Talk to me about bringing the toe/hoof back

[batty.eq]

@JB This is exactly what I’m worried about. I truly feel that my current HCP CAN do a good job. I could see them doing some of the mapping with the rasp, but I’m worried things will slip again. I’m generally out for every appointment, but I also don’t want to have to feel like I need to remind them continually.

This dude is barefoot, but my other boy is shod all around (at least for now). I am in an area with a fair amount of HCPs, but it’s finding the right one that’s seeming potentially difficult. I would like to be able to at least do some maintenance rasping between visits, but my current provider didn’t seem super keen to guide me

@outerbanks77 Thanks for the input! I agree actually, I think we could have done a bit more with the toe, or at least the breakover, but I think my HCP is a bit on the overly cautious side in terms of taking material away. I will say, I think in-person vs photo, the difference is more pronounced. I haven’t had a chance to get better photos, but it is on my list).

I will check out those videos as well, thank you!

[RedFox5]

A lot of farriers are overly cautious with taking toes off. Learned the hard way when I had someone out because my guy took his shoe off when he got stuck in deep mud and despite my mom telling the person to make sure to take his toe back as he goes best with a very quick break over the person didn’t listen and my farrier had to come out and redo it not even a week later because the lack of break over was putting even more stress on a torn tendon (from the mud when he pulled his shoe off). The amount of toe she took off looks extreme compared to the toe the other farrier left but it was very necessary for his comfort

[Pehsness]

I haven’t read everything, but was a professional trimmer once upon a time, and time and again have proven to myself that the only/fastest way to a healthy hoof is…

Diet. THE diet will vary by horse but starting with forage based and a vit min supp fed in adequate amounts is key.

Bring the toe back weekly if you’re dealing with under run heels. Vertical cuts, either with hoof in hand or on a stand, the rasp is perpendicular to the toe, from 10 - 2.

Balance. Medial-lateral balance is so important. Learning how to sight the hoof relative to the ground. Ensuring balance at all times.

These things will take you 90% of the way. The final 10% is important and can be learned, but starting with the simplest basics is half the battle, and too often overlooked.

Edited to say, Pete Rameys “rule” was rasp until the flakes stick. I still follow that, with nuance.

[RedHorses]

My experience is that farriers will forget what a horse needs once the issue isn’t visible every time they come to trim. Reminding them that “this is the horse that gets sore for a few days after a trim” when you bring the horse out can be enough to trigger their memory to do the slightly less aggressive trim on this horse. Or whatever issue/trim adjustment that horse has/needs that you have already discussed in detail and figured out the adjustments needed with the farrier previously.

It’s not accusatory, or “telling them what to do”, but just recognizing that some things need to be maintained even if the problem appears to be gone, and you don’t expect the farrier to remember every foot without some context to remind them.