Maintenance Trim Slide Show

I realized I've not posted anything for a few weeks!  Staying busy trimming horses, riding horses and spending time with family.  This is a recent video I created to add to Craig's List advertisements.  

What Makes the Natural Trim Different

In my practice, a question that is often asked by new clients and those interested in natural hoof care

 is “what’s the difference between a natural trim and a farrier’s trim”?  The primary difference is that the majority of farriers trim a hoof as if they were going to then apply a shoe.  The natural trim is modeled after the healthy, self-trimming hoof of the mustang in the wild. 

When a hoof is prepared for shoeing, the excess wall length at the toe is removed with nippers and wall and toe callus are then rasped flat to give a uniform flat surface around the wall upon which to fit the shoe.  The walls from the quarters to the heels are left longer, well above the level of the sole.  Farrier texts instruct the farrier to take care not to trim the quarters even with the sole plane or there will be a low spot that will not meet the shoe.  The heels are left high so that the frog does not contact the ground. The sole is pared to create concavity and to raise the sole off the ground and prevent bruising.  The bars are trimmed level to the pared sole.  The frog is routinely trimmed to give it a neater appearance.  Flaring in the hooves is often ignored.  The outside edge of the hoof wall is left flat and unfinished.  Trimming is usually maintained at a six-week or longer interval. 

The natural trim (or physiological trim as termed by Dr. Robert Bowker, VMD, PhD, and director of the Equine Foot Laboratory at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University) is a method of trimming that allows the tissues of the hoof to function optimally as a shock absorber.  Through his research Dr. Bowker has discovered that blood flow in the back part of the hoof is the major mechanism for absorbing concussion as the hoof impacts the ground.  He found that the foot hits the ground heel-first in virtually all wild horses and the majority of sound domestic horses. 

A physiologically correct hoof is a balanced hoof with a short toe, low heel, callused, naturally concave sole, and a wide, well- developed frog which makes contact with the ground.  When the back part of the hoof does not make contact with the ground, concussion is not properly absorbed but is transmitted to the bones and other tissues of the foot that are not designed to absorb such an impact, leading to chronic foot problems and lameness. 

In a natural trim the excess wall length at the toe is removed allowing for a 1/16^{th -inch} rim above the sole at the toe.  In an initial trim (if the hoof is very overgrown), the sole and hoof wall will be trimmed, but never past the live sole.  In future trims, it is usually not necessary to trim much sole (if any), if the horse is provided with an environment that encourages plenty of movement. The sole is never pared out to create concavity.  The goal is to allow the sole to develop an even thickness, which will then create a natural concavity that mirrors the underside of the coffin bone.  Trimming in this way preserves the sole at the front of the foot, reducing sensitivity and providing more depth of sole to protect the coffin bone.  According to Dr. Bowker, the sole is intended to be the primary loading surface at the bottom of the foot; concavity is not there to lift the sole off the ground.  The bars are trimmed so they are slightly passive to the hoof wall, but never removed.  Removing the bars hinders sole growth, weakens the back of the hoof and disturbs the integrity of the internal arch.  

The walls from the quarters to heels are trimmed continuing the 1/16^{th -inch} rim above the healthy sole, following the natural arch at the quarters.  By following the natural arch of the quarters, pressure points are reduced, promoting even wall growth that is resistant to flaring, chipping, and quarter cracks. The heels are trimmed by first gauging the sole depth at the back of the foot (to insure adequate sole coverage), and then trimmed to allow the back of the foot to have contact with the ground.  If the horse has not been previously trimmed in this way, and the heels are long, then the heels will be gradually lowered over the course of several trims.  This allows the hoof to gradually adapt to the change.  The frog is not overly trimmed – which allows the frog to toughen and callous, reducing sensitivity and acting as a natural barrier to thrush.  Flaps that may trap manure will be trimmed as well as any diseased material.

Any flaring is addressed by rasping the lower third of the hoof wall to achieve a uniform natural thickness.  Finally, the bottom of the hoof wall is finished with a bevel, or “mustang roll.”  By rolling the wall the hoof is not subject to a separation force which makes the wall prone to chipping and cracking and contributes to flaring, stretched laminae, and laminitis.  It also eases breakover.  Trimming intervals are shorter, between 4 – 6 weeks.  Extended intervals between trimming force the hoof and leg to adjust to the radically longer or shorter hoof.  Finally, a good natural trimmer will ask an owner to implement some natural horse keeping practices (as many as the owner is able to and is comfortable with) in order for the trim to be as successful as possible.

The goals of farriers and natural trimmers are different.  Most farriers trim a hoof to take a shoe; natural trimmers seek to mimic natural wear.  For more information on natural hoof care there a number of excellent websites, including www.hoofrehab.com, and www.thehorseshoof.com.

The Horses I Can Help

A few months ago I got a call from a client who had a neighbor with two horses in bad need of hoof trims.  I got in touch with the neighbor and made an appointment to trim the horses.  When I went out to trim the horses, this what I saw - very neglected feet.  These two horses had not received hoof care in many months and they were in a very lush green pasture.  I had to blink back tears as it was so sad to see these two horses hooves.  By the condition of the horses I am sure they both had chronically foundered, both from lack of hoof care and too much time on pasture. The owner was very apologetic and said she didn't realize their feet had gotten so bad.  We discussed getting the horses on a regular trim schedule and about limiting their time on the lush pasture grass.  She assured me that she would keep the horses on a trim schedule with me coming out to trim them at least every six weeks.  Then the owner had to leave for a medical appointment, leaving my client to handle the horses for me.

 Both horses were very well behaved and quite stoic - I am sure they were pretty footsore.  Trims like what I did on these horses are difficult and take longer - the normal landmarks of the hoof become distorted and there was so much hoof that needed trimming that I wished I had a small saw.  I had to trim them in the tall grass, as they were more comfortable standing on softer ground, but one of the horses allowed me to put him on the gravel for a moment to take a few photos.  I got them both trimmed and gave an appointment card to my client that she would pass on to the horses' owner. 

A couple of days before the horses scheduled appointment I called the owner to remind her of the upcoming trim appointment and she said she'd be there for me to get the horses trimmed.  She had been pleased that the horses were getting around more easily and that their hooves were looking better.  However, the night before the appointment she called and left a voicemail, cancelling the appointment, and not wishing to schedule for a later time.  I called her a few days later but only reached her voicemail and she never did return my call. 

I felt frustrated that I was unable to do more for these two sweet horses.  It also made me realize that I will not be able to help every horse, but to work hard to help those I can. 

I can help my regular clients to have healthy, sound horses.  That is why I am firm about keeping horses on an appropriate trimming schedule. When I am with a client and I see issues with the health of the hooves that are related to the horse's diet and or environment, and I suggest changes,  I'm not trying to criticize his or her horsekeeping skills, but rather to help and to educate for the better health of their equine friends.  The horses I can help.

Does This Pony Make My Butt Look Big?

I am a certified natural hoof care practitioner and my initial education and certification was through the Assocation for Advancement of Natural Horse Care Practices, or AANHCP. I also hold a certification through Liberated Horsemanship. To become certified, I had to complete a demanding course of study which included many hours of class work, trimming practice and apprenticeships with AANHCP qualified field instructors. After many months of practice and study, the certification program culminated with an extensive practical examination of my trimming ability. I am also required to attend continuing education workshops to keep my certification. To date, I have completed additional coursework in trimming pathological hooves and also have completed coursework on equine nutrition and feed balancing.

    

I have been involved with horse since I was a child. While growing up, I rode and competed in horse shows with my Appaloosas.

    

My interest in natural hoof care came because of my horse, Astro. He was often unsound when wearing steel shoes and the caused his hooves to bruise. I did a lot of research via the internet about natural hoof care. I found Jaime Jackson's website and found an AANHCP-certified practitioner to come out and take off Astro's shoes and give him a natural trim. After having the practitioner out a few times, I realized that I wanted to learn how to do this myself and become a professional. Astro has been barefoot almost four years and is doing much better than he ever did when shod. I also have a Haflinger mare named Sweet Pea.

I am an avid dressage rider and enjoy the competetion of dressage shows.  Sweet Pea and I have recently begun competing and are having a lot of fun collecting blue ribbons!  When we're not competing at horse showsthe horses and I enjoy trail riding.

After many years of traveling for my husband Kris' military careeer, we have now settled down to our permanent home in Elmira, Oregon.

Short Trimmer, Really Tall Horse!

 I am a natural hoof care practitioner.  I trim horse's hooves to mimic how feral horses wear their hooves in the wild. It's a fairly new way of caring for horses' hooves that does not involve nailing on a metal shoe.  In another post, I'll explain how I became interested in trimming horses hooves and why I believe nailing on metal shoes is not in the horse's best interest.  But first I want to introduce you to one of my favorite horses that I've been fortunate enough to trim.

The horse in this photo is named Rebel.  He is a Percheron gelding (a draft horse breed) and he stands more than 18 hands tall.  This means that Rebel is over 6 feet tall at the highest part of his body.   He is a really big horse!   For comparison, I stand 5' 2" tall.  Rebel also weighs close to a ton, twice what the average horse weighs.  (But I'm not going to tell you my weight!) 

When I trim Rebel (I trim him every six weeks) it is always a bit of an adrenaline rush.  Rebel is by far the largest horse I have ever trimmed.    His hooves are quite literally the size of dinner plates and it definitely is more work to trim feet that large.  Typically draft horses of this size are trimmed or shod while standing in stocks.  The stocks provide the farrier or trimmer more safety and control of the horse as the horse cannot move around much.  The stocks keep the horse from being able to move forward, backward or sideways.  The hoof that is being worked on is strapped down to a wooden block and the horse is unable to move his foot until it has been released.  When I trim Rebel, his owner stands next to him holding his lead rope.  There are no stocks to immobilize Rebel as I trim him. 

Rebel is one of the most agreeable horses I have had the privilege to work with.  He has never offered to kick or bite.  He may get a little bored and fidget a bit, but his owner, a big bear of a man who used to be in the Marine Corps, will talk softly to Rebel, scratch his neck  and Rebel will again stand quietly.  It's amazing to see the horse and the man interact, they are truly the best of friends.   Unfortunately for me, Rebel and his owner have recently moved out of the area, so I am no longer able to trim him.