The more studies conducted evaluating balancing of the hoof,
(one such study) the more it becomes apparent that many of today's farriers could be setting themselves up for failure. The solution is to approach each hoof with a clearly defined game plan.
To that end I thought it would be good to show how I achieve balance in nearly all hooves, this even though no two hooves are the same. The method for achieving balance has remained constant, with this method of trimming having been taught the world over for more than 15 years.
What's exciting is that we now have additional tools to confirm balance, and to improve consistency. Keep in mind that I trim to achieve balance. I do not trim to go barefoot or to shoe, I trim to achieve balance, that is my goal. I developed and use the new DBH Level to check myself, this because even though I have a good eye for balance I still want to avoid the pitfalls that come with being over confident.
The horse and its hooves are the world's best teacher of humility. If you haven't been humbled by a horse in sometime, now is a good time to initiate a humility check. How consistent are you in achieving balance? As I get older I have learned that it is better to be humble than to be humbled.
This method can be used by the farrier or trimmer for the purpose of shoeing or for going shoe-less. The method is not about preparing the hoof for a shoe or for barefoot, it is about achieving balance.
An added suggestion taken from a comment to a post in Facebook: Always watch and listen to how the horse moves before and after you trim.
My thoughts on tools: Tools used that aid in confirming balance should be viewed as an adjunct to our ever improving skills of observation, and should not be viewed as the only means to achieve balance. Tools are meant to aid us in our work, increasing our accuracy and saving us time. No skilled craftsman works without those tools that confirm their skills (rulers, levels, squares), why is it that with many farriers ego supersedes practicing due diligence.
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| Using DBH Level to establish Axis Plane |
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| Hoof capsule balanced to the Foot's Axis plane |
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| Using DBH Level to confirm Toe Plane |
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| HPA |
Really uncomfortable with how much frog, sole ridge (callous) and sole appears to have been trimmed here. For me it ruins a sensible article about using tools to check handiwork. Why take away the callous? The horse built it up because it is needed for comfort in exactly the same way that we build callous on our hands to cope with abrasion from work!
ReplyDeleteWell Liz, there is a golden rule I teach: Never remove structure that was placed there by nature in response to a lack of structure elsewhere. Second, If the structure is present due to imbalance and removal places the hoof into balance, it is safe to remove.
ReplyDeleteWhat structure was present that justified cutting the frog callous? Can you quantify this in an objective and reliable manner? As for toe callous removal, I can understand this if it puts the mechanics in position to improve the general health of the internal structures , even if it does create a small amount of comfort issues. After all, you get abnormal amount of sole (old flakey stuff) build up if the horse is not getting enough of varied terrain to do the exfoliating bit. However, one can expect that the old sole has some purpose too. This is a delicate question and concerns a lot of variables. The frog, in my opinion, is often over trimmed and I find it more aesthetic than functional. As long as their is adequate stimulation, the frog does its job.
ReplyDeleteRichard, thank you for your comment. Yes, I can quantify trimming the frog in an objective and reliable manner. How one observes a given structure is based upon the model that is subscribe to. The HPT Model defines the primary function of the frog as being the vehicle for the delivery of stimulus to the structures of the caudal foot. Therefore it is essential that the frog be balanced to both the sagittal and transverse planes, this in relationship to the internal foot. The amount of material removed is dependent upon several factors, and is more often limited to the removal of the layer of squamous cells (callous) and not frog horn. So to answer your question; the frog is trimmed for the same reason that the toe plane is created, which you allude to agree with, to establish functional balance within the structure and to support overall balance of the functional foot.
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