Ever had one of those trims - redux

ElaineC · Ever had one of those trims - redux

Earlier in the spring, I posted about an impossible trim. The kind of trim that makes you doubt everything you've ever learned, or think you learned, and you feel fortunate you can tell the bottom of the hoof from the top.

Well, today I had the exact opposite kind of trim. The joyous, defining, confidence building kind of trim, that lets you actually begin to believe you have a clue.

I trim an old quarter horse who has all kinds of barb wire scars on his legs. When I began trimming him about a year and a half ago, he could barely balance with one hind foot up. His stifle would start to go on the other side, he'd begin to rotate, and just about fall over. His frogs were teeny, his heels were contracted, and the previous farrier had let his heels grow very, very long to "jack up his pasterns". He had such a bad toe-first landing, his foot would actually snap back down to flat, after his full weight was on his toe and couldn't support it.

Today, I did all four feet, no issues balancing. His heels are now level with the bulbs of his frogs. I had more toe to take off than heel, and he actually has frogs - they could be better, but they aren't bad. It hit me when I put his feet down, that even though I'd just trimmed him, he still had tons of heel! And... they weren't underslung :D

His bars - oh his bars have been a challenge. Finding them has been a challenge. Digging them out has been a challenge. Today, I began to trim back a bar and the *entire* front half of it lifted away!! Trim trim trim, dig dig dig, get the bar to where it anchors and its anchored where it should be. Not only that, but the entire back quarter of what looked like his sole lifted away, it was overrun, laid over bar material, all the way back to and filling the seat of corn. It just lifted off with all the rest of the excess bar, and I found a lovely correct bar underneath all that crap.

Best of all, as I walked him back to his paddock, he was actually landing heel first. Not fetlock-snapping toe first, not even a little toe first, but an easy going heel first landing. For the first time in over a year, I finally feel like this horse has a decent set of feet under him.

He's still got so much further to go, his feet are a wierd shape, narrow toes and straight sides, wide across at the back, but they may never be normal. Wherever he came from, he was hard used. But, today he walked out sound, happy, and I am over the moon!

calatar

Yay that is so awesome! It is so gratifying to see improvements

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oldmac_donald

Fotas! Pleeez!

On second thoughts, I can totally understand if you don't, but I love seeing "yay!" trims.

jokersmama

Great job! I loved reading that!

It feels good to know that you fixed them, and they are moving better because of it huh?

It's an amazing feeling and makes up for those bad trim days.

ElaineC

I'd post pics but sadly, don't have any

I need to get more in the habit of carrying a camera with me.

cynthia peterson

Isn't amazing how bad "man made" mistakes just keep mounting up until... you have what you had?!!!!! Bless your heart for doing your work.