Yay, they match up MUCH better in this picture after being reshod. Too bad the pic didn’t come down with the quote.
OP, don’t beat yourself up over this. It’s how we learned too.
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What about the 4-8 week period? Your original position was that hooves are “distorted” in 4-6 weeks, and your horses hooves are healthier because you rasp them every 2-4 weeks. I guess you don’t ride them a whole lot, and you don’t compete since they are barefoot, and you also don’t know how to shoe. But you want to tell those of us who ride a whole lot and compete and show that we are sitting on horses with distorted feet because we let them go past 4 weeks for a reset? All those blacksmiths we are using to keep our competition horses’ feet sound and healthy are missing an opportunity to double their money by shoeing more often? Those poor souls.
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Isn’t this very dependent upon conformation, environment, and work load? A stall kept horse who gets no regular exercise will be a different hoof management problem than a working horse who regularly rides over varied ground. So your program might be perfect for horse number one and a catastrophe for horse number two.
G.
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OP that first set of photos was shockingly bad.
I still have a set against my first barefoot trimmer because he did a fine job for several years on the old guy with one flat foot, I had finally got EZ boots with pads for him and they required a pretty precise fit, he couldn’t wear those in the mud and the next summer the trimmer just quit caring, or he decided to leave more hoof because he thought the pads would be unnecessary. He also started to let the flat foot grow out and I had to ask him to please take extra time with it. As in trim it again. Long story short I got called in to work and my DH held the horse, when I got home I went to check feet and I could have sworn to god that flat foot was untouched.
I asked DH if he was sure that foot didn’t get missed while they were bs’ing and he swore up down and sideways no. DH didn’t help matters because when I said we needed to call the trimmer back he got mad, said if the guy was that bad, he was another four weeker and DH thought that was too frequent (all about the$$), he didn’t want him on the property any more.
Well a couple of pleasure horses are low on the totem pole when you can do 20 yearlings so there I was trying to scare up a new trimmer. Took a week and in the interim it’s my belief the long foot led to a pasture injury that ended up killing him, we got a nice trim but the horse had already injured his neck and was too old and fussy to make a good recovery.
I am very glad you were able to connect with a good farrier and hope that if you opt to go barefoot again you are able to find someone consistent, with a good eye.
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WRT an unshod horse requiring a trim every 2-4 weeks, the horse must not be doing jack, because one of the primary reasons to shoe a horse is when the wear on the hoof exceeds the growth.
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Looks to me as if your trimmer didn’t trim to a length or angles but rather rasped what was there, which is what began to occur with the old guy. I am sure my trimmer was offended by my opinions regarding that flat foot, and probably felt I was being some crazee lady with a cheap ass DH. DH was sick and tired of him so any excuse was good by him but he thought I was being an alarmist. He didn’t see that foot rolling backwards in our pocky frozen mud area, I did and I just couldn’t scare up a new trimmer soon enough.
I am very glad you were able to resolve this and your horse feels better.
Indeed. And this is where conformation and way of going come into play as that will dramatically affect the shape of the foot as it wears. Those who go for foot that mimics the perfect shape in somebody’s book can cause their horse discomfort if that shape puts stress on the horse that’s actually standing there. This is something the various branches of the “foot trimming system world” seem to ignore, either through ignorance or perversity.
G.
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OP, I’m glad to see that your horse is more comfortable. It sounds like you’ve found a new farrier who can better address the horse’s needs. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for continued improvement.
As far as the 4 week trim cycle being ideal for barefoot horses, that has also been my experience and the opinion of most of the hoof care professionals I’ve worked with, including a well educated barefoot trimmer, my current farrier (CJF w/world recognition for his skills), and a veterinary podiatrist at our university’s vet school. The idea is to maintain the hoof in good balance continuously. By the time you can glance at a hoof and see that it “needs” a trim, you’ve waited too long, by this school of thought. My horses have always had excellent hoof quality and conformation (Arabs/Half Arabs); they do better on a short trim cycle because they grow hoof wall (relatively) quickly. Conversely, I’m currently working with my farrier to rehab the hooves of a Paint gelding with absolutely terrible hoof wall quality; with a shorter trim cycle, we’re trying to stay ahead of the cracking, chipping, and flaring. Two very different types of horses who require a 4-week cycle. Could all these horses do “fine” with longer trim cycles? Probably, but it wouldn’t be ideal for any of them. Just like with shod horses, the cycle needs to reflect the needs of the individual horse, not what is traditional or convenient for the owner/manager, as much as possible.
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Hoofcasts for horses just out of shoes are a nice segue and easy for farrier to do. I pay $80 for trim and front hoofcasts.
Palm Beach
“Of course they grow, but a competent farrier doesn’t need to come back every 4 weeks and reshoe the horse to keep the foot healthy. A correctly trimmed and balanced foot should not get so out of whack in just 4 weeks. A quick question though, I’ve had the one horse for 10 years and the other for 16, how many more years before they develop problems?”
" I guess you don’t ride them a whole lot, and you don’t compete since they are barefoot, and you also don’t know how to shoe. But you want to tell those of us who ride a whole lot and compete and show that we are sitting on horses with distorted feet because we let them go past 4 weeks for a reset? All those blacksmiths we are using to keep our competition horses’ feet sound and healthy are missing an opportunity to double their money by shoeing more often? Those poor souls."
You may be right or you may be wrong, but you come across as such a know-it-all bully, who would ever take you seriously?
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Just wanted to give a quick update. She seems more comfortable everyday. Happy to say since she recieved the pads she has been walking with her head held high. She has been trotting around. I have high hopes for her recovery, and really look forward to the upcoming months. It hasn’t been long enough to really see changes in the hoof yet, but I can say in person they look much better, and from the way she is acting she seems like they feel better.
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So glad to hear a good update. So happy for you and your mare. 
I’m glad she is improving, and very sorry that happened.
My horses could be trimmed every 3-4 weeks in Spring and Summer, despite being ridden tons, barefoot. We have great feet here. I’m so lucky.
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Update: My horse is starting to look and feel better the farrier is coming out on Friday to assess her. She hasn’t walked ouchy since he shod her with the pads.
The sad thing is other boarders are still using the same barefoot trimmer that did the horrible trim on my horses hooves. I turn out the horses at night, and noticed 3 of the horses were tender(they got trimmed yesterday by the trimmer). I texted the owner and let her know that her horse was not walking right and really hesitated to be lead to the pasture. She told me that it is fine he is limping because his toes grew faster than the last trim. It was 4 weeks ago that he was trimmed. Is there any approach you think will work to help the other boarders get a second opinion? The horse looks so miserable like mine was after her trim. This barefoot trimmer is a smooth talker and completely has the other boarders convinced it is normal for the horses to be super sore after every trim. I just really feel bad for those horses. I made the mistake of believing this lady for 3 trims, but the other boarder is completely convinced this lady is doing the right thing, and does not second guess anything.
The short answer is “no.” If the owner has drunk the kool aid then there is likely nothing you can do about it. It’s their horse and if they want to provide substandard care that’s their business. All you can do is make the call. Then it’s up to them.
G.
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So glad your horse is doing better and better. That’s super news!
I’m afraid @Guilherme is right. Now if this other boarder were a good friend of mine, then I’d take it a step further and sing the praises of my new farrier, that my horse wasn’t sore after trims, they should give the farrier a go, etc. But someone I did not have an established relationship with, probably not.
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Sure. I’d say - you know, I stopped using that trimmer because she was crippling my horse. Yours is looking pretty darn sore as well. A trim isn’t supposed to hurt a horse. Any trimmer that tells you that is normal is someone you should avoid.
And see where that goes. Ask the boarder why they think it’s ok that the horse is too sore to walk normally?
Will it work? Who knows. But I would absolutely say something.
I will try to talk to her face to face this weekend, and see if that works, better than over the phone. Hopefully I can get through to them.
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Be careful. The more direct you are with her, the more defensive she will get and dig in to defend the trimmer and her choice.
Better to stress the positive experience you are now having and avoid coming off as judgmental about that trimmer. You are right but that’s not going to bring her over to your side. She needs to think it’s her idea.
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I agree, and I am only a 5+ decades’ experienced horseperson, not a hoof care professional of any kind.
