How to Trim the Hoof Wall
I have been studying the hoof for well over 6 years on a daily basis. During this time I have seen a lot of good and also a lot of bad trimming.
Outlined below is Hoof Trimming Mistakes number 1 which we have experienced.
At First
When we first decided to go barefoot I was told by a very accomplished rider and barefoot owner of many horses, that all we had to do was to take the shoes off.
So guess what we did?
We took the shoes off and let our farrier trim the hooves and then we rode our horses hoping all would be fine. Unknowingly I had a great deal to learn.
We then hit lameness, sore hooves and abscesses etc etc…….. So what do you then do?
We had two choices, ditch the idea of going barefoot, or call in a barefoot trimmer. Still too excited to let go of riding and keeping horses barefoot, I called in a barefoot trimmer whom had been recommended to us.
I assumed they would be able to sort out our problems.
My Assumption Was Incorrect…
Many, many months later, fraught with concern and worry about how our horses were going – and the answer was, they were not going at all well. But by that stage I had studied barefoot trimming enough, to know something was very wrong with the trim.
I consulted a number of trimmers abroad, sent pictures etc and realized that the only way to get our horses back on the road was if I learnt to trim them myself, at this stage I was not going to trust any other trimmer, as I was concerned I may not spot any inappropriate trimming.
I knew if I studied I would learn, so that is what I did. I studied and I mean studied and studied.
During this time I have worked with a number of trimmers and seen and experienced some fundamental trimming mistakes which showed themselves very clearly in the horses and how sound they were, these mistakes which are now obvious to me, I have outlined below.
1.) Rasping the Outer Wall
One of the first mistakes which I experienced and saw, was the rasping of the outer wall, right up to the coronary band. I remember watching the trimmer rasping away and after many weeks finally plucked up the courage and asked, “When do you know when to stop?”
(Because looking on, what I saw, was the ‘rasp’ going backwards and forwards across the whole of the hoof wall from the bottom right up to the coronary band. I remember feeling a wrenching in my stomach as it felt like they were going to almost, rasp through the hoof wall into the underlying soft tissues of the hoof.)
The trimmer, perturbed that I was questioning their skills, replied, “Oh, I just know when to stop.”
While they were being trimmed like this we never had a hope in hell of having sound horses. (Imagine having this type of trimming being done to your fingernail…..)
Some Negative Visible Signs of This Type of Trim
One of the visible signs of the effect of this type of trim is that you end up with a severely stretched white line.
I have to surmise here as to to why.
I think it is because the outer wall acts like a protective layer to the whole of the hoof and by removing this this leaves the the hoof susceptible and unprotected and for a number of reasons obviously weakens the inner structures, one of the signs resulting in a severely stretched white line.
My Current Thoughts on This
Looking back now with my knowledge, this was quite appalling. I am sorry to say I still have pictures sent to me of people who are trimming like this or who are having their horses hooves trimmed like this.
So if you are reading this and see this happening to your horse, stop this type of trimming, if you don’t you will be damaging the whole of your horses internal hoof structure and your horses will not stay sound.
When I consulted with Jaime Jackson he said this type of trimmer had no right to hold a rasp in their hand, let alone trim a horses hoof.
Just to clarify, you still put on a mustang roll at the bottom of the hoof, but this is very different to rasping the whole of the outer wall.
Trimming Examples
Bad Trim
Above is an example of the outer wall being trimmed up to the coronary band – if you look closely you can even see “scratch marks” all over the hoof which should not be there.
Please note: Ignore the measure tool – this is the only photo we have of this type of trim and it includes the measuring tool.
Good Trim
Above you can see there is a roll on the hoof, but the outer wall has not been rasped up to the coronary band. All there is is a roll on the bottom of the hoof which is lighter in colour.
Still Confused?
If you are still confused watch the video below it shows very clearly what this post is about.
A Second Mistake, Not Trimming the Bars
Another mistake I see and had to address was the trimming of the bars. I will discuss this in our next post…..
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I’m a Barefoot Trimmer myself, and I trim horses using allot of (more uncommon now days) common horse sense. Just thinking about trimming from the top makes me think about sanding your fingernail off in the same fashion. That doesn’t sound like a good idea, so I don’t know why folks think that it would be a good Idea for those poor horses who don’t have a choice in the matter. I actually lost a client before who wanted me to trim her horses from the top instead of doing it “THE RIGHT WAY.” She explained to me that she had been doing this to her horses before she hired me to fix what was wrong with them. All of the horses exhibited the same thing. They all had stretchy white lines that looked more like black lines. After trimming her horses the first time, I explained to her that trimming from the top isn’t a good idea and went into great detail why. I thought she understood, but right before her next appointment I got an e-mail from her asking me to abandon my tried and trested method because she wanted her horses hooves trimmed from the top.
When I asked her if she remembered what I said about trimming from the top, she said that she did but she liked the way trimming from the top looked better than the way I trimmed.
I told her that I would not trim her horses like that and told her that she would have to find someone else who would, because I am in the business of helping horses become healthier.
The sad thing is that there is someone out there who will trim her horses just like she wants. I really pity those poor horses.
Here in NH I have been specializing in on/off the track thoroughbreds for over 4 years now. I started with my own rehab cases and got so passionate about it and saw so many horrors either shod with “corrective” shoes or trimmed so out of wack/short that they were perpetually sore.
The biggest learning curve I had came when my own off the track TB (who had been bare for 2 years…trimmed one year by me) fractured his coffin bone at our new farm on a holiday weekend.
We were there within 5 min of him doing it, but didn’t actually see what he had stepped on at a full gallop, tight turn in newly cleared paddock. Here is what we discovered. Stepping only 1/2 way onto a rock or small stump…his strong outerwall held but the force from his bony column coming down on his lead foot (after having 2 weeks introduction to grass) caused his sole to crack from heel to toe right along the collateral groove on the outside of his frog.
He slab fractured the front quarter of P3 and disconnected all the laminae along the outer 1/2 of the hoof wall, from center toe almost to the heel. Miraculously, he had enough time in the prior 2 years to have grown out strong hoof wall, which held.
He was down for 13 hrs……and thought we would lose him to colic. He finally got up and followed the other pony out to pasture, where he stayed for two weeks…..24/7, had pain relief for only 7 days, and then after 10 needed valerian root to keep him from
GALLOPING! He wore a Cavallo Simple Boot/pad for the first month to keep rocks/twigs from putting pressure on the sole while he built new connections. The vet finally came after 4 days and was shocked to see him walk across the gravel driveway…heel first…..with only the breakover phase causing discomfort. I got the hairy eyeball when I said he would be staying home for rehab and not getting a hospital plate screwed on or being locked up in a stall.
It has been almost 2 years and he has shown me the entire process necessary to heal from such trauma. Abcesses showed up on day 13 along the coronet, seepage from the sole only lasted 5-6 days, then granular sole started filling in. His bars took over support, getting wide and fat to help hold his bony column in position. He has grown out 4 complete hoof capsules (each one taking about 7 months and each time the laminae connection becomes tighter and healthier. After one year the sole shows no sign of the injury….and just last week his bars were “popping” meaning they were getting crumbly and wanting to shed on their own. I do believe he had disconnected the bar and cartilage from the outer wing of the coffin bone, as his outside heel prolapsed for the first 8 months. Now he is dead even, growing beautifully, and in boots, will be hitting the trails this summer!
Time is what is needed, movement needs to be constant, diet is crucial, socialization (being able to stay with the herd) was huge in his mental capacity to handle this.
I have pics to send (when I figure out how to do it:) That show his changes over time (really cool when his first regrowth got 1/2 way down and shed off the old wall…..you could reach right in and touch the corium!!) .
Thoroughbreds (or any other horse) all have the same function in the hoof, mini, draft, $5 horse or $500,000. Makes no difference.
It’s the people who have the power to give them the tools to heal.
Long live the barefoot horse!
My horse has been trimmed regularly for the past year by a certified AANHCP trimmer.
In general, I am happy with his progress (the regular farrier I used before created a severely imbalanced foot, which was likely the cause of a double tendon injury in the paddock a year ago). My horse’s feet now look balanced and his tendons have healed beautifully.
I can now take him for easy rides but the terrain is quite rocky in our area and although he isn’t “ouchy”, his hooves do break and split in the toe area immediately after a trim. I believe he is still in a “healing” stage, redeveloping a foot that is natural for him; however, one of my worries is that my trimmer occasionally rasps the complete hoof wall of both front feet (with no mustang roll).
When I see her do this, I feel horrified, since it doesn’t seem to be anything that would contribute to the hoof’s integrity and would, in fact, be detrimental.
We live in a remote area and have access to only one natural trimmer. I don’t want to offend her and, of course, acknowledge that she knows so much more than I do about the horse’s hoof; however, my common sense and concern for my horse tells me I have to speak up.
Thank you for your article. Perhaps it will give me the courage to question her “wisdom”.
Dear Clara Briggs,
Thank you for your contact. It is difficult for to be exact without seeing pictures of your horses hooves. If you would like to send me some pictures I can have a look for you. My ‘gut feel’ is that the trim is not good.
I am hoping that what I have written here on this website will help you. I am very shortly going to be releasing a barefoot trimming eBook which will help you and may give you the confidence to take on the trimming yourself – or if not, for you to then be able to tell your trimmer how you want your horses hooves to be trimmed. Please get back to me if you need more help.