Old farrier told me my trims were 'too pretty' and he was dead right

Back in 2019 at a clinic in Lexington, this crusty guy watched me spend 20 minutes on a front foot and said 'you're making art, not fixing a horse.' He pointed out I was leaving too much heel because I was scared to cut deeper. Soon as I started taking more heel off, my horses stopped stumbling on soft ground. Anyone else had an old timer call you out on something that simple?

2 comments

2 Comments

shane_perry291d ago

Man I read something similar in a horsemanship magazine a while back. The author said we trim for how the foot looks in the hand, not how it lands on the ground. That crusty guy probably saved you a lot of trouble. Taking off more heel changed everything for my mare too, stopped her from forging on trail rides. Funny how the old timers just know what works by watching the horse move, not by staring at the foot.

barbara_sanchez8813h ago

Honestly that's spot on about watching them move. I've seen farriers get so caught up in angles and numbers they forget the horse is telling them what's wrong. Quick fix for forging besides the heel trim, try a little toe rocker too. Takes the catch out of the stride.