Slightly sore after trim today

thatsmygirl

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 May 2010
Messages
4,341
Visit site
My lad has been doing really well barefoot ( month in) and was comfy walking on concrete but feet were in need for a trim. My trimmer came today and all he done was put a roll on his Walls and left sole and frogs alone. Tiny bit taken off I bar as it was to high but he's walking like he's really sore. :(
is it just the roll that's making the
break over feel different to why he's walking a bit footy? He's not bad but not as comfy as before. Any advise as nothing really was touched apart from a roll
 
No I haven't yet. Going to see what he's like tomoz. Walking ok in the field. I had to laugh as he went for a drink and as he moved away from the drinker he sort off fell forward as if to say where's my toes gone. So he's going to need to get use to the break over I suppose.
 
no, I would be thinking of using a new trimmer. I use my farrier, and he really is excellent - have seen what the local barefoot trimmer is like up here, and there's no way :eek:
 
Clearly, however little your trimmer thought they did, your horse thought they did too much. Tell the trimmer. And if it ever happens again, change the trimmer.

Meanwhile, if you can post some pictures we can tell you whether your trimmer did something obviously wrong.
 
I shall see what happens but I'm aware that the trim shouldn't off put him backwards. The farriers round here won't entertain barefoot and hack everything off hence why iv gone for a trimmer. This is this 1st trim since his shoes come off. He had loads off broken back foot and feet didn't fit in his boots anymore but he was comfy. But I keep thinking he only rolled his feet nothing more.
Sometimes I think sod everybody and do it all myself but I just don't know enough
 
I'm unable to post pics, normally somebody else puts them up for me. It's annoyed me a bit as he trotted up the yard lovely the other day
 
keep us posted on how things go, it could possibly be a diet related issue too (the grass is weird atm), but I would ring this trimmer and ask them about this. A footy horse is a horse in some level of pain.

I don't know if you've heard of the Riders Rasp, but I use this every week, and tbh, Shy hardly needs trimming at all. I have his farrier out every 10/12 weeks, but other than that, he's doing great.
 
Don't worry too much, his feet will grow and hopefully the soreness will be gone after a few days. I once rolled my horses toes a bit more than usual and he was a bit footy for a few days.
You need to let the trimmer know so if he comes to trim again, he shouldn't take as much off next time.
Would it be better to check if you need to fit new boots instead of making his feet smaller to get into the current ones? If he was comfy, does he really need boots? I second checking his diet and grass intake.
 
I have never had the trimmer make a horse sore on a trim however I have had a sore horse after a farrier. I picked my trimmer for his conservative approach and I have learnt a lot from him.
But that's the difficult thing learning who to trust, in your place I would be ringing the trimmer I would expect them to offer to come straight back to see and offer advice .
Every one gets things wrong now and again and it's good to judge people to ascertain extent be how they handle an issue so any blaming the horse, the diet or whatever would be making me nervous if he's less happy straight after a trim then it most probally the trim .
It's so hard learning who to trust in fact it's a nightmare.
 
I shall see what happens but I'm aware that the trim shouldn't off put him backwards. The farriers round here won't entertain barefoot and hack everything off hence why iv gone for a trimmer. This is this 1st trim since his shoes come off. He had loads off broken back foot and feet didn't fit in his boots anymore but he was comfy. But I keep thinking he only rolled his feet nothing more.
Sometimes I think sod everybody and do it all myself but I just don't know enough

A simple roll shouldn't have hurt the horse and neither should have taking the bar down (unless it was obviously up because it was protecting a weak frog).

Your trimmer couldn't have predicted such a minimalist trim would cause the horse to be. Sometimes even the best trimmers and farriers in the world find themselves in a 'wrong place. wrong time' situation and have accidently made a horse with weak/unhealthy hooves sore.

It's not right - but sometimes it just can't be helped and it happens to both trimmers and farriers on occasion.

The thing is to communicate what has happened to the trimmer, so they can be on guard for next time.

When a hoof care professional babbles back with pseudo science, refuses to listen to you, blames the horse and then continues to make the same mistake - that is the time to give the boot and find someone else.

Going it alone may be an option one day - but I would strongly advocate sticking with a professional for now - until his hooves are healthier.
Don't forget the state his hooves got into in the first place was neither his nor your fault. You need help and support to get them better.
 
Last edited:
I don't know where you're at in the rehab situation but my lad isn't ever trimmed by anyone so I haven't had this problem. Are you able to do 30 to 45 mins of roadwork with him 3 times a week, whether ridden or in hand? If you do this you should find he'll self trim and therefore no need for a trimmer. This is what I've done with Dom, and although I must admit to some concern over his lack of exercise this week due to colic :eek: up until now we've been fine this way because he makes his feet how he needs them. They have a slight medial flare but he's sound and it's working for him. He hasn't seen a Farrier or been trimmed in any other way since the early part of February before he went to Rockley.

If you can put in the work on tarmac it might be worth a try. :)
 
Right iv walked him across the yard where before the trim he was happy to trot without his boots and was confident to walk and stride out lovely. Now after his trim he's all pottery and can't walk properly I'm gutted as he was doing so well. Gona get hold off the trimmer now.
 
What a pain. It may be worth getting a farrier to check too....if a trimmer did that to my horse I honestly wouldn't have them out again.

I would also suggest you ask the vet for some bute - may need to check the feet first (or try bute free stuff) as lameness = pain.

It's so hard when things go wrong. (((((((hugs))))))
 
TMGirl, what type of trimmer do you use? my first attempt at barefoot I used an EP KC trained and although he made my boy,s feet look great they didn,t make him comfy and would be footy post trim! This time round I have a AANHCP trimmer and she hardly touches them and he is fine afterwards!
If your boy is very uncomfortable I would put him in boots and pads even for turnout for a few days!
 
My boy always seems a bit footy after a trim when on stony ground - stones the size of small pebbles - I'm going to ask my farrier not to trim his frogs next time. He doesn't really need any hoof taken off as we do regular bits of roadwork but he tends to wear down on the inside of his fronts a bit more than the outside so they need evening up every couple of months or so.
 
Thanks guys, although he's booked in for 6 weeks time I'm not sure if I want him out again. I have got bute so that's fine but it seems that no farrier/trimmer can keep him sound. He's to big to keep as a pet and in fair on him to go though this pain every time he's trimmed so I'm very tempted to buy a riders rasp and try myself before he's pts as a last resort. Iv had enough off seeing him like this but it's only after anybody trims his feet. To much at once? Would I be better useing a riders rasp and useing it carefully every week instead off a change every 6 weeks? I know there's more to it and keeping a eye on the bars etc but the way things are going he will be pts so surely if I can get him back to how he was post trim which was so so good. When I trotted him up he was so sound and even starting to walk on the stoney track to the field ok. So if I can get him back to that point would it be so bad if I tried myself? Otherwise I know what the next trim will be and I just can't keep putting him though this or me for that matter. Things were so good and no gone again. I was going to get him back into work as I was happy enough to do so but not after the trim. :(
 
Don,t despair, I can sympathise as I have had such a hard time with mine, he was sore after trimming or shoeing I was considering pts. When I took the shoes off this time six months ago I made the mistake of letting the farrier trim him, big mistake he was crippled looked like a laminitic it took three months of turning him out in boots which made him comfy and leaving his feet alone to get some improvement!
We are now on six months and I can ride him out on the road even a little way without boots and he can happily stand in our concrete yard bare, which is something he could never do, I am at last making progress, slow as it is, but I knew it was never going to be a quick fix!
Lucy my trimmer said I could give myself a pat on the back, made me feel like Ihad just got a gold star at school!
I wouldn,t give up yet its early days you are just having a crisis get through that and you will be back on track as you were, chin up! x
 
Pines off Rome thanks your horse sounds very much like mine. I was at that stage with mine and taken this great big step back to the beginning and it mustn't happen again. My lad has told me it wasn't right for him.
It sounds weird but my gut is telling me to try myself but don't know if it's worth a go. Thing is my gut feeling is normall right. It was when my mare aborted but vets would not listen but I knew what was wrong. It's happened time and time again when after something happening I knew I should off listened to my gut feeling as I was right. So would it be so bad if I tried? See how I get on seeing that I know him and all his history
 
Iv had enough off seeing him like this but it's only after anybody trims his feet. To much at once? Would I be better useing a riders rasp and useing it carefully every week instead off a change every 6 weeks? I know there's more to it and keeping a eye on the bars etc but the way things are going he will be pts so surely if I can get him back to how he was post trim which was so so good. When I trotted him up he was so sound and even starting to walk on the stoney track to the field ok. So if I can get him back to that point would it be so bad if I tried myself? :(

even a small roll can make some horses footy. I doubt it was the roll but possibly a tiny bit of flare was removed during the rolling. I don't understand why you don't let the best trimmer trim your horse? That is BTW your horse. :D

Boot him to get him over this episode and then just get on and ride him.
If you think he needs trimming use different surfaces to trim, ie roads, sandy tracks, hard stoney tracks, depending on whichever bit you want to trim.

If you use any rasp, rider's rasp or other, you may well end up in the same position. Rasping weekly rather than 6 weekly seems a recipe to keep him permanently sore. All you need to do for your feet is to keep checking for thrush and sort it if you get any and keep the diet under control. Simples. :p

PS if you really, really, really have to keep rolling the edge then it would be better, and a lot cheaper, with a sanding block from B & Q for less than a fiver. That way it would be more difficult to remove too much.
 
Paddy555 thanks very much this makes perfect sence and sees the best way to go. The flare etc will break off as/when it isn't needed anyway won't it so does it matter if the foot looks chipped etc as long as he's sound? Don't to me.
 
Yes I would use the boots for a while that's what their for to help when things aren't quite as good as you would like.
I would worry about trimming my own I would worry about being completly in charge if the medial / lateral balance myself.
I would be wanting to understand why the trim had made him sore that's the main thing IMO.
 
He's had x rays and has reverse rotated pedal bones. Shoeing makes him perm lame and anybody who seems to touch his feet makes him very sore.
 
Ten years ago before I'd even heard of the barefoot movement, I bought a rasp and a good hoof anatomy/shoeing book and started trimming the horse myself. This was because I had either good but unreliable farriers, or ones who'd turn up but leave the hoofs wonkey unbalanced, toes too long, or toes dumped so badly he walked like a laminitic (he isn't). I often had to box rest for a day after trimming and take it easy, sticking to the sand arena for a week before back to normal work.

I may not have really known what I was doing, but I knew enough about what my horse didn't like and had learned enough from watching the good farriers that I never made him lame. He now has consistent work on tarmac to a level he can cope with, is in the arena the rest of the time and I rasp him about once a year.

I'd give your trimmer another chance, but if it doesn't work out, I wouldn't discount doing it yourself. Several farriers have looked at mine over the years through concern or noseyness, all have seemed surprised but stated I'm doing a good job, which was reassuring. Maybe I'm lucky and my horse is easy. The main thing is he's sound and happy, which is all I care about.
 
Top