We have all read at one point or another
now that the barefoot community believes on a whole that the heels of the horse
should be low and the toe should be short. I do fully support this when at all
possible. We have also seen arguments against this. I’m not going to get into
mustang rolls and enhanced breakover, lowering bars and what not.
I will quote a good friend of mine Josh Noone
from www.hoofwork.com "Good work is good work. Farrier or barefoot
trimmer."
Obviously there is way more to describe and show when it comes to good or bad hoof trimming than can be shown in a basic blog post. I would encourage the reader (horse owner, farrier, barefoot trimmer) to expand their knowledge and read as much as they can on hoofcare.
Regardless of the methods or principles
used by your barefoot trimmer or farrier, hopefully they take the entire horse
into consideration. I have seen flares removed when the hoof actually needed it
and flares left when it didn’t. Whatever camp you subscribe to make sure to
keep an open mind and always remember that there is no perfect hoof, no perfect
confirmation and certainly no perfect horse. Not all methods work for every
horse which is why we has hoofcare providers have to constantly expand our
knowledge and study the latest techniques and principles. Both Shoeing farriers
and barefoot farriers can learn a great deal from one another. Continue your
education even when you think you don’t have to. An old farrier once asked me
if he could watch me trim a horse. I laughed and said I’m a new Barefoot
trimmer what are you going to learn from me. He replied you always learn
something new by watching someone. It might be what to do and it might be what
not to do but it’s something.
So personally I don’t care if you call
yourself a farrier, barefoot trimmer, barefoot farrier, hoofcare professional, or
you are just a horse owner, you should be able to easily look at a hoof and see
what looks right, I’m not saying what looks perfect but at least know what is right.
If you are uncertain of a hoof ask your hoofcare provider why it looks a
certain way. He or she might have a good reason for it, but question something
if you think it might not be right.
If you have any questions or want more info
please click here to contact me.