DIY feet trimming

[chocolatecakeystuff]

So, my deamon pony is a little watsit for the farrier . After the first farrier hurt her I've tried a few different ones & nothings worked.

Now the farrier I use for the others has said he's going to teechme to trim & file over the next few weeks so I can do the little one myself.

But.... doesn't it take years to learn this kind of thing? Its a great idea on the surface & will solve the initial problem right this very instant that her feet as getting very long.

I don't want to hurt her & do more damage than it solves tho iyswim. My farrier will supervise when I do them... but one of the ladies has gone mental that the farrier would even suggest this.

[mrslaughan]

didn't I read somewhere, that someone was prosecuted for trimming a horses hooves, but wasn't properly qualified? I think the person was an equine podiatrist rather than a farrier, and this was deemed not the correct qualification to do it.....

I think everything else aside, that you are not getting yourself on the wrong side of the law.

[DolomitesDonkey]

It's illegal to hammer nails into the hoof unless you are a qualified farrier.

You can however trim your own horses feet. Unless you start carving horn away you're only filing nails. I trained to do feet and it's easy to maintain "between" and you will not carve out huge chunks of horn because you're not mental. Taking a small slice of frog off will help protect against thrush.

My only concern is that it's back-breaking work.

[Pixel]

Years ago when my old pony retired my farrier was driving quite a long way just to come and give him a trim. He offered to teach me how to do it and let me have some of his old equipment (he'd already shown me how to get the nails out and remove a shoe in an emergency) but I declined his offer because I liked the fact that my pony was being checked by an expert who was bound to spot a problem brewing quicker than I would. Prevention better than cure and all that.

Anyway, point is, there is obviously nothing illegal in doing your own hoof care as long as you aren't putting shoes on, and if my farrier thought I could do it then clearly any fool could .

[DolomitesDonkey]

If you're going to do this I'd advise paring down the bars, a few mm of sole and horn. You'll barely need to rasp at all if you're in work and you might like to keep on top of any mustang roll.

I'd only do it every other time as it's nice to have an EP take a closer look and pare out any abscesses (all horses have them - they look like black spiderwebs running through the corn).

I did a lot of work on dead feet to learn.

[DolomitesDonkey]

And as Pixel says, being able to remove a shoe is a vital tool!

[chocolatecakeystuff]

Yes, luckily my farrier lives dead opposite the farm my girls are stabled at. So good in emergencies & the farmer can remove shoes.

The deamon pony is barefoot - always has been, I think they've only got so long as its been so wet & hasn't worn them down. She really only needs them trimming a few times a year. Usually get away with having the farrier the same time as having her teeth done (she's got funny teeth so hsve to be done twice a year) and is sedated. But its really distressing for her & would like her to get used to having her feet done without sedation.

He's going to supervise anything I do (already pointed out the spider like bits from abcesses on my big girly as she's rather prone to them so hes had to dig a few out. (Actually bought her from said farrier)

[SaggyOldClothCatPuss]

Trimming isn't rocket science. I do all of mine. You just take away everything that doesn't look like a balanced foot! I trim off any excess length, then use a file on the rest. I do pare the sole with a double sided hoof knife which can be a little scary, but it's virtually impossible to go too deep most of the time, because the sole is so hard. When it's very wet it does come away more easily, but it's still very difficult to go to far. The most important bit IMO is not tipping them back on their heels.
We all do our own on our yard, even DD14 is having a go.
We do them ourselves because there is No farrier in our area who will do small ponies without moaning like fuck and doing a shite job!!

[chocolatecakeystuff]

Sounds about rigjt saggy 'small pony blooming pointless creature blah blah blah' haha

[tazzle]

It's not illegal to trim horses feet however one can be prosecuted if one causes harm to a horse by doing a horrible job or over trimming making it badly or repeatedly lame .

I wonder mrsl if the prosecution you are thinking of was strasser who had her own extreme style that often lamed horses..she was indeed found guilty if I remember correctly.

I was taught by farrier initially then a barefoot trimmer to look after my horses feet and I have dkne so for about 9 years now. Professional trimmer comes to check them now and again and had them checked by a master farrier who did not know who did their feet and all was in order. Vet also thinks feet good.

So its possible to do it but the skill and the " eye " to get a good foot and learn just what and how much to remove takes quite a few trims to get a grip of.

If the farrier is suggesting it (s) he must think you have what it takes.... so if you think you can do it then do it under supervision for a few visits and see how you feel.... even after you can always call farrier back for advice anytime.

Doing it yourself means you can do little and often which also means pone will be habituated sooner !

Imo her having feet too long will potentiallycause her more harm than supervised careful trimming by r
responsible owner...and the fact you are asking thecquestion shows you are. Not like the numpty bloke that arrived my yard one day, saw me trimming and said he had a file in his garage he could do dd pones feet with !!!!! I tried my best to disuade him.

Good luck....

[chocolatecakeystuff]

Thanks tazzle. Hopefully this way she'll see nothing terrible is going to happen when her feet are trimmed (she trusts me) and will eventually feel comfortable enough to let the actual farrier do it (this has worked so far with 'getting her used to things' she's just so scared bless her, but she needs to get used to other people (especially me)

[tazzle]

Aw bless her...why is she so scared ?

My dear pone was a rescue that trusted no one least of all with her feet... and I know how much work on my part it took to get her trust.

Even if you can only get a few strokes of the rasp each day to increase her tolerance every little helps. So too will walking out on roads if that is possible... every little helps lol.

As to other peoples comments about you trimming. .. well if you are being supervised by farrier then no issues... and isn't it far better than all the possible issuesfof overgrown feet... cracks, stretched white line, flares, bits of hoof flaking off, long heels / toes putting feet out of balance and putting stress on tendons etc.... not to mention frog problems !

I still get the odd comment from a neighbour despite mine never having a problem but her having repeated ones.!

[DolomitesDonkey]

Sorry, I was using the word corn when I should've said sole. My only excuse is that my kids turn my brain to shit.

For a visual guide, I used to take photos of front, side and sole after the trimmer had been and keep them in my phone. It's also a good idea to use a tape measure because a white hoof will give an optical illusion! Surprisingly so!

My trimmer worked with hiltrud strasser and took some of her stuff but obv not all! He said she was brilliant minded, but rude, obstinate and hopeless with people. Clearly an excellent horsewoman and vet!

[chocolatecakeystuff]

Haha our vets a bit like that dolomite. Excellent with horses.... not so good with people.

Hopefully this plan works, if not I shall have to think of a plan b.

She's come off the hills fairly recently, and went staight to a dealer from there who I think probably didn't treat her particularly kindly. When I bought her she had a large sarcoid which has ulcerated & was bleeding so I had to have the vet out within 24 hours, plus worming & teeth & jabs all before shed ever been handled which wasn't ideal but hey ho. She's so much better than she was, but still lacks trust in anyone that isn't me.

[suchashame]

Sound like she has a good and considerate home with you.... wishing you both a all the very best.