Welcome to my web site!
Jan 2010 photo courtesy of Caroline Young
I am a horse owner and I love horses. Since I created this site myself, it contains my own thoughts and conclusions based on my education and experience. I ride my mare barefoot and bitless and chose fox hunting and trail riding as my horse sport. I used to show dressage and eventing, but with age and limited finances, we have to choose an activity we can afford and enjoy with our horses. Right now I have 6 horses! (click here to read about my horses)
You can read why I started into hoof trimming at the bottom of this page. There is a contact and pricing page if you would like me to come trim or present a program (click here).
If you are a fellow horse lover, I hope you will find this web site useful.
Some of you might remember that I also work with problem horses and teach owners how to overcome difficulties with their horses such as trailer loading. I am still available for this service. Please visit my contact and pricing page for more info.
Thanks, Sandy
PS if you are interested in my blog click here for interesting tidbits and news!
You can read why I started into hoof trimming at the bottom of this page. There is a contact and pricing page if you would like me to come trim or present a program (click here).
If you are a fellow horse lover, I hope you will find this web site useful.
Some of you might remember that I also work with problem horses and teach owners how to overcome difficulties with their horses such as trailer loading. I am still available for this service. Please visit my contact and pricing page for more info.
Thanks, Sandy
PS if you are interested in my blog click here for interesting tidbits and news!
Please read my updated Navicular page
For Founder case studies (recently updated!)
Conformation that indicates heel pain
When you see a horse that is standing with it's front legs back behind the vertical and hind legs tucked forward, you can be sure there is heel pain from excess bar and heel horn in the fronts and long toes in the hinds. This quarter horse was not posed. She just happened to be standing this way and you will see a horse with heel pain stand this way, particularly when standing on concrete.
After trimming, conformation changes!
Just as a woman's body shape changes when walking in high heels, a horse's body changes when those high heels and bars are trimmed!. This fact was probably first discovered by Dr. Strasser. She actually had a calendar printed with various before and after photos to show conformation changes. If you didn't see it for yourself, would you believe it? I had photos of two of my horses with me when I first went to a Strasser trained hoof trimmer. She took one look at the photos and said that they had high heels and bars. I couldn't believe she could tell so much with a photo. Now I can always see these problems in photos of horses that need a proper trim!
Balanced Conformation and the Head-low position
This is an illustration I did to show clients the balanced skeleton of the horse in the most natural position: with the head low. This posture is so important! Horses should be eating and drinking from ground-level as that is the most natural posture for the teeth alignment and for the soft tissues of the throat to be able to swallow and breath properly. It is also important when riding the horse so that breathing and bone alignment can best cope with the rider's weight. As you see, the coffin bone (P3) is ground parallel and the joints of the limbs are in harmonic alignment. This combined with the ligaments which run forward from the withers and the ligaments which run back over the spine carry the horse much like a suspension bridge. This is all part of the "stay apparatus" which allows the horse to sleep standing up with little to no muscle tension as the extensor and flexor tendons are in balance.
Two different trims. Which one is the best? It depends....
I was taught to trim according to very specific guidelines. Those guidelines are: 1.The coffin bone should be ground parallel (the determining factor for that is a 30 degree hairline) 2. Front feet should have a toe angle of 45 degrees (but can range to 50) Hinds are to be 55 degrees 3. The heel height should be 3 cms from hairline to ground 4. the concavity measured from the tip of the frog at the dirt line is to be 1 cm in fronts and 1 and 1/2 cms in hinds. 4. the bar height is to be 1 cm in the middle of the bar. All of these measurements being in place would make the toe/coronet angle 105 degrees (105 + 45 + 30 = 180 and all triangles add up to 180. You remember your geometry, right?) The 105 toe coronet is indicative of good coffin bone suspension, that is the coffin bone is held up by a tight laminar connection. The frog should be full with healthy tissue growth and act as an expansion joint for the hoof to expand with weight bearing. This health is directly related to the height of the bars. If they get too high, the frog circulation gets cut off and the frog deteriorates. Also the hairline should be straight. An arch in the hairline indicates high bars and a tilted (not ground parallel) coffin bone. And lastly, the lateral wall should have a very slight "scoop" so that not only does the foot move outward with weight-bearing, but it also moves from up to down much like the arch of your foot. This allows the blood to enter all parts of the laminar corium to feed the attachment for good health.
But is it TOO perfect? What I mean by that is that it is too close to being prone to injury and too much sensitivity. It isafterall, just a guideline. It does promote good blood flow and it is something to shoot for in a unhealthy hoof. But there is still alot of criticism of these measurements in practical terms.
But is it TOO perfect? What I mean by that is that it is too close to being prone to injury and too much sensitivity. It isafterall, just a guideline. It does promote good blood flow and it is something to shoot for in a unhealthy hoof. But there is still alot of criticism of these measurements in practical terms.
Another Ideal Trim Image
So here is another ideal image that many barefoot trimmers advocate. Basically a close to ground parallel coffin bone, (only slightly less) but the parameters of this trim style is much more suited to hard use and is much less sensitive. It has a rolled edge all the way around, even the heels; the bars are passive in that they are only trimmed to the "live" sole, which is to say that they are not weight-bearing; the toe is rolled back to the waterline of the wall horn which is very white and dense; the concavity can be up to 2 or 3 cms as sole in the toe callous area thickens.
Now this ideal image has drawbacks too as I see it. The bar can become pushed up and cause tilting of the coffin bone. A good thing is because the coffin bone is locked in tightly by the push from the bars, the foot is less sensitive. But less sensitivity means less blood flow. Rolling the heels encourages the heel to become more under-run, but it provides more surface area of horn in the heel/bar connection. It also causes the lateral walls to flare out. This has to be rasped regularly to keep it from cracking. With the bars higher, the frog gets very little circulation and tends to shrink and atrophy. But this is very similar to what hooves look like in dry, arid regions where there is little water and lots of rocks.
Now this ideal image has drawbacks too as I see it. The bar can become pushed up and cause tilting of the coffin bone. A good thing is because the coffin bone is locked in tightly by the push from the bars, the foot is less sensitive. But less sensitivity means less blood flow. Rolling the heels encourages the heel to become more under-run, but it provides more surface area of horn in the heel/bar connection. It also causes the lateral walls to flare out. This has to be rasped regularly to keep it from cracking. With the bars higher, the frog gets very little circulation and tends to shrink and atrophy. But this is very similar to what hooves look like in dry, arid regions where there is little water and lots of rocks.
Over-grown hoof needing a trim
This hoof is what I see when a hoof has gone a long time without trimming. You can see that the bar has gotten way over grown and the toe has gotten long. The coffin bone is tipped up and this shears the attachment as well as pushes it against the toe wall reducing circulation and building up pressure within the vessels of the coffin bone and navicular bone. Continued pressure in these blood vessels will cause bone erosion. Also the tip of the coffin bone will become "ski-tipped". A horse that stays in this position for a long time is prone to founder. There is the possibility that the extensor process can be fractured due to the force put upon it by the short pastern. Note the angle of the coffin joint. This puts extra wear and tear on the cartilage in the joints from improper alignment.
NEW Case Study Young TB
Before trim both fronts were horribly deformed.
See this new case study on my Case Studies Page Young TB with severe contraction and deformation of the hoof capsule which caused lameness.
New video of case #12 (Case Study Page) on You Tube
There are a lot of good trimmers out there and I know some who have had great results. But time after time they bring a horse from "incurably lame" to fantastically sound and they don't take one photo. So that seems to me to be something that needs to be done and I try and take photos both before and after and post as much as I can on public forums like You Tube. Here is one movie I just made from photos I took of a young TB mare off the track, lame with a diagnosis of "bowed tendons". My training in the Strasser Hoofcare Professional's school taught me about bowed tendons and you can read that on the case study page. But here is a video you can watch that really shows a picture is worth a 1000 words.
Hoof Trim Presentation and Trimming Session Nov. 6-8 at Eagle Bear Farm a SUCCESS!
Photo courtesy of Debbie Darling
We fortunately had perfect weather for two days and owners watched their horses getting proper trims! Here in a photo from the first day, Sandy explains the concept of tubule alignment to participants at Lauren Kahn's Eagle Bear Farm near Graham, NC.
For more information on how you can book a hoof care presentation, click on MORE and go to the CONTACT AND PRICING page.
For more information on how you can book a hoof care presentation, click on MORE and go to the CONTACT AND PRICING page.
See this case study from the Hoofcare program at Eagle Bear Farm on the Case Studies page
Pigeon-toed Before trim photo
Nov. 6-8 participants learned about Natural Hoofcare and Holistic rehabilitation. Reports and photos are on the Contact and Pricing page. Also, see this participant's horse's case study, both before and after photos, showing my trim to reverse heel shear, contraction and toed-in stance on my Case Sudy page, case #10.
Healthy 5 yr. old draft cross needing trim
This hoof is relatively healthy. The only problem it has is over-grown bars and heels. Because the outside heel was a bit higher, the horse was starting to weight the inside toe quarter.
Same foot after trimming bars and excess heel
Here is the same foot as above after a good trim. The bars have been trimmed to their proper proportion and the horse will move and feel better than it did with the high bars thowing it out of balance.
Hoof Trimming
Most horses love to have their feet trimmed! They will lick and chew or yawn when trimmed correctly. Once they realize how much better their feet feel, they look forward to being trimmed! With serious pathology, it may be necessary to trim often and with great precision. I have the skills and ability to perform trimming of this kind and the education to explain what the owner should expect and do to help the horse recover from serious problems such as founder, navicular disease, white line disease, and other hoof ailments that modern veterinary and farrier techniques can only cover up or make worse. Read my articles in The Horse's Hoof magazine and visit some of my case studies on www.superhoof.org or You Tube Hoofforeeya and Hosshoofho .
Contact phone 336-698-0784 or 336-380-5543 Email: sandra.judy@att.net
The photo below shows a person with black necrotic fingers due to frostbite. It is important for horse owners to realize that this is what shoes and incorrect trims can do to their horses feet. Damage like this is not easily remedied.
Contact phone 336-698-0784 or 336-380-5543 Email: sandra.judy@att.net
The photo below shows a person with black necrotic fingers due to frostbite. It is important for horse owners to realize that this is what shoes and incorrect trims can do to their horses feet. Damage like this is not easily remedied.
A hoof with severe damage is similar to a person's fingers recovering from frostbite!
This photo exemplifies the damage caused by a lifetime of shoes. It causes damage similar to the frostbitten fingers above. Even though the shoes were removed and this horse was turned out to retirement, the damage done from shoeing caused CONTRACTION. Contraction is the number one reason for most lameness diseases. This is one of the cadaver feet from my Strasser Hoofcare Professional's course practicums in Port Angeles, Washington. Note the pinched heels and overgrown wall and bar horn.
You can see the black necrotic tissue. This is the damage done by years of shoeing! In this photo, excess dead horn has not been trimmed away.
In a live horse that was trimmed correctly, even with feet this bad, circulation returns to a damaged hoof, toxins from dead tissue are released into the horse's bloodstream. The kidneys and liver have to process these toxins and the heart has to work extra hard as the painful rehabilitation returns the foot to a healthy state. The body walls off dead tissue and dissolves it in the form of abscesses. As the hoof is trimmed to help the heels de-contract, there is bruising of the corium which grows out.
All of these factors, plus the hard work it takes must be considered. This is not a quick fix! It takes about 9 months to grow a new hoof capsule.
If there is significant bone damage, there may not be enough bone to grow in enough of a healthy attachment sufficient for performance. If there are laminitis triggers which are not controllable, it is difficult to maintain steady progress in rehabilitation through trimming alone.
If you chose a trim "style" which does not allow the hoof to function and allow healing, you might as well keep the shoes on! But the decision to return healthy function to the foot should not be made lightly. Consider the age of the horse, when he was first shod, what his lifestyle has been, how often he was reshod, the amount of time and effort YOU are willing to put into rehab...all of these factors are very important to consider before you make the decision to transition your horse. Some horses have an easy transition, some do not. There is no real way to know but all factors must be considered.
You can see the black necrotic tissue. This is the damage done by years of shoeing! In this photo, excess dead horn has not been trimmed away.
In a live horse that was trimmed correctly, even with feet this bad, circulation returns to a damaged hoof, toxins from dead tissue are released into the horse's bloodstream. The kidneys and liver have to process these toxins and the heart has to work extra hard as the painful rehabilitation returns the foot to a healthy state. The body walls off dead tissue and dissolves it in the form of abscesses. As the hoof is trimmed to help the heels de-contract, there is bruising of the corium which grows out.
All of these factors, plus the hard work it takes must be considered. This is not a quick fix! It takes about 9 months to grow a new hoof capsule.
If there is significant bone damage, there may not be enough bone to grow in enough of a healthy attachment sufficient for performance. If there are laminitis triggers which are not controllable, it is difficult to maintain steady progress in rehabilitation through trimming alone.
If you chose a trim "style" which does not allow the hoof to function and allow healing, you might as well keep the shoes on! But the decision to return healthy function to the foot should not be made lightly. Consider the age of the horse, when he was first shod, what his lifestyle has been, how often he was reshod, the amount of time and effort YOU are willing to put into rehab...all of these factors are very important to consider before you make the decision to transition your horse. Some horses have an easy transition, some do not. There is no real way to know but all factors must be considered.
White foot with no necrosis in the frog tissue but toe crack from high heels and bars (Compare this hoof to the one above. Note the rounder shape of a healthier front foot.)
All horn is either white or black. When you see yellow, red or any other color, there is damaged tissue. The whitest horn will be next to the so-called white line which is actually a beige color. This is because it is the most dense horn. The less dense horn is more cream colored like the laminar horn, sole or frog horn. Damaged laminar horn on this foot can be seen as a brownish color. (the brownish color in the colateral grooves beside the bar is just dirt)
Another Healthy Hoof prior to regular trim
This horse has fairly healthy hooves. Nice and round; a little overgrown with the bars, but he's just about to get his trim..Compare this hoof to the one below. They are the same foot! This one is a photo of the left front when the horse was only a yearling. The one below shows the same foot at 5 1/2 years old. It is a draft cross which typically have big round feet . The owner has been doing her own trimming for most of his life with occassional help from me an another SHP. In the photo below, she was leaving his heels and bars too long and it had caused a toe crack which can be seen as the dull black color. But it's interesting to see this horse's same two feet from the age of a yearling, when the palmar processes have not fully formed, to a 5 year old when the palmar processes are full formed. (The palmar processes are the "wings" on either side of the coffin bone which grow into the lateral cartilages. The lateral cartilages remain cartilage in a healthy hoof all the horse's life. They allow the hoof to expand when the foot bears weight. When the ligament that attaches the lateral cartilage to the short pastern is continually strained by incorrect hoof form or shoes, it ossifies turning into what is called sidebone.)
Healthy black horn appears bluish. Note the toe where there is damaged horn which is a 'dead' looking black. This hoof has some problems with toe cracks as a result of high heels and bars. But this photo is after trim to correct that imbalance. There is also a tiny abscess on the frog but these small abscesses should be thought of as small pimples.
A healthy foot with a normal trim
This is a good example of my normal healthy foot trim. As you can see, I trim the bars, heels and tip of the frog. I trim the caulky sole next to the tip of the frog to the dirtline which is between the ends of the bars to the tip of the frog. That is the point at which you would measure concavity. This is a draft cross with no contraction issues. As you can see, the hinds are asymetrical with the inside wall being a bit straighter. I rasp the walls just a few mms higher than the sole. I almost never trim any toe callous. So in years and years of trimming, most of my horses never ever get the toe callous trimmed. I trim very little sole at all and the only places you see what looks like trimmed sole is where I trimmed the bars off the sole. The sole in the heel/bar triangle is sometimes trimmed only slightly to lower the heels.
A bit about bars....
Some trim methods leave too much bar material and this can lead to impacted bars. Bars are like teenagers...give them and inch and they'll take a mile! Because the horn tubules can slide up and down, the bars are usually pushed up higher in the hoof capsule than can be seen easily. It is important to take the hook of the knife and pull the frog back so that the full length of the bar can be seen. In severely contracted feet, the bar can fuse with the sole and frog. Until the foot begins to expand, the amount of bar pushed into the hoof cannot be accurately determined. Also, in under-run heels, the bar tubules can fuse with the sole horn forming a mix of bar and sole horn which may fan out over the sole forming a "false sole". Specific trimming techniques are necessary to allow the bar to grow in it's proper position and porportion.
Bar pain superscedes all other pain in the foot!
This means that a horse will choose to walk on his toe, even with his coffin bone coming through the sole, before landing heel-first on painful bars. WHY? Because there is more nerve function and circulation in the back half of the foot than there is in the toe. And, as soon as the heels are even moderately high, the blood circulation to the toe is cut off. Nerves do not function without blood circulation. That is how your foot can go numb when blood circulation is temporarily cut off from pressure. As soon as circulation returns, the tingling of nerves can be felt.
A shod horse has the blood circulation disrupted by both pressure, temperature and the angle of a high heel. Since metal conducts cold, metabolism (blood flow, nerve function, exchange of nurtients and waste products in cell tissue) cannot function. Tissue dies. Since the hoof contains some of the most vascular areas of the horse's body, this means death for many parts of the corium.
So-called "orthopedic shoes" put even more pressure and create more damage.
This is really a simple concept that many veterinarians that prescribe orthopedic shoes forget. (!?!) Or maybe they realize that horses with lameness issues will be a consistant source of income?! They can sell you drugs for pain relief and know that you will eventually call them when the pain returns so that they can prescribe some expensive invasive surgery or treatment plan! Unfortunately, heel pain is called "navicular disease" and most veterinarians are not schooled in holistic hoof care. They tend to leave hoofcare to the farrier.
And farrier's know that most of their income comes from shoeing lame but usable horses. (see American Farriers' Journal editorial November 2000) In this article, Walt Taylor, World Farrier's Association president states that of the world's horse population, no more than 10 percent are clinically sound. 10 percent are lame and unusable while the remaining 80% are "lame but usable".
If I simply trim the excess bar horn, the horse becomes relieved of heel pain, circulation returns to the toe, and damage there can begin to heal. It is simple and inexpensive. It is holistic.
The bar should NOT be weight-bearing unless the horse is landing from a jump or gallop stride, in which case, the bars act a skid brakes, keeping the hoof capsule from over-expanding.
In rehab cases, there may be specific instances where the bar is trimmed very shallow to allow the hoof to de-contract. This is the precise condition in which my experience and education prepared me to handle.
A bit about bars....
Some trim methods leave too much bar material and this can lead to impacted bars. Bars are like teenagers...give them and inch and they'll take a mile! Because the horn tubules can slide up and down, the bars are usually pushed up higher in the hoof capsule than can be seen easily. It is important to take the hook of the knife and pull the frog back so that the full length of the bar can be seen. In severely contracted feet, the bar can fuse with the sole and frog. Until the foot begins to expand, the amount of bar pushed into the hoof cannot be accurately determined. Also, in under-run heels, the bar tubules can fuse with the sole horn forming a mix of bar and sole horn which may fan out over the sole forming a "false sole". Specific trimming techniques are necessary to allow the bar to grow in it's proper position and porportion.
Bar pain superscedes all other pain in the foot!
This means that a horse will choose to walk on his toe, even with his coffin bone coming through the sole, before landing heel-first on painful bars. WHY? Because there is more nerve function and circulation in the back half of the foot than there is in the toe. And, as soon as the heels are even moderately high, the blood circulation to the toe is cut off. Nerves do not function without blood circulation. That is how your foot can go numb when blood circulation is temporarily cut off from pressure. As soon as circulation returns, the tingling of nerves can be felt.
A shod horse has the blood circulation disrupted by both pressure, temperature and the angle of a high heel. Since metal conducts cold, metabolism (blood flow, nerve function, exchange of nurtients and waste products in cell tissue) cannot function. Tissue dies. Since the hoof contains some of the most vascular areas of the horse's body, this means death for many parts of the corium.
So-called "orthopedic shoes" put even more pressure and create more damage.
This is really a simple concept that many veterinarians that prescribe orthopedic shoes forget. (!?!) Or maybe they realize that horses with lameness issues will be a consistant source of income?! They can sell you drugs for pain relief and know that you will eventually call them when the pain returns so that they can prescribe some expensive invasive surgery or treatment plan! Unfortunately, heel pain is called "navicular disease" and most veterinarians are not schooled in holistic hoof care. They tend to leave hoofcare to the farrier.
And farrier's know that most of their income comes from shoeing lame but usable horses. (see American Farriers' Journal editorial November 2000) In this article, Walt Taylor, World Farrier's Association president states that of the world's horse population, no more than 10 percent are clinically sound. 10 percent are lame and unusable while the remaining 80% are "lame but usable".
If I simply trim the excess bar horn, the horse becomes relieved of heel pain, circulation returns to the toe, and damage there can begin to heal. It is simple and inexpensive. It is holistic.
The bar should NOT be weight-bearing unless the horse is landing from a jump or gallop stride, in which case, the bars act a skid brakes, keeping the hoof capsule from over-expanding.
In rehab cases, there may be specific instances where the bar is trimmed very shallow to allow the hoof to de-contract. This is the precise condition in which my experience and education prepared me to handle.
Trimming frequency and disappearing coffin bones
I highly recommend trimming a healthy foot at least every 4 to 6 weeks. In pathological cases where we are trying to return a horse's foot shape to a more functional one, then it is necessary to trim at least every two weeks.
Wall horn generally grows at a rate of 1/4 inch per month (bar horn even faster). If there is inflammation due to pathology, then it is necessary to trim more often due to faster growth, which is usually uneven (heels grow faster than toes). Joint adaptation can compromise the ability of the hoof to hold the correct shape. The joints will need therapy to allow them to cope with the more correct and healthy hoof shape. This therapy usually is in the form of lots of movement on firm, smooth level surfaces. I like to use a rubber running track if possible but it may be necessary to take your horse to a paved road and use boots. Also the hoof needs to be soaked frequently to allow it to be as flexible as possible so that the road work will more easily reshape the foot.
Shod feet have reduced metabolism and growth due to the cold and restrictiveness of the metal shoe. The problem with returning the hoof to health is that more damage can be done to the internal structures, particularly the coffin bone, if the foot goes too long between trims. Introducing blood flow to damaged structures causes the dead material to be abscessed out. While the foot was shod, the dead material wasn't addressed by the body. Then when blood is reintroduced, the body's defences attack the dead material with white blood cells. Often an x-ray of a shod foot shows bone that is dead. When the blood returns to that area, it dissolves the dead bone away. The balance of the foot must be maintained or the constant change in balance from going too long between trims causes deformation and dissolving of the coffin bone.
Wall horn generally grows at a rate of 1/4 inch per month (bar horn even faster). If there is inflammation due to pathology, then it is necessary to trim more often due to faster growth, which is usually uneven (heels grow faster than toes). Joint adaptation can compromise the ability of the hoof to hold the correct shape. The joints will need therapy to allow them to cope with the more correct and healthy hoof shape. This therapy usually is in the form of lots of movement on firm, smooth level surfaces. I like to use a rubber running track if possible but it may be necessary to take your horse to a paved road and use boots. Also the hoof needs to be soaked frequently to allow it to be as flexible as possible so that the road work will more easily reshape the foot.
Shod feet have reduced metabolism and growth due to the cold and restrictiveness of the metal shoe. The problem with returning the hoof to health is that more damage can be done to the internal structures, particularly the coffin bone, if the foot goes too long between trims. Introducing blood flow to damaged structures causes the dead material to be abscessed out. While the foot was shod, the dead material wasn't addressed by the body. Then when blood is reintroduced, the body's defences attack the dead material with white blood cells. Often an x-ray of a shod foot shows bone that is dead. When the blood returns to that area, it dissolves the dead bone away. The balance of the foot must be maintained or the constant change in balance from going too long between trims causes deformation and dissolving of the coffin bone.
An interesting development in the understanding of trim methods...
I recently read about a well-known farrier that gave a program at an international hoof care summit to vets and farriers. He was advocating a trim for contracted under-run hooves that called for "opening cuts" and trimming back heels and bars which "borders on surgery" (his words). He stopped just short of blood and mentioned checking sole thickness with thumb pressure. Then there was something else I read where a person had a vet service out to check on her diagnosed navicular horse that was being trimmed by a fellow trimmer trained in the Strasser method. This veterinarian recommended trimming "opening cuts" and lowering the heels and bars as well as walking the horse. Another story talked about how another famous barefoot trimmer has "discovered" many of the same techniques for reversing contraction.
The Strasser Method has been known in this country for about 10 years. During that time, Dr. Strasser, her method, her trained trimmers and her trim recommendations have been disputed and ridiculed as being "invasive". Now it seems that people are "discovering" these techniques and advocating them without giving credit to their inventor!
When I was in the Strasser Hoofcare Professional's course, I was told not to "rock the boat" with vets and farriers. I was told not to take difficult cases outside of a hoof clinic. I was told not to teach owners how to trim their own horses. But all of this rocking the boat, difficult cases and teaching owners how to trim was all started by Strasser herself! Had it not been for a SHP that first taught me to trim my own horses, I would never have pursued the education myself.
I still believe that some owners (not all) can learn to maintain their own horses if there are specific things I can show them how to do and feel reasonably assured that they can learn to do those specific things. Many former SHPs have gone on to form their own trimming schools that are based on the Strasser Method. I am not teaching owners how to become trimmers. But I will share as much information as I can with anyone who wants to learn.
The Strasser Method has been known in this country for about 10 years. During that time, Dr. Strasser, her method, her trained trimmers and her trim recommendations have been disputed and ridiculed as being "invasive". Now it seems that people are "discovering" these techniques and advocating them without giving credit to their inventor!
When I was in the Strasser Hoofcare Professional's course, I was told not to "rock the boat" with vets and farriers. I was told not to take difficult cases outside of a hoof clinic. I was told not to teach owners how to trim their own horses. But all of this rocking the boat, difficult cases and teaching owners how to trim was all started by Strasser herself! Had it not been for a SHP that first taught me to trim my own horses, I would never have pursued the education myself.
I still believe that some owners (not all) can learn to maintain their own horses if there are specific things I can show them how to do and feel reasonably assured that they can learn to do those specific things. Many former SHPs have gone on to form their own trimming schools that are based on the Strasser Method. I am not teaching owners how to become trimmers. But I will share as much information as I can with anyone who wants to learn.
Well balanced hind foot in a draft cross
good angles in a healthy hoof
Observe angles in the legs to gain insight to the position of the coffin bone
Here is another draft cross which is starting to suffer the problems associated with high bars. Compare this hind foot to the one above. First look at the hairline which is not straight. The curved upwards hairline shows us that the bars have pushed the interior structures of the foot upwards and forwards. The pull of the coffin bone at the toe causes the hairline there to be dragged down.You can see this problem has existed for some time by looking at the growth lines in the hoof wall. This horse was being trimmed regularly by its owner but she wasn't getting part of the trim correct, specifically the bar height. Having the coffin bone tipped forward like this puts a small but significant amount of slack in the deep flexor tendon. That slack has to be taken up by the muscles of the flexor system going all the way to the croup and hip. Often horses with this mild muscle strain will seek relief by relaxing in the fetlock joint and eventually creating strain in the joint capsule of the fetlock. Chronic joint strain will lead to ossifications of the joint (arthritis). This is commonly called DSLD (deep suspensory ligament desmitis) disease. The common name for this is coon-foot. Bottom line is that this is caused by an incorrect trimming of the bars. Since bar pain supercedes all other pain in the foot, the horse will evade this pain anyway he can.
Diagnosed DSLD in a 20 yr. old Paso Fino
This horse is an example of the above description of what can happen when the joints adapt to that extra slack in the deep flexor tendon. In this Before photo, you can see many similarities to the horse's foot above. Read my article in The Horse's Hoof magazine issue 36 about DSLD.
Foundered horse being trimmed improperly
Horse was in pain from mechanical pain of high bars after laminitis caused by alfalfa and too much grain and grass. Owner was trimming using a trim method that was ineffective. It left the bars painfully high. Read about the difference in laminitis and founder by clicking here.
Same foot as above after my 3rd trim
Owner says horse is now galloping around! I trimmed painful bars and rasped toe back to appropriate breakover and coffin bone has begun reattachment at the coronet band due to healthier more effective trim methods. X-rays taken in first week showed horse had rotation with separation and ski-tipped coffin bone which means a loss of coffin bone due to pressure. See more on this case (#4) on my "Founder" page by clicking here.
Relatively healthy RH
Great angles for a hind foot! 95 degree toe/coronet angle; 55 degree toe angle and 30 degree hairline. This foot has good concavity and coffin bone suspension and attachment. Compare this foot to the one below and you'll see what I talk about when I say toe height! This foot has it and the one below does not. But you gain toe height by keeping the heels and bars low AND backing up the toe. If you just back up the toe, you loose toe height and end up getting a foot like the one that is starting to become a coon foot above.
Healthy Front foot before trim
Compare this foot to the one above (understand this is a front hoof and the one above is a hind)and note the angle of the hairline and height of the heel. In this photo we can see that the heel needs to be lowered by approx. 5/8" .to gain a 30 degree hairline The toe was rasped back approx. the same amount. In a normal growth cycle, the heel grows in height while the toe grows in length. This tips the coffin bone slightly forward. So when I trim, I trim heels, bars in length, and back up the toe. See the photos below to see how this foot was trimmed.
Example of my trim on a healthy foot
This owner has me trim this horse every 4 weeks. He grows about 5/8" of heel and almost a full inch of bar at the ends. he has about 1/4" concavity, which is perfect for a front foot. As you can see here, I have trimmed the heels; lateral and medial walls from about halfway; the tip of the frog and smoothed the sole on either side of the frog; and trimmed the bars back to about halfway up the frog. Since this is a Right Front, there is some bar pooling on the outside bar which I trim to level with the sole. I rasp the toe as seen in the photo below. This owner does rasp the toes and heels a bit in between my 4 week cycle which is the perfect scenario for having me trim every 4 weeks. If an owner chooses to learn to trim their horse, they can save money and keep their horse's feet balanced by trimming every few days. The most common mistake in owner trimming I see is not trimming the bars enough. Since this requires significant skill with hoof knives, learning how to handle the knives must be learned in a trim clinic with cadavers. I only recommend owner trimming when their horse has relatively healthy feet. Owners can make mistakes so it is important to periodically have me check to see if their trimming is correct.
Dorsal view. I rasp straight down the wall of the hoof rolling only the toe from 10 to 2. Rasping only 1 inch or less up the hoof wall is acceptable in a normal healthy hoof. Excessive rasping of the hoof wall is not recommended. Only in pathological cases would there be significant rasping done.
Bulb view
Above healthy foot During trim
This foot has very healthy horn and normal growth for 4 weeks. See Bulb view below for foot during trim to see difference in untrimmed and trimmed side. Also see the close-up of the outside bar of the Left Front foot (this one is the Right Front) partially trimmed. I have found bars tend to pool more often on the outside bars. Please also read my article in The Horse's Hoof magazine, "Bruises By Bars and Imbalances" Issue 33.
Distal view Left Front showing thickness of bar pool BEFORE being trimmed completely. It is typical for the outside bar to pool (thicken) at the end. This probably feels like a rock in your shoe. The lump of bar is directly under the important structures like corium, the navicular bursa, and the insertion of the deep flexor tendon. I trim the excess and trim the bar to be as straight as possible.
An Example of regular (every 6-8 weeks) farrier trims that caused this 7 yr old horse to founder!
This horse was trimmed regularly by a certifed farrier. In this photo, taken the day after the farrier trimmed him, you can see the inward quarter crack (dark line) which extended almost to the coronet under the hoof wall. The owner was concerned because she could tell the horse was not himself. He was depressed. Often horses with subclinical founder will not be noticebly lame...but they will be reluctant to move and depressed! Many people would think the horse was just lazy. You need to get a hoofcare professional like myself to determine what the problem might be.... even if your farrier or vet says everything is ok! The farrier told this owner that the horse was doing fine. Due to the farrier leaving the heels and bars high, the heel collapsed under the foot, tipping the coffin bone up and creating a significant amount of sidebone. Sidebone is when the stress on the ligaments from the pastern bones to the lateral cartilages are strained and begin to ossify (turn to bone).
Same hoof after 8 months of rehabilitative trims
As you can see, this hoof is much healthier with good quality horn, bone alignment and coffin bone suspension. The quarter crack is completely grown out with good connection and horn growth. Even so, I was working towards getting the toe/coronet angle better and the heel back more. The owner was astounded at how happy the horse was and how good he felt! You can see a complete case study on You Tube on my site: hoofforeeya. Look for the video There Is A Difference. Also see a video of this horse being ridden on my site on You Tube. Due to extensive side bone on the right side, he was reluctant to canter on his right lead. But this too would have worked out in time with consistant corrective movement.
Shoes can damage the feet
Not only the visible horn is damaged, but the bones, ligments, tendons, blood vessels, heart, liver and kidneys are damaged with shoes. The hoof is always growing. But the shoe doesn't grow. Hoof boots are more like the shoes we wear and remove after we get back in our house. The horse cannot easily come out of nailed-on metal shoes, and the damage metal shoes and nail inflict on the hoof may be irrepairable. There is just no excuse for humans to inflict this type of damage on an animal and yet people do it every day without thinking that there could be an alternative. And an industry built around a shod sick horse is one that does not take kindly to people who want to change the status quo. If you really love your horse, would you intentionally cause him a lifetime of the pain and damage shoes inflict? We all know people that love their horses and think that he "needs" shoes. But the reality is that without the shoes to numb the feet, their horse would be lame. Shoes cover up a multitude of damage.
This horse is maintained by his owner now (same hoof as above)
Even though this horse's feet still have some issues, the owner has been riding and doing her own trimming for several years. I work with people who try to maintain or transition their own horses. This photo was taken at a group trim briefing and is the 'before' photo. In it you can see that the hairline is not straight and the toe is being dragged down by the coffin bone due to issues with excess bar. The open toe/coronet angle indicates poor suspension. This is actually a very difficult situation to correct by only owner trimming.
Even young horses can have serious problems after a few years in shoes!
This 4 yr. old has contraction, coffin bone rotation and separation issues as well as a serious vertical INWARD toe crack in the hoof capsule that goes from the coronary band to the toe. The flattened surface of the front of the hoof wall indicates pressure on the front surface of the coffin bone which, by having been pushed forward and tipped up against the front wall, has seriously damaged the laminar corium and horn. Rings indicate inflammation from shock of impact as well as trauma from the coffin bone being tipped downward. One other thing about young hooves is that the coffin bone's palmar processes are not fully formed and can be seriously deformed when shod before the age of 5. Even if the horse was trimmed properly all it's life and had not been shod, shoes would still do some damage for the length of time they were on. When shoes are left on longer than 4 -6 weeks, damage can be exacerbated as the foot continues to grow but the shoe does not. This is the kind of foot I like to see x-rays on before trimming. See an x-ray of a 6 year old on my Founder page that had already suffered major damage that was life-threatening as the vet expected to euthanize the horse even after much veterinary and farrier treatment.
After 2nd trim
Although the foot is better balanced here, it is still recovering from the damage done inside and I would expect some abscessing and about 9 months of rehab and consistantly good trimming to help this horse recover. Getting owners to recognize damage done, even in very young horses, when trimmed improperly, not trimmed at all, or shod, is the most important aspect of helping to educate the public about the damages of shoes. If you want to see another 4 yr. old with much worse problems, see my case study #12!
Best use of horse shoes I've ever seen!
This is a sculpture in downtown Port Angeles, WA. where I stayed during my Strasser Hoofcare course. The city had art all around and this one was perfect!
Fairly Healthy Hoof after trimming
Compare a hard-hoofed Paso Fino hoof to the above draft cross feet
This is my husband's Paso fino. He has very tight healthy feet. The white horn and yellowish sole clearly show the difference in sole horn and wall/bar horn. The so-called white line (laminar horn)is really a darker beige (not white) than the sole and can be seen as a thin line between the sole and wall/bar horn. The frog horn and the bulb are softer horn but all horn is essentially modified hair, different than deer antlers but similar to rhinoceros and cow horn. Hoof horn is made of of different types of horn depending on the density of the hairlike tubules. There is the hardest, which is wall and bar horn, (the bar is a continuation of the wall) Like your fingernails, wall horn grows in layers. The next hardest, sole horn, is flexible and is basically like your skin. The next softest horn is frog horn. It should be hard and rubbery. The softest horn is laminar and periople horn. Laminar horn is the feathery attachment between the wall horn and the laminar corium. It is like the glue that holds the hoof on the foot like your fingernail is held on by a similar laminar horn. The laminar horn can be seen on the bottom of the hoof and is called the white line but its only white when the hoof is dirty and you dig in it with a hoof pick. When it is damaged, it will often leave a space. It is damaged by inflammation of the laminar corium. It is this damaged horn and the space which allows bacteria and fungi to grow. If chronic, it is called "white line disease". The periople is the softest horn and is similar to your cuticle. When the hoof stays wet in the rain you will see this horn as white just at the coronet and around the bulbs. All horn needs moisture to stay healthy but more than anything, the hoof needs good blood flow from within. You can soak and soak a dried-out "dead" hoof with poor circulation and not get it to become as flexible as a healthy hoof with good circulation.
Horses genetically adapted to different environments early in their evolution. Paso Finos have a very tight hoof because their ancestors lived in rocky arid regions where a tight hoof has an advantage. Draft type horses lived in soft wet climates where a wide flatter hoof was better adapted. But even a softer hooved horse can adapt. to a hard ground given time. Feral horses adapt to areas like the outer banks of the eastern coast and the harsh western states. But just because they CAN adapt, doesn't mean that a particular environment is the most conducive to a healthy foot. The outer banks region is not the ideal environment for horses to live. They are stunted and their lifespan is short. Their hooves are flat with long bars and walls which chip and tear off. Horses in the American west have very hard hooves which are thick and well-worn. They live relatively longer lives even with harsh winter conditions and sparse grazing, but they are not immune to injury or situations where they suffer damage from laminits. A wild horse brought into captivity can suffer the same problems as domestic horses.
Our domestic horses must deal with captivity and limited movement. We must trim to simulate wear as well as condition their hooves to the various terrain we would like to ride on. If we haven't the time or ability to condition the feet, we can use hoof boots. Please read my blog concerning my opinon and experiences with hoof boots. I believe boots are that ounce of prevention that is worth a pound of cure!
Horses genetically adapted to different environments early in their evolution. Paso Finos have a very tight hoof because their ancestors lived in rocky arid regions where a tight hoof has an advantage. Draft type horses lived in soft wet climates where a wide flatter hoof was better adapted. But even a softer hooved horse can adapt. to a hard ground given time. Feral horses adapt to areas like the outer banks of the eastern coast and the harsh western states. But just because they CAN adapt, doesn't mean that a particular environment is the most conducive to a healthy foot. The outer banks region is not the ideal environment for horses to live. They are stunted and their lifespan is short. Their hooves are flat with long bars and walls which chip and tear off. Horses in the American west have very hard hooves which are thick and well-worn. They live relatively longer lives even with harsh winter conditions and sparse grazing, but they are not immune to injury or situations where they suffer damage from laminits. A wild horse brought into captivity can suffer the same problems as domestic horses.
Our domestic horses must deal with captivity and limited movement. We must trim to simulate wear as well as condition their hooves to the various terrain we would like to ride on. If we haven't the time or ability to condition the feet, we can use hoof boots. Please read my blog concerning my opinon and experiences with hoof boots. I believe boots are that ounce of prevention that is worth a pound of cure!
Before trim
This horse went 7 weeks between trims but his feet are pretty healthy and other than a little white line separation, looked really good. I don't recommend going longer than 5 to 6 weeks. 4 weeks is the ideal. If you trim yourself, you can trim a little every week or so and not have so much to trim.I trimmed approx. 1/2 inch off these heels and backed the toes up at least that much.
After trim
The separation in the white line can be seen here but it's pretty inconsequential. The horse has really healthy feet over-all with a nice coffin bone attachment and good suspension.
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My mare's right hind foot.
This photo was taken after fox hunting 3 hours over varied terrain. Note the wide frog and smooth sole. Since this is the right hind, you see the inside half is straighter than the outside half. The sun was setting in the late evening and I held the foot right in the light when I took this photo. Although my mare's feet are white with black spots, the sun and staining from mud make the horn look yellowish. Compare this warmblood right hind foot to the left hind of the Paso Fino above. Note that the inside wall of each is straighter. This is because the horse uses his hind feet kind of like an ice skater so the inside wall is more like a blade. The hind foot is more spade-like than the fronts due to the job each has. The fronts bear 65 to 75% of the weight so they are rounder. The hinds must dig into the ground to push off so they are more spade-like.
A couple of weeks later...
This is the same foot as above. I just didn't get around to trimming my own horse when she needed it. You can see that the horn is still healthy and this photo was taken just after fox hunting in one of our roughest cut over territories. But what is starting to happen is that the frog is starting to get strangled by those bars. The blood flow to the frog has got to travel over the bars and if they get too high as these are, the frog chokes and doesn't produce as good a quality horn.
LH after trim
I did a very conservative trim of her bars and heels on her hind feet. I did trim approx. half inch off the ends to leave the bar ending midway up the frog as it should be and the heel platform is slanted inward so that no part of the bar is weight-bearing. And even though it appears to be a deep ragged central sulcus, it really isn't that deep. However, I would like to see the same tan color and healthy frog all the way to the bulbs and right now that's not the case.
Common Misconceptions about the Role of the Frog
The most common misconception is that the frog pumps blood. If you ever have an occasion to see a dissection on a cadaver hoof, you will see that the frog has no significant circulatory pumping mechanism. It is not a blood pump!
It's purpose is as an expansion joint for the hoof capsule. As the horse weights the foot, the walls of the hoof capsule expand outward. Internally, above the frog, is the digital cushion. This is made of fiberous tissue which connects the lateral cartilages and acts as a sling for the descending deep flexor tendon, the short pastern and navicular bone. Imagine one person representing the short pastern falling backwards into a towel representing the digital cushion, being held on either side by two other people representing the lateral cartilages and you get a visual idea. So this structure, the deep digital cushion or some would prefer it be called the 'digital sling', is very important to the expansion of the hoof. The problems come when the hoof is not allowed to expand via shoes, improper trimming, contraction issues and/or high bars. It's kind of a "use it or lose it" thing.
The frog horn is often compared to the pad of other mammals, like a camel. But that is somewhat misleading too. In equines, the frog is less a pad than it is an expansion joint. In horses that evolved in wetland or soft ground environments like draft horses, the frog is full and weight-bearing as the hoof is easily expanded and a wider foot is better for distributing weight on soft ground. The frog horn protects the deep digital cushion and so needs proper circulation to grow healthy. If the bars grow high or long, this pinches the arteries that feed the frog. Anytime there is damage or poor circulation to any living tissue, there is necrosis (death) of the tissue. This dead tissue is the perfect food for bacteria and fungi. Much like various fungi grows on dead limbs of a tree, it is important to prune this material away. and treat the tree with a fungicide. With the horse's hoof, the important thing is to re-establish good blood flow to the area by trimming the bars and heels to allow proper balance and function of the foot. Soaking in a weak solution of apple cider vinegar (about 1:5 ratio) and water for a while each day will kill the bacteria and fungi, while providing the proper pH for healthy tissue regeneration. It is important to get the fungus and bacteria under control as damage from thrush can be the cause of lameness.
It's purpose is as an expansion joint for the hoof capsule. As the horse weights the foot, the walls of the hoof capsule expand outward. Internally, above the frog, is the digital cushion. This is made of fiberous tissue which connects the lateral cartilages and acts as a sling for the descending deep flexor tendon, the short pastern and navicular bone. Imagine one person representing the short pastern falling backwards into a towel representing the digital cushion, being held on either side by two other people representing the lateral cartilages and you get a visual idea. So this structure, the deep digital cushion or some would prefer it be called the 'digital sling', is very important to the expansion of the hoof. The problems come when the hoof is not allowed to expand via shoes, improper trimming, contraction issues and/or high bars. It's kind of a "use it or lose it" thing.
The frog horn is often compared to the pad of other mammals, like a camel. But that is somewhat misleading too. In equines, the frog is less a pad than it is an expansion joint. In horses that evolved in wetland or soft ground environments like draft horses, the frog is full and weight-bearing as the hoof is easily expanded and a wider foot is better for distributing weight on soft ground. The frog horn protects the deep digital cushion and so needs proper circulation to grow healthy. If the bars grow high or long, this pinches the arteries that feed the frog. Anytime there is damage or poor circulation to any living tissue, there is necrosis (death) of the tissue. This dead tissue is the perfect food for bacteria and fungi. Much like various fungi grows on dead limbs of a tree, it is important to prune this material away. and treat the tree with a fungicide. With the horse's hoof, the important thing is to re-establish good blood flow to the area by trimming the bars and heels to allow proper balance and function of the foot. Soaking in a weak solution of apple cider vinegar (about 1:5 ratio) and water for a while each day will kill the bacteria and fungi, while providing the proper pH for healthy tissue regeneration. It is important to get the fungus and bacteria under control as damage from thrush can be the cause of lameness.
Bulb of Front foot sits on the ground
This is my mare's left front foot. As you can see, she is weight-bearing on the bulb; the foot has a bell-shape and the lateral cartilages ( indicated by the highlite on the hair-bearing skin above the hoof on either side) have good distance between them. In a contracted foot, you would see a pinched bulb with "kissing" lateral cartilages, pinched frog that would not be weight-bearing.
To scoop or not to scoop?
First, a scoop is the cut into the lateral wall that arches the wall. Scoops were first noted in wild horses' feet and were "instituted" into the Strasser trim method back in 2003. The lateral wall should have ground contact when the horse is fully weight-bearing on that foot. A shallow scoop would be all that a healthy hoof needs while a hoof that needs a deeper scoop may have an arched up hairline. The important thing to remember is to understand the difference when the lateral hairline is arched up and when the toe hairline is drug down due to the coffin bone being tipped forward. Also too deep or long a scoop in a shallow hoof with limited concavity can cause a loss of toe height. Toe height is very important. The toe quarters should only be trimmed very rarely. They are the pillars of support for the front half of the foot; so much so that some horse shoes are designed to use these points as the breakover. Most horses feet suffer from not enough toe height. Unless they are seriously over-grown or very contracted, concavity in the hoof is something that needs to be preserved. Which is why we need to make sure the scoop doesn't go to far forward.
RF after fox hunting
It's interesting to compare the inside bar (on your left) to the outside bar ( on your right) to the frog. The frog next to the outside bar is damaged worse than it is next to the inside bar. It is probably not receiving as much circulation as the frog next to the inside bar. The inside bar appears to be somewhat shorter too.
RF Before trimming but after fox hunting
I actually trimmed her fronts a bit on the 17th of Oct. so even though this photo is 7 weeks later, I did trim a little in between. Still, the bars have continued to grow while the frog has continued to get less circulation. The bars are not weight-bearing though. You can see the deep central sulcus is getting pinched as both bars were growing healthily. This is my mare's RF which is the one that you can read her case study after healing from a puncture wound (you can see the scar near the toe). It is her more "clubby" foot. When she was born, this foot wanted to be clubby and I made a point of rasping the heels every week to keep weight on her heels. Most horses have some asymmetry to the front feet. When this condition is not addressed as the foal grows, it can result in a very bad situation as can be seen on my Case Study #12. A club foot is one that is more contracted and higher-heeled than the other foot. It can come from the horse favoring one foot over the other or from an injury. Even so, horses with so-called "club foot" can be trimmed so that the feet gain a more balanced and healthy function.
RF after trimming...
It started to rain so there were some drops of water on my lens but you can see the pretty white horn. I would like to see a healthier frog but since I let the bars get really high, this is the best I can get.
LF Lateral view
This is my mare's LF on Oct 4, 2009. A relatively healthy foot. Look below and see in 7 weeks she has grown quite a bit (I meant to trim her 3 weeks ago but kept having other horses to do!) So when people tell me they want to go 8 weeks between trims, I can see clearly that more than 6 is really too long!
LF before trimming
And on Nov. 22, 2009, she needs a trim! You can see how it is the back half of the foot that has grown in height. The bars and heels receive more circulation than the front half of the foot where the circulation is thru the coffin bone via the deep digital arteries which, when the heel gets high, the dd arteries are pinched. So though I may back up the toe some, I mainly concentrate my trimming on the back half of the foot. The toe wall has started to dish a bit too. This means that the high heel is tilting the coffin bone up and pulling on it's laminar attachment in the toe wall. If I just rasped the flare of the toe wall, eventually, the pressure of the coffin bone tilted up against the laminar wall would squeeze out the blood and kill off the corium feeding the laminar horn growth.
LF After trimming
Though I took the heels down a considerable amount, after seeing the photo, I resolved to take it down a bit more. I did trim scoops too but in the time that it took me to trim the other feet, the scoop in this lateral wall has disappeared!
LF After, AFTER I saw the photo!
Ok so it doesn't look like I took much more but I did tweak the heels and bars (see last sole view below) and put in another shallow scoop. We've had very wet conditions and these feet are very healthy so even with the wet, they are hard!.30 degree hairline, a tiny dip in the toe hairline probably from letting her go so long between trims.
LF sole view
This is after a hunt over varied terrain.
LF before trim
You can see this hoof has very robust bars! Those bars are starting to reduce circulation to the frog. The staining is from the red mud that was on the roads of our hunt country. This foot had just traversed over lots of fox hunt territory.
LF after trim
How pretty and white healthy horn can appear! I wish the frog was as healthy as the other horn. The black spots are just her normal color pattern and the brownish area of sole is just untrimmed stained horn. I still need to trim the bars and heels a bit more. It was raining when I took this photo which also adds to the appearance of the beautiful white shiny horn.
LF sole next day
So call me a perfectionist! I just had to lower those heels and bars a tiny bit more after seeing the photo. I have vowed to soak her feet in ACV to get that frog healthy again. I can tell you that frog horn grows incredibly fast so I imagine in a week I will see healthy frog.
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A little about my own conversion to barefoot...
I have been trimming my own and other people's horses since 2001. I was first introduced to barefoot horse keeping and trimming to rehabilitate horses when my son's pony foundered. After many episodes of laminitis and two years of egg bar shoes with stall rest, the pony would get better for a while, then worse. He also had a cresty neck but his ribs were clearly visable so I couldn't understand why the vet told me he was fat and THAT was causing the laminitis. (NOT!!) The vet said if he had another laminitic attack, he should be euthanized. I couldn't believe that death was the only alternative So I went to the internet for help and read Getchen Fathaur's Founder site about barefoot trimming to rehabilitate foundered horses. WOW!
A friend told me about the Strasser books and after I read them, I was astounded! I have had horses all my life and thought that they needed shoes. I had no idea how shoes deform and damage the horses' feet. I started going to hoof care clinics and seminars and ended up spending a year enrolled in the Strasser Hoofcare Professionals course (SHP) in 2005 with practicums in Port Angeles, Washington.
The more I learned, the more I realized that most vets' and farriers' education is just plain wrong about how a hoof is supposed to look and function. Not only do healthy feet absorb 80% of shock (metal shoes INCREASE shock!), they also metabolically function to support the kidneys, liver and heart. Heart attacks are common among horses that were stalled and shod most of their lives, especially performance stallions. I know of 3 stallions that died at the ages of around 14 yrs. from heart attacks. The majority of veterinarians have yet to make the connection that a stall kept stallion in shoes when taken barefoot and to the breeding shed is at risk of heart attack or stroke. The damage done to the heart by shoeing and stall-keeping is often irreversable. Many horses suffer from joint problems at an early age if they are shod. And shoeing before the age of 5 permanently deforms the bones of the feet similar to the effect foot binding has on Chinese children. Barefoot horses on average live 3 times as long as shod stall-kept horses!
Lameness is the number one loss-of-use reason for insurance claims. According to World Farrier's Assoc. president, 90 % of all domestic horses are lame! 80% of those are usable (as long as they are shod so that they can not feel their feet!). By the training I recieved and through my experience trimming my horses and others, I have learned what works and what doesn't in barefoot hooves. I have experimented with various trimming "styles" and ultimately, you have to factor in everything from the owner's attitude, to the horse's history. I will be honest and tell clients up front whether or not trimming for rehabilitation is even worth the effort and pain. And I think we are all still learning. The Barefoot Movement is still in its infancy and there are many things yet to learn. But one thing is for sure: natural horse-keeping methods and barefoot healthy horses are becoming more popular than just a few years ago.
With my background as a scientific illustrator, I have a way of explaining hoof form and function to others through art and models. I also have many cadaver feet showing examples of various pathologies. Please contact me for group or individual presentations about transitioning your horse to barefoot. I will consider a few new clients based on their individual needs and proximity to my home. I will also consult and help people who already trim their own horses.
For prices please call 336-698-0784 or 336-380-5543
email me at sandra.judy@att.net
A friend told me about the Strasser books and after I read them, I was astounded! I have had horses all my life and thought that they needed shoes. I had no idea how shoes deform and damage the horses' feet. I started going to hoof care clinics and seminars and ended up spending a year enrolled in the Strasser Hoofcare Professionals course (SHP) in 2005 with practicums in Port Angeles, Washington.
The more I learned, the more I realized that most vets' and farriers' education is just plain wrong about how a hoof is supposed to look and function. Not only do healthy feet absorb 80% of shock (metal shoes INCREASE shock!), they also metabolically function to support the kidneys, liver and heart. Heart attacks are common among horses that were stalled and shod most of their lives, especially performance stallions. I know of 3 stallions that died at the ages of around 14 yrs. from heart attacks. The majority of veterinarians have yet to make the connection that a stall kept stallion in shoes when taken barefoot and to the breeding shed is at risk of heart attack or stroke. The damage done to the heart by shoeing and stall-keeping is often irreversable. Many horses suffer from joint problems at an early age if they are shod. And shoeing before the age of 5 permanently deforms the bones of the feet similar to the effect foot binding has on Chinese children. Barefoot horses on average live 3 times as long as shod stall-kept horses!
Lameness is the number one loss-of-use reason for insurance claims. According to World Farrier's Assoc. president, 90 % of all domestic horses are lame! 80% of those are usable (as long as they are shod so that they can not feel their feet!). By the training I recieved and through my experience trimming my horses and others, I have learned what works and what doesn't in barefoot hooves. I have experimented with various trimming "styles" and ultimately, you have to factor in everything from the owner's attitude, to the horse's history. I will be honest and tell clients up front whether or not trimming for rehabilitation is even worth the effort and pain. And I think we are all still learning. The Barefoot Movement is still in its infancy and there are many things yet to learn. But one thing is for sure: natural horse-keeping methods and barefoot healthy horses are becoming more popular than just a few years ago.
With my background as a scientific illustrator, I have a way of explaining hoof form and function to others through art and models. I also have many cadaver feet showing examples of various pathologies. Please contact me for group or individual presentations about transitioning your horse to barefoot. I will consider a few new clients based on their individual needs and proximity to my home. I will also consult and help people who already trim their own horses.
For prices please call 336-698-0784 or 336-380-5543
email me at sandra.judy@att.net