TIPS FOR TRIMMING YOUR BAREFOOT HORSE
Howdy Friends! Trimming your own barefoot horse is easy to do, and I encourage folks to learn how. One key piece of advice I like to give is, keep it simple. There seems to be a lot of conversation out there making a simple thing complicated. Pete Ramey says it all, “Take care of the toes and the heels take care of themselves.”
How do we know how long the toe should be?
A horse should be standing up on her foot, not angled back off it, no matter how slight. Sighting down from the hairline will point out any dish forming in the wall, no matter how slight. We want a straight line down to the bottom of the foot. And your horse will most often give you a “wear” spot on the tip of her toe, even on a 3 week schedule, which is what I recommend for a trimming schedule. No more than 1/3 of the foot should be ahead of the apex of the frog.
Do all your work with a rasp, from the top down.
Never rasp the outer hoof more than the bottom edge you are working on for the trim and bevel, it removes live tissue on the wall needed for hoof health. Do not trim the frog or pare the sole (my gosh why do people do that?!) That also removes live tissue needed for hoof health. Simply rasp around the outer edge from the top down (the only way you can preserve the natural arch in the hoof). If done correctly you will never again see anything but a beautiful sole extending all the way to the hoof wall with no black line of separation, ever. Like Kessy’s here. If you see a black line, your toes are too long causing unhealthy flexing and stretching of the lamina.
That’s it. Simple, fun and healthy. ~ Gitty Up, Dutch.
You can find more barefoot advice on barefoot care in my book IT’S FOR THE HORSES.
Hi Dutch. Does your book have pics to show this info? I learn more visual. Love this info!
Lynn, There are some pictures in the book but they are not step by step pictures.
Hey Dutch, there is a mustang roll in front but not too extreme, am I reading that right? But they need to land on the front pad and not on the hoof wall? or should front pad and hoof wall take even weight?
Howdy Kristin! The roll on the hoof is important for fluid breakover in movement. The foot should land ‘Heel to toe” That means should land on heel first and roll over into the toe in smooth action. At each varying stage in stride each part of the foot will bear the weight. Beginning with the heel & heel bars (often erroneously cut to deep ((I never trim them))) Then the frog and sole, then the tip of the toe. In a properly maintained hoof that toe should look smooth, perhaps some hoof wall showing in toe, perhaps not, I’ve seen a lot of little differences there in a wide variety of horses … The ONLY stead fast rule that IS important is, “No more than 1/3 of the foot should be in front of the apex of the frog” And “If the toe is correct, the heels will take care of themselves …. NOW we must have areas of hard earth and rocks in the horse pasture/playground because if only on grass, no hoof will mature. Hope this helps.