Billie Jo and filly, E-Klipse
If you want to be an Owner-Trimmer, in other words an expert of one horse -your own- I encourage and applaud you. That’s exactly how I got started.
I know it’s intimidating to watch farriers whack off huge chunks of hoof with there 14” long nippers. Well good news. Armed with only a rasp, you will learn to trim your horse’s hooves and do an even better job than any farrier and many trimmers.
NOTE: I offer on-line help. I can fly to your location and teach a clinic, working with each owner and her horse also.
So let’s get started. We will mark the hoof so that we can both look at the structure and discuss where the hoof is going. I will trim your horse the first few times, all the while explaining what I am doing.
We’ll take photos and measurements for our baseline trim and about every 3-4 months thereafter. Feel free to take photos before and after every trim. So often we see what we want to see, and not what is. But a photo doesn’t lie!
Then we’ll co-trim a front foot. Depending on your interest, ability and fortitude, we’ll co-trim the entire horse. Next, you can trim a foot while I chat with your horse; thereafter checking and discussing your work. Slowly but surely, staying in your comfort zone, you will trim solo and I will check the work right away. We’ll expand the schedule to every other month and so on. I will always be glad to come back as questions and issues arise. I will take you off my regular schedule when you are 100% comfortable. Typically I check back quarterly.
All the while your natural horse care will fall into place. For those lucky enough to own a farm, I encourage you to get a copy of Paddock Paradise by Jaime Jackson. Your trimming will be negligible once the horses are walking 10 miles a day.
My Starter Kit for the owner-trimmer includes a high end rasp and Hoof Jack Hoof Stand. I sell the same tools I use. They are perfect for our area. I can’t speak to their usefulness in an entirely different environment.
Your Reading Assignment:
- The Horse Owners Guide to Natural Hoofcare by Jaime Jackson. This is a real bible that you will read time and again. I am on my second copy as the first became so dog-eared and marked up. I don’t trim exactly as JJ does, but this overview of all things hoof, is excellent, bar none.
- Pete Ramey’s Site. Please print out all his articles and keep them in a binder. Some are pretty heavy going but read them anyway. More and more will sink in. If I can answer your questions, of course I will. Check back monthly as he posts all his published work. I can lend you his book; his trim has changed but it’s a good read.
- Check through the articles on my site. In particular the review on boots, Why I Now Ride in Boots and the highlights from the Arizona clinic will be helpful.
Get a notebook
For remarks during and between trims.
Stay Educated
Check out and save as Favorites other Natural Hoofcare educational sites, for example:
- Paige Poss’ Iron Free Hoof
- Marjorie Smith’s Barefoot for Soundness
- Cindy “Hawk” Sullivan’s Tribe Equus
- Linda Cowley’s Healthy Hoof
Bring your digital camera or artist pad, and let’s get that horse of yours going down the right path of natural hoofcare and natural horse care.
Hi Dawn,
I have been a horse owner all my life, even as a child we always had horses. I have a lot of experience with horses but I have never dealt with the hoof trimming and such myself. I would very much like to be able to trim my own horses. I have been watching videos off youtube for a while and want to start to trim my own horses. I do have questions and hope you do not mind. One thing that I am afraid of, is everyone and in every video I have seen has a already manicured hoof. It would so much help me to see someone with a horse that actually NEEDS a trim, needs hoof help, because obviously I do not have horses with those perfect hoofs. 3 of my horses have nice hoofs just from basic wear, my other horse is newer and never had a farrier or a trim by her previous owner and I do not know how to fix it. You say that someone who is just starting out should only have a rasp but then how do I get her hoofs nice with only a rasp when their so long? Without nipping them. I do not have the blessing of farriers and trimmers around as there are none. I have looked and searched and the closest ones are 100′s of miles away and we couldn’t afford paying someone to come from that distance. Is there anyway you can make more videos? They so much help me and I need to learn more. I need to learn more about the bars as I do not understand them. I do not understand how to trim them and how to notice when they need to be trimmed. I wish I knew someone who could be here and in sight, on hand, see and do and show and see with someone in person but that is just not possible right now so videos are my only hope.
Please give me any information you may think I need to know. I would be so grateful, also if you can make more videos I would love it!! Seeing it with my eyes is easier then having to imagine it when having to read about it.
Thank you so much!
God bless!!
Hi and thanks for your nice note.
I am trying to get set up with a video camera and a video editing program. The 3 videos that I posted on my site (you saw them?) were taken by someone else and she is now busy with school. Granted my horse only needed a maintenance trim in those 3 videos but I did go into detail about what I was doing and seeing.
Even if I were to trim a horse needing a set up trim, as we call it, it might not look like your horse. There are all kinds of what-if’s, but generally I find you that with some effort, you will do a better job than any farrier because you can keep your horse absolutely balanced! I touch up my horse every two weeks.
Do remember that behind every great foot is a great diet of low sugar forage. I live in green grass buffet land but lucky for me I have a thoroughbred and he has high high metabolism.
Here are some ideas. Let me know what you think.
I have 2 suggestions:
1. If you can pull together some friends and fly me to your area, I would be glad to give a clinic and teach you all to trim your horses. In other words after the presentation, I will work with each owner and her horse. If she tires, someone else can help. I am flexible on my time commitment. I can bring rasps for the others and have a Hoof Jack sent to you and anyone wanting one. Although they are $185, they are indispensable and an absolute must for the owner trimmer, especially with more than one horse. I usually fly out of Philadelphia. I like all my costs covered which are the plane and parking; it’s nice to come home with $300 at least in my pocket and more is really nice as I actually have bills too! Usually I charge $100 per person or $50 per “auditor”; again I am flexible and don’t want folks to miss out. I don’t teach auditors to trim their own horses but they can enjoy the presentation and watch and ask questions during all the trimmings. I encourage everyone to watch as many trims as possible so that after I leave you can help each other. We can go into further detail if you are interested. email me at 4sweet.feet@gmail.com
2. You can work with me or Heike Bean (I know she helps folks on line) on-line. Basically you send photos. I will mark them and email you what to do and what I see. And you can call me and we can work on things too. I don’t have Heike’s email but if you Google her you can find her site. I don’t know her costs. I charge the same as a trim, $50 because although I am not doing the work, writing, marking photos and phoning all take time, more time actually. Maybe we could work on one horse, then I could look over the photos of another horse and you could tell me what you would do with them…and then we could discuss, and so forth. In other words, once you get the concept it isn’t that hard for 95% of the horses. Let’s hope you don’t have anyone in the 5% category.
3. Since I do have a camera!! I could try to do some horses that need trims, photograph and document each photo. That takes some time though.
Wow, this is encouraging! I just ran into barefoot trimming about 3 months ago. I spent a LONG time on the internet researching, and decided to tackle barefoot trimming on my horse and pony. My horse has never been shod, and has pretty good feet except that she has thrush in her fronts right now. My pony has been shod all her life, has wall flare from going too long between trimmings, and has (of course) contracted heels, as well as thrush.
Pretty heavy right now, but I’m convinced I’m doing the right thing, and I’m loving the trimming business. I’ve seen a lot of good hoof’s photos and I’m pretty pleased with my results so far. My dad thinks I’m nuts to try barefoot, although he is kind of awed that I’m doing my trimming myself. Fortunately, my mom is very supportive of me and thinks that I know exactly what I’m doing and that really helps. I’m considering getting some boots for the pony, and I want to get some pea gravel for under the run-in shed. Thanks for all the great articles!
Junia…so nice for you to stop by. Delighted you are going bare as it is clearly better for horses. On the Easy Care Blog, I am now writing Posts in “Notes from the Field”. I think you will like all the articles…that I have yet to bring here…but especially treatments for thrush. Do not give up!
Dawn