two short hacks per week all on surfaces or grass), fed on forageplus and turnout during the day, in at night. The land is sandy and we have sand tracks to and from his field.
 
expanding_horizon said:
Envious! I have asked for a Dymondback Rasp by Cody James Tools for Christmas as fed up of laboring with blunt rasps! Hoping this will make it less hard work. https://www.equinepodiatrysupplies.co.uk/product/littlefoot-rasp-by-cody-james-tools/
Click to expand...
I love the cody james rasps! They really take the strain off compared to conventional rasps.
I got mine on amazon, think they might be a bit cheaper than the link you posted.

With my tracks -i built them year by year…bit by bit…digger hire annually coinciding with hardcore gravel man on speed-dial delivering 14 tonnes a time. We’ve had other farm build works to do all the time, so tracks were done alongside other land jobs.
It’s well worth it, especially over areas that are guaranteed mud all the time - throwing down hardcore has made life so much easier in many ways.
 
PurBee said:
I love the cody james rasps! They really take the strain off compared to conventional rasps.
I got mine on amazon, think they might be a bit cheaper than the link you posted.

With my tracks -i built them year by year…bit by bit…digger hire annually coinciding with hardcore gravel man on speed-dial delivering 14 tonnes a time. We’ve had other farm build works to do all the time, so tracks were done alongside other land jobs.
It’s well worth it, especially over areas that are guaranteed mud all the time - throwing down hardcore has made life so much easier in many ways.
Click to expand...

Sadly I don’t own my own land.

I can’t see any Cody James rasps on Amazon or any cheaper than my link. If anyone does have a link to cheaper I’d be very grateful.
 
expanding_horizon said:
Sadly I don’t own my own land.

I can’t see any Cody James rasps on Amazon or any cheaper than my link. If anyone does have a link to cheaper I’d be very grateful.
Click to expand...

Youre right, cody james rasps are no longer listed on amazon 🙁 They had good deals and bonus of free shipping to ireland. Damn i should have bought a full set while the going was good!
 
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