ryanf66•1mo agoProlific Poster

I was trimming a draft horse's hoof way too short for months

I was working on this big Percheron named Duke over in Gilbert, and his owner kept saying he was still 'off' after my last few visits. I was sure my trim was right, following all the angles I learned. Then last week, I watched him walk away after I finished, and I saw it. His heel was hitting the ground first, not the toe. I'd been taking off too much from the front, trying to get a 'clean' look, and it was making him sore. I felt like a total idiot. I went back the next day, left more wall up front, and the owner texted me two days later saying Duke was moving way better. Has anyone else had that moment where you realized you were overcorrecting on a basic thing?

3 comments

3 Comments

rowan_wilson401mo ago

Man, I did that on a quarter horse mare last spring. I was so focused on getting her long toe back I must have rasped her sole paper thin for three trims in a row. She got so tender.

jason75221h ago

Ever read that old saying about the sole being the best protection for the foot? I heard a farrier explain once that taking it too thin just leaves the inner structures with no padding. I get what @terry1 means about pushing through sometimes, but three trims in a row sounds like it might cross from correction into making the problem worse. That mare probably needed a break to let some sole grow back before tackling the toe again.

terry11mo ago

Nah, sometimes you gotta push through that thin sole!