Getting Your Footing
There are many styles of trimming. Some yield excellent results while others result in sore horses with angry owners who return to shoes. Shoes are always a bad idea. Why? Because they eliminate optimal foot movement, eliminate blood flow (= Shock Absorption) and reduce optimal health. Sure horses adapt. No, they aren’t in peak shape. Transitioning to barefoot is only hard if you don’t know what you are doing. I never expect horses to leave worse than they arrived and you shouldn’t either! Go to Hoof Issues, on this site, for ideas and examples.
From Crappy to Great Thoroughbred Hind Hoof
With boots and pads even horses diagnosed with navicular disease, laminitis or founder come sound, sometimes immediately in their padded Easy Care boots. Natural trimmers are light years ahead of traditional care in the treatment of common, domestic horse diseases like white line disease, founder, scratches, and canker. See examples in the category, Pathology, on this site.
The Natural Trim is based on the field research of Jaime Jackson done in the 1980′s and heavily influenced by the natural trim as taught by Pete Ramey. We have learned that most horses prefer short toes, low heels, round front feet, callused soles and frogs. Strong external structures are mirrored by well developed internal structures. The Natural Trim imitates nature by giving your horse the monthly trim he would normally have if he were traveling 10+ miles per day with his herd. It’s the horse, himself, who decides where his feet will end up; I trim based on where the coffin bone is. No aggressive trims here! No sore horses! Few if any abscesses; they are often created by aggressive trimming.
Shelly & Flat to Sturdy, Healthy Concave Thoroughbred Front Hoof
The trim is one part of the holistic approach of the Natural Lifestyle, see other articles in this category. Because we have come to treat our domestic horses like other pets, we have reduced them to shadows of their true potential. Humans, dogs and cats are predators. Our lifestyles easily meshed. Sadly our attempt to care for horses, animals of prey, (aka cougar meat) is contrary to their nature. See The Natural Horse for ideas and insights.
But we can only practice what we know. I hope this site will give you the knowledge to make the changes you can to help your horse. Learn how your horse would like to live. Begin today, doing the right things for him. Sunny is my 7th horse and trust me I have made every mistake in the book.
If you enjoyed this article please consider making a donation via Paypal.
Posted in General Articles, Hoof Articles | Tagged barefeet, hoof mechanics, shoes 20 Comments
Thanks so much Dawn, I can’t really afford to purchase the DVD sets that are out there, yet. But I really want to do my own trims. My trimmer is good with that,too. I got my rasp and other stuff last week and tried a little rasping on everyone. They all stood very good for me. I have 2 rescue horses and 3 mini donks. So I will take it slow and watch your videos again and again. They are very clear and easily viewed. I’m so jealous of Sunny’s hooves. My gelding, his front frogs are rather shredded and I don’t know why………..I pick up poo in their pasture all the time. We’ve had a pretty dry summer and they have wood chips and gravel in the wet areas. My mare is 20 (he’s 16) and her hooves seem much better. Frogs are a lot harder. So I’ll enjoy working on them and getting it right, thanks again. Kathy
Hi Kathy and Good for you.
This isn’t rocket science after all. I will admit that about 5% of the horses in the world could really use a specialist like Pete Ramey or KC LaPierre but for the most part we can learn to take care of our own horses. I worked on Doc today. He is Sunny’s pasture mate. I taught his owner to trim but she has such limited time that it’s best (for now) for me to trim and for her to play with him on the weekends. I am actually retraining him during the week too! It’s Very Cool work and I need to write about it. I did put up a video on Facebook and will ask son Adam to link to here.
Let’s talk about your horses. Frogs can deteriorate in a day and I have seen it on my own horse! As soon as that central sulcas is anything but a thumb print, I treat! Maybe this plan of action will help you. Perhaps your trimmer has mentioned some of what’s below.
Soak to create an environment that is hostile to bacteria and fungus. You can soak every other day or once a week or anything in between. Here are some recipes:
1. 1 gallon of water and 2 T of Lysol.
2. half water and half Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV).
3. 10 Parts water to 1 part bleach
4. White Lightening combined with White Vinegar and then equal part water if you want to. Bag, tape off bag to capture gases and put the foot in a boot or put the horse on soft terrain so the bag doesn’t break, or use a heavy bag. In my area a farrier supply place sells the small bottle for $10. You don’t need much because it’s the gases that deeply penetrate the hoof. I actually love this stuff and also use it on abscesses and cracks. The bottle recommends 1/4 cup but they are trying to make money! The gases do not harm healthy tissue.
If the central sulcas is deep, also treat every day or other day with an equal combination of Lotramin for foot fungus and a Triple Antibiotic cream, “Pete’s Goop”. You can mix and put in any type of syringe or wormer. I like to pull apart a cotton ball and gently push it in afterwards to keep the medicine in and the dirt out for as long as possible.
If you are near a Tractor Supply, they carry medicine for Bovine Mastitis. One brand is “Today”. It’s also very good for central sulcas treatments AND is a great tool to irrigate the area to clean it and to use as a refill for Pete’s Goop!
By now you know that donkey feet look a lot different than horse feet! They are one of the few examples where you might have to learn how to use a knife. Those little buggers (and couldn’t you just EAT them!) are designed for the rocky Grand Canyon and on anything less they often do not exfoliate their soles. Also being minis I would take their heels right down to the live sole. Most donkey feet get so long but they are tiny buggers and they have tiny feet! I have done mini horses and just had to sit “Native American” style. I am not sure I can get that low anymore! LOL I have photos of a slipper foot on a mini I did once. That was fun!
I think the best tip I can give new trimmers is to do your horse every week when the feet are growing and every other when they slow down (mid summer and winter for me) The hinds will never need as much work. When you keep the feet tuned up like that, you don’t have much work and your horses and donkeys are always balanced. That really does wonders for the bodies and I am told that from international body workers! (I am really getting into body work now!)
Also trim after rain, the feet are softer!
The gravel is a great idea. You can’t have too much. My horse doesn’t have one rock in his life right now. He can hand walk down the gravel drive but can not trot and prefers not to carry me on the gravel driveway; he makes a beeline to the grassy shoulder. Makes sense. I wish I could figure out a way to add pea gravel to his life but that’s the life of a boarder. If I ever get my own farm, Look Out. I will turn him into a mountain goat! LOL
Best of Luck!
Dawn
Hi! Came across your videos and have some questions. I moved my horses to a new barn in July and the farrier did then before I got there. Getting them at ease was harder this time as last boarding place turned out a bad place. When he tried to do my horses again they had been there 6-7 weeks. One mare was coming into heat and kept driving her rt rear down whenever he tried to pull it out. Since then she has been very bad about even picking them up front and back yanking them from me. I have had alot of back surgeries and have been working daily on trusting me better. I have had her 1 yr and gentler her to riding level myself. She was left on a corner lot and I wanted to get a riding horse the other one I have is just turned 2 and I have had her since 6 months, she was worked with daily by me and does fine. The farrier said she could have had some pain in ovaries at that time and pulled from pain. Have you ever had a mare do that? Also because he did not get those back feet nipped off, just rasped she has a 1/2 inch notch out of one and some cracks on front I have tried since it has been so dry to have them stand in mus and apply Hooflex to front and if at all possible hoof itself. Are notches normal if the hoof only got rasped last time? Is it comparable to a fingernail that got long breaking? I am hoping to reach him a day or two and get a date set up. In the meantime other then working with her on picking them up and hooflex should I be doing anything out of ordinary? Before going to this last place she did fine with my other farrier, even letting another one fill in. This is only time I have seen her kick with him and this will be third time he has done them. I just don’t want a repeat of last time. Like you said I believe in working with the horse not fighting or rasping her belly. Thanks in advance for any help. If he does not have hoofjack I may get one as they were used to it before and it would help me do them easier. Have u ever had a horse yank a hoof off one? Thanks Anne
Hi Anne…I don’t have any knowledge about Mares and them being in heat and how that can effect things.
When the hooves get long they will naturally chip and crack in an attempt to shorten the foot to where it should be. That’s just what happens in the wild. In an environment that is soft, the wild hooves can get quite long. Then it rains, they soften and the toe snaps off.
There is also alot of mechanical stress on the side of the hoof, the Quarters, where your horse would like to have an arch. They “crack out the quarters” by loosing chunks at ground level and also develop cracks. All this can be grown out with a good trim.
It is never a good idea or even common sense, to “hold the foot together” with shoes.
If he can not pick up the hind feet but can approach her, he can use his rasp and sort of “peel” off hoof wall that is right on the ground.
I would pick up her feet ALOT before he gets there….many lessons a day and hold them for a long time, tap on them. She should get so good that you could sit on a bench and hold them. I would do a lot of lessons right before he comes.
Clicker training is a nice way to train horses. Ask for a foot and the tiniest try gets a tongue cluck and treat (tiny…like 4 grains) and again and again. Break, come back in an hour. Pretty soon she will be offering her feet as soon as she sees you! Above all be safe. If unsure use an extension to touch her legs. Touch and treat.
I have some directions and resources on my site under clicker training.
Horses can easily pull their feet off the Hoofjack. Leaving the foot there is learned.
I hope this helps!
Dawn
Hi Dawn,
In regards to the lady talking about her mare pulling her back right hoof away from the farrier, my mare does the same at times. I never put it together with the possibility of where she was in her cycle. Intersting obsurvation! She doesn’t do it all the time so it could be a possiblity.
In a really cold spell here in Missouri so haven’t been out to see my horse so I’m hoping her hooves are in slow winter mode growth wise. By the time I get back to check her it will be 5 weeks since I trimmed her. Ugh!
Keep up the good work! I’m keeping tabs on what you publish and I’ll send you an invite to my facebook.
Nice to hear from you again! I actually don’t get to facebook very often. Sorry about that. There are just so many messages that I gave up!
We got 4″ of snow but the frozen ground is slippery. Sunny went down two weeks ago, on my leg! I am fine. Ankle sprained is all.
Usually when horses pull they either 1. Don’t understand that they need to hold the leg, and in that case I clicker train them or 2. Something hurts. And in that case, I go over them with the pads of my fingers looking for something that feels unlike the rest of the horse, like a spasm or heat or cold. If you treat it as you might treat your own soreness with a massage or rotating a body part or heat that usually helping. Sometimes just walking them off helps. You know how we can get a pinch here or there. 3. And cycles, well I don’t have to explain that one! LOL
I am working on an article about the type of training I have been learning from Jill Wilcox, since May. It is like physical therapy for the horse…in-hand and mounted, no bits, reins on noseband and neck ring. Most ride on pads but Sunny really prefers my saddle so I just don’t use the stirrups.
A friend came by the other day and DIDN’T RECOGNIZE HIM! He has put on that much muscle.
Also I got a camcorder for Christmas and another friend has promised to help me out shooting some of the above and also feet. Most of my time is with training now. I gave my trimming business to a friend. I want to continue to travel to clinics if there are owner trimmers out there needing help. I haven’t heard from anyone for a while. I want to keep posting photos and articles on feet as I stumble on things. right now I am involved with the rehab of a therapeutic riding horse named Lucy who was in so much pain she could barely walk! I pulled the shoes and she did an elevated trot around the arena then rolled. There wasn’t a dry eye.
Now that I am learning more about body work and training, I can help horses like Lucy even more! It’s very exciting.
Good Luck to you and your girl in that Missouri winter. Ugh. I know I couldn’t handle that. 2 degrees is about my limit than I go in.
Dawn
Thank you Dawn for your compassion regarding us and the horses. It is rare to find this out there. I would love to get more information and also your dvd but I am in Australia. I do have a miniature and a thoroughbred which I would like to trim myself as most of the farriers do not want to come out to the country where we live and I am tired of being let down.
My miniature is a rescue and has some deformation in the hooves but I feel with regular attention, she will come good. Do you also talk about miniatures or do we simply assume this is the same as the normal size horse.
With best wishes,
Petra
Hey Petra…well maybe one day we will meet. My daughter lives in Sydney and I try to visit once a year.
My videos are on my site, Free of Charge!
Mini’s are exactly the same as horses, just way smaller hooves. If you want to email me some photos, I would be glad to advise. Best views are 1. from the front, 2. from the side, 3. from the bottom. Pick out and scrub and then take photos on a flat, clean surface, like a rubber mat. I did one mini with a slipper foot…the toe curled out like a slipper. Because these guys are so small, I would take their heels right down to the sole…but send me photos first!
I have been thinking it would be useful to put up some before and after trims, with an evaluation and explanation. A friend of mine has a mini. I will check to see if I can do him.
Hope this helps!
Dawn
email: 4sweet.feet@gmail.com
Love your website!
I have 7 horses and have been (trying) to trim feet myself for about that 4 years. I’ve never had steel shoes on my animals (and I’m proud of that!).
But even in paradise there are thorns…. I have a black and white mare (Jessie) that has lovely pink skin under her white coat and very light colored hooves. She is the only one of my bunch that I have a hard time keeping her feet nice.
She’s very prone to cracks and splits.
Never to the point of lameness, I just get frustrated because I always feel I’m not doing right by her (her hooves never look as good as her pastures mates’).
Have any suggestions?
Thanks!
Sure appreciate your website!
Deb
Hi Deb and thanks for the Kudos.
One thing I can tell you about Jessie, her problem is NOT white hooves. Many people think they are weaker. They are not. The inner walls of all horses are white, ie not pigmented. I wonder if you are on Facebook. Recently my friend Mario Chamorro posted before and after trim photos of his horse and I could easily comment on each one. That makes it very easy for me. Please check out his site. I told him I would be sending people there! If you posted on your site and tagged me I could comment on them.
I took before and after photos of Sunny today and will try to get them on my site.
Clean, scrub and dry the feet. Set up in a well swept, clean, flat area, like a big rubber stall mat. Take photos of each foot and label (right front) them: from the front, side, bottom of foot, and if you can, with hoof up (like for cleaning) take a side view but slightly above hoof and try to show me the concavity.
Most cracks and splits are due to disconnected hoof wall. If you feel at her hairline and then run your fingers down the wall, it may flare out. At some point the wall cracks. You can grow that flare out beginning tomorrow with the mustang roll.
Right now my TB is growing out a few cracks. He lost the connection on spring grass but he never went lame or took a bad step. The horses I see actually suffer are usually big: drafts or warmbloods.
Hope to hear from you!
Dawn
Dawn,
I THANK YOU!!!! I have been involved with horses my entire life, always loved the farrier, I was lucky to have one real good one for quite some time. He explained so much to me. Now that I purchased my own farm, and moved three hours away, I was left with trying to find another…. ugh! After two LOSERS, I have staked my claim, I can do my horses hooves myself! I found you via the land of youtube…. what a godsend you are!!!! Thank you!!! My horses are Voltaire, a.k.a. Grampy or Thunderbolt, is 30 years young!!!! He is an off track T-bred, like your Sunny, we have shared 27 years together!!! During that time, we graced the show ring in jumping and dressage, he is my best friend. I no longer ride him, he is sound, but deserves a life of roaming the pasture and napping in the sun…. My other horse Mudpie, is 23 years young, and a wild thing at times, he is also off track and off the dressage and jumper arena, he is my riding horse. He is difficult to work with, becomes a nervous nelly when tied, and I think he may have had some bad experiences. He is a big boy at 17.2, and has a chronic case of scratches on his hind legs. Thunderbolt was wonderful to trim, I rasped away happily. This week I will try, slow and sure with Mudpie. Mudpie was a gift horse, he is my riding horse and a good fella, just BIG and nervous, but all around a good heart! We have a pony, Ruby, she is for my daughter. Ruby is only 36 inches tall and is all PONY!!! She stands well and she will be a breeze for trimming…. knock on wood! Thank you again so much. Your videos are superb and your wisdom and kindness really show, keep it up!!!!
love, Sheila
Dear Sheila,
Just wonderful to hear from you. I am so glad to hear the videos were a help. This really is not rocket science. In fact I think movement and diet are much more important. Right now Sunny’s feet are gorgeous, deep concavity right to the laminae, full connection on the outside. Why? Because the grounds frozen! Is like living on the high desert and he doesn’t have to stand in wetness which is a really problem in our area. We don’t have many dry spells.
If you want me to look at any photos, don’t be a stranger!
Good Luck with the kids!
Dawn
Aloha Dawn!
Thank you so much for freely sharing your knowledge. I trim my own horse and am on a quest to do so as correctly as possible. I’ve watched many YouTube videos (to supplement my reading materials) and yours are by far the best! You clearly explain the techniques as you demonstrate them, and the way you handle your horse is a lesson in itself.
Mahalo (Thanks),
A Dawn in Hawaii
Thanks for your kind note and delighted to hear about other barefooters in the land of the sun! No doubt your harder land does some of the trimming for you. Stop by again.
Dawn
Hi Dawn, Thank you for the videos I watched quite a few and yours just made so much more sense and easy to understand. I have two very easy to trim horses my 8 year old is gaited and barefoot my 15 year old is starting to become arthritic and at the moment has shoes on the front because she was tripping, but even with shoes she still trips. The vet has confirmed arthritis in her fetlock and knees, After doing a lot of research I have decided to pull the shoes off her. I did not realize that shoes hindered the blood flow to their legs which can also make arthritis worse. My question is Do you have any insight on getting her back on her feet and keeping her from tripping? I want to start rasping their feet in between trims not sure if my farrier is going to go for it or not. My horses feet are in good shape but they do crack we get very wet and very dry conditions. If your ever have a clinic in Southeast TX I would love to attend.
Hi Barbara and good for you for pulling the shoes. The most common cause of tripping is long toes. If you drew a line on the bottom of her foot, at the widest point, not more than 1/2 of the foot should be on the toe side. 1/3 is even better. My guess is that she has more than half her foot in front of that mid line? Let me know.
Secondly I would encourage you to contact the Equine Science Academy and ask if there is anyone who you can work with. Once you get her feet right I hope she will be a happier girl.
If you have the money I would encourage you to find some who does some kind of body work and healing. I would ask around…certainly trimmers know who is doing what. Maybe you have a chiropractor, acupuncturist etc.
Regarding her radiographs: We don’t treat Xrays! Try to get everything right and perhaps your horse can over come her bit of “wear and tear”. I too have wear and tear…I was advised not to label it A……. if I wanted it to heal!
Good luck to you. I am not trimming these days. More into healing. And riding!
Big hug,
Dawn
Hi Dawn,
Just 2 weeks ago I received a gelding with Thrush, I think, in his hooves. He is realy thin and 17 years old. He is as sweet as they come so I am going to do my best to fatten him up and get his feet under control. Our land is Red Clay… yuck… so it is packing in the hooves and I am cleaning them as best I can. I had a ferrier come out and he was less than informative about the gelding and he cut my 16 year old mares hooves so short that she tip toed for a week.. I was not a happy camper!! I noticed on your videos that your horse has deep wells beside his frog..neither of these horses have that… This horses frog is almost like the way fish gills do… Can you tell me what to do to help this poor horse?? Thank you!!
Well Christi…your horse is probably better by now. Sorry for the late reply! The deep wells on either side of the frog are the collateral grooves. If I put my hoof pick at the bottom, right in the back of the foot and noted where the heels came on the hoof pick, it would measure about 3/4″ on a 900 lb TB. My horse is pretty much correct now.
I am not quite sure about the fish gills and frog. Could you send me a photo if it is still a problem?
If your horse tip toes after a trim, the farrier most likely trimmed the heels too much, forcing your horse to walk on an ouchy back of foot…sore frog? Undeveloped back of foot.
I put an article on the Easy Care Blog…http://blog.easycareinc.com/blog/notes-from-the-field If you go there and find 2 articles that will help you 1. If I only had 4 frogs…I put in many recipes to treat the feet 2. Learning to evaluate your horses feet.
May I suggest you contact the Equine Science Academy and see if they have a trimmer or one in training who can help you. The ESA teaches everything, not just trimming…..diet, etc. I am sure they can help. If they don’t have anyone near you, try the AANHCP. Trimmers can teach you how to trim and then you can keep the feet perfect.
Good Luck and thanks for stopping by!
Thank you so much. If there are questions, things you would like to see or know more about just let me know. Right now I am very into body work and restorative in-hand and riding. I gave my trimming clients to another trimmer to free me up to learn more about the equine anatomy and body work. Stay in touch!
Dawn
Steffan,
Thank you for writing. Your English looks quite good to me. If you happen to end up on the east coast, near Wilmington, Delaware (that is just below Philadelphia) I would be glad to spend a day looking at horses and their feet with you. Right now I think the best Natural Horse School (you can’t just study hooves) is The Equine Science Academy. (Talk to Derry.) Much of the school work is on-line. They just began partnering with Balance International Saddles which is my all time favorite. I ride in that or 2 saddles pads, nothing else. They have also partnered with Spencer LaFlure on equine teeth. Good luck with your studies and keep in touch,
Dawn