Trimming your own...

PapaverFollis

PapaverFollis

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The horse's hooves, not my toenails!

Can anyone reccommend a good book that teaches you how to do some basic trimming/rasping?

I'm completely freaking out having moved away from my wonderful beyond words previous farrier who basically insisted that I take The Beast's shoes OFF and did a nice job of trimming them when needed. Now the prospect of engaging another farrier to the job is upsetting me. I just don't trust someone new. Especially as someone at the new yard was saying, in a matter of fact no big deal kind of way, that their pony had gone very footsore after the last trim. Nope nope nope nope nope.

Her feet are really very good, and given that they are quite textbook kind of feet I'm wondering if I can just do them myself along with the help of roadworks and quite a gritty sand arena to wear them down.

I may or may not but if someone can point me in the right direction that would be great.

Save my seriously considering getting my previous farrier to do an 800 mile round trip for a trim! :lol: :lol:
 
I have trimmed 2 of mine, did a good job, even a visiting barefoot trimmer and the vet said so.

My wonderful farrier guided me, and I used this http://hoofrehab.com/Rehabilitations_Pictures.html and also looked at Nic Barker's site.

I also put pics on here for the hoof geeks to look at, and generally they were OK, but once I did have a wonky coronet looked at from the front.


I would say to learn to take a full set of photos, and I did it on the 5th of every month. You can see stuff that you may moss on a day to day basis.


I used to run a rasp round 3 times a week, so it was never a big job. I found that it was easier when they were wet, and it was clear what needed to be done after a hack on the roads.

I also bought a rasp from a farrier's supplier, they are a ton better than in the shops.
 
I can't recommend a book, but my mum does her foals lightly just to get her used to it and she's done ours for years if theyve needed it between farrier visits.

Our farrier gave her the tools, from what I've seen she takes off the cracked overgrown parts on the ends with the clipper tool and then just shaves the foot using the foot stand and the raspy thing, I dont think theres too much too it, but im sure theres loads of info online and maybe search amazon for a book?

I think she rasps both ways, but you have to watch out for your fingers! can kind of see when they look how they should.

There is probably a more accurate way of knowing exactly how much hoof to remove but I'm sure you can do it if you read up a bit!
 
Pete Ramey, Nick Barker's blogs, and the hoofrehab.com site. There are loads of youtube videos - you need to find out those trimmers with the best reputations, and align their methods to the type of work (and where) you want the horse to do.

I have been told I do a good job, too, by quite a vocal and highly recommended trimmer - from whom I sought advice and guidance and whom I have to visit every few months just to make sure I'm not screwing it up. I'm told I should be braver with the heels - she has lateral-medial rotation and grows a very long inside foot - the quarter is damaged at the coronet band. I let myself be guided, hoof shape wise, by the white line and callouses, and like Red-1, I run a rasp around a couple of times per week.

Nick (trimmer) advised a Japanese saw rasp rather than a hoof rasp. It has been a Godsend. https://www.amazon.co.uk/SHINTO-JAP...=1530709221&sr=8-2&keywords=japanese+saw+rasp

Wear good gloves, though. I am an expert at removing skin from knuckles.
 
I trim mine, with a save edge.

Mostly from turning into a hoof geek and being very familiar with the pony's hooves and how they were trimmed. When in work I don't need to touch the back half at all just need to bring the toes back and put a small roll on. The only thing I do different to trimmer is my roll is less exaggerated.
Now the farrier does him sometimes if I'm not around at the right time, and he has checked my trimming and is happy. I think the main thing is to be able to 'sight' the hoof for balance.
 
I watched my barefoot trimmer do them and had a go in between visits, a little more each time, until eventually she said I didn't need her. I have a three monthly check up with a trimmer to keep me right, but in between I looked at lots of correctly trimmed feet on the net and lots of incorrectly done ones as well! You'll be fine as you have the right attitude, most feet are sore after a trim if farrier has taken too much off. I had my chap sore for two years until I changed to a barefoot trimmer and he's never been sore since. Just saying. I also do a foot every few days, as I find it backbreaking and my git of a pony leans on me. I also bought a hand rasp which is like a nailbrush but with a rasp instead of bristles, and I find it much, much easier to use than a rasp.
 
I've done mine for years and have gradually done less and less to them. Their feet don't look particularly pretty but they function well. All I do is take off any cosmetic flares that develop i.e. ones that are independent of the white line. My two older horses who were shod before I got them both get these. My youngster who has never been shod has lovely shaped feet and doesn't get flare. I haven't taken anything off the bottom of any hoof for many years.
 
Hello. Thanks for the replies! I've been locked out of HHO since I posted but looks like I'm back in. Going to get myself a little rasp and see how little I can get away with doing. Read a book I found that basically advocates leaving the heels alone more or less entirely and just bevelling the toe, guided by the sole, as if it has been worn, so just trimming what the ground would trim if they moved about more. Which made a lot of sense to me. And not having to do anything to the heels is something I can definitely get on board with!

Looking at The Beast's feet I think they are very close to the shape they 'want' to be anyway and I feel pretty confident that I can manage them IF the lady whose book I read is in fact correct in her thinking.

And I'm now putting artimud in her not quite perfect yet frogs as the importance on a healthy frog also leapt out at me during the bit of reading I've done.

I just wish I could figure out how to share pictures using just my phone so I could get some input on her feet from here.
 
PapaverFollis said:
Hello. Thanks for the replies! I've been locked out of HHO since I posted but looks like I'm back in. Going to get myself a little rasp and see how little I can get away with doing. Read a book I found that basically advocates leaving the heels alone more or less entirely and just bevelling the toe, guided by the sole, as if it has been worn, so just trimming what the ground would trim if they moved about more. Which made a lot of sense to me. And not having to do anything to the heels is something I can definitely get on board with!

Looking at The Beast's feet I think they are very close to the shape they 'want' to be anyway and I feel pretty confident that I can manage them IF the lady whose book I read is in fact correct in her thinking.

And I'm now putting artimud in her not quite perfect yet frogs as the importance on a healthy frog also leapt out at me during the bit of reading I've done.

I just wish I could figure out how to share pictures using just my phone so I could get some input on her feet from here.
Click to expand...

It's a little more complicated than levelling the toe and leaving the heels! Please make sure you get a professional in to check regularly, especially at first!
 
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