Looks like a great trim job!
Thank you.
I'm not a farrier but I do my own and have for over 20 years. By just looking at the feet and not seeing how the horse stands on those feet, they look good to me. Maybe a bit more toe could be taken but you would be a better judge of that as you are seeing him standing on those hooves. I think you are doing a fine job. JMO
Thank you, I'm hoping in time to take more toe off, but I don't like to go past the white line.
Keep doing what you are doing, it takes time to get those heels to open. It is certainly possible. Am I right in thinking you are barefoot trimming? Certainly looks like it with the beval on the hooves.
What I found when swapping horses from the "old" method to the barefoot method is they do seem to spend a bit of time sorting their feet and can look a bit long in the toe even when you've taken as much as possible off the toe. Be patient and keep the guidelines in practice - all of a sudden you will have nice little feet!
Your gelding's frogs look nice and flat and the contact with the ground, plus keeping the heel down will encourage the heel to open. But they will do it IN THEIR OWN TIME! It may be a couple of months - I've still got one a year on slowly deciding to open. Really depends on the horse.
Is there something in particular that is driving you nuts???? I can see a tighter hoof starting to grow in.....
Well I've had him for almost 5 years now, and these last 3 I'd say I've been improving his feet a lot. Well, I don't really follow one strict method, I do like the barefoot method and since I haven't had anyone big or small come up lame I'm thinking it's good. I also like the mechanics of it. Well to me it always looks like his toe is too long, but I think that has to do with his heels. He breakover is really good, as soon as his heel comes up he breaksover. His feet are still improving yet.
Keep doing what you are doing, it takes time to get those heels to open. It is certainly possible. Am I right in thinking you are barefoot trimming? Certainly looks like it with the beval on the hooves.
What I found when swapping horses from the "old" method to the barefoot method is they do seem to spend a bit of time sorting their feet and can look a bit long in the toe even when you've taken as much as possible off the toe. Be patient and keep the guidelines in practice - all of a sudden you will have nice little feet!
Your gelding's frogs look nice and flat and the contact with the ground, plus keeping the heel down will encourage the heel to open. But they will do it IN THEIR OWN TIME! It may be a couple of months - I've still got one a year on slowly deciding to open. Really depends on the horse.
Is there something in particular that is driving you nuts???? I can see a tighter hoof starting to grow in.....
I was actually thinking the same thing about the barefoot trimming. All my horses are done using this trimming method- and I love it! I had a mare who came to me with contracted heels and they are opening up with her barefoot trims! woohoo!!!
I certainly like it better then trimming from the top, and have a ton less flares, cracks, etc.
Just wondering why his toes are dubbed so hard and he has so much rasped off the outside of his feet? Doesnt seem like there is any wall left. The balance doesnt look that bad, but his feet are taken down to nothing from the outside.
I did that to prevent flaring and to allow easier breakover from the side.
Here's a picture of what I'm trying to copy.
Obviously nicer then mine, but also this is a mustangs feet and my mini and a few of the other mini's I trim have a lot thicker hoof wall which is why mine looks more.... dramatic I guess.
The theory behind the mustang roll, which it appears you have attempted here, is that it allows for better breakover. You can see that although you have dubbed off the toe on the front of every foot the foot is still flat to the ground on the underside. Looking at it from the side your should see that it "curls" up from the bottom so the foot can rock over easily rather than land flat as this horse will. You have left him a bit high on the inside front left and right feet. I would like to see a bit less toe on the front as well but until you get his heels opening a bit more that will be hard to do.
I'm also trying to keep the outside wall off the ground, to prevent flares, cracks and other stuff like that. Yup, my mustang roll is flat on the bottom, with this guys anyway he's worked on stone and the hoof kindof naturally does this to itself . I am working on getting the hang of it, and I'm sure in time I'll have it down. I'm getting closer.
Also if you let his foot hang naturally and loose and see how his conformation works on it his foot is actually level, when I took the picture I wasn't allowing it to be loose and normal, which was probably a stupid thing to do.
LOVE the barefoot method
Since I started doing it, have had horses stop waving their legs all over the place, track up better, laminitis horses move......the list goes on. Certainly will never use a "real farrier" ever again.
Say what you want about barefoot in regards to saddle horses, but it definately has a place for the minis. Just did six sets of feet today, they all rock hard and such a thick outer wall they could smash rocks! (well, pebbles maybe......) No cracking or spintering either. And we in drought condition with little naturel water source to get em wet.
As Milo Minis says, there is some better balancing to be done HOWEVER, the hoof will tell you when it's ready. I had to do several trims on my girl snubbing the toe (which you have done) to educate her foot that it needed to heal. One year on, we have a beautiful quarter inch hoof wall all the way around the foot. Still would like her to drop her heels, but patience, patience, patience........ I'm thinking that's where you are at with your boy?
Your beval is a little straight but maybe you can elaborate what his issues are/were? That might help explain what we are seeing a bit better.
Yup I think that's where I am with my guy. My bevel's a little straight partly because I'm still learning it, partly because he's worked on stone enough for it to round for me, and partly because my back wasn't really up to trimming yesturday.
When his feet came to me they were still quite long. He had to be tranq'ed for the farrier and heels were long, underrun, contracted. The underrun part is gone now and we are slowly getting better.
