Hoof Trimming for Barefoot Performance Horses

[missionpossible84]

Look folks. Its owner/rider preference as to whether or not you have shoes put on your horse. I have good experiences with both. Ya'll shouldn't down someone because their opinion is different than yours.

[Dojocho]

I am DVM Prof at Osaka Unv..Japan...Very good video...I have worked with many barefoot peformance horses...mostly stock breeds....appaloosa QH..ect...make shure your horse diet is correct..many problems start with nutrition or lack of...if its a stock type horse always remember short toe and keep some heel..for in time navicular will begin..so keep a good heal. Sorry for my bad Englash..wish we had more pretty farriers like you here in Japan.

[spudth]

c'mon there has got to be a comment at the top about those Jeans. Nice Jeans. I trim in a white T and jeans and my 49 y.o. belly keeps me from bending over and breathng...... Good Job on the trimming!

[johnholmquist10]

very nice job

[MzJuicyFroot]

OMGAWD, That horse is the cutiest thing I've seen. He's a total lover. Giving you kisses. That melted my heart ;-)

Plus your both blondes.

How cute is that :-D

LOVE IT

[STRAWBERRYHEAD555]

omg! it totally does look like he's talking to you while your

doing his hooves!

[990sydney]

lol looks like hes talking to u while ur doing it xD

[no4go2]

on the barefoot thing we do both depending on where were riding. sometimes we get into rocky areas and such in the bush and we like the shoes to protect their feet but otherwise we don't bother.

[Cmaentz]

I have a lady farrier & my mini's love her! I see she uses the Hoofjack! I just bought one & used it yesterday for the first time - amazing how much is makes the job easier. Your video helped to so see how much I can trim. Thank you!

[no4go2]

I hate women farriers. its bad enough for my ego that my wife is a better rider than me last thing I need around is a woman doing a better job on their hooves than me.

Seriosly I have not actualy met a female farrier yet. I never realy gave it any thought untill I saw this video. good to see though I will show the video to my girls I want them to see they can do anything. they want.

Truth is my wife is better with the trimming than I am. I can throw the bales better, thats about it.

[Cmaentz]

I've had men farriers come and they're "all business"... hurry up & lets get this over with. They're very abrupt and generally uncaring for the animal they're working on. I own 2 dwarf Miniature horses (besides 5 minis & mini donks), & takes extra patience & care to trim carefully and not break the tiny (& fragile) legs. I'll never go back to a male farrier.

[no4go2]

I have to agree there that they are very lets get the job done attitude. however most of the time we find them to be quite carring, even pointing things out that we have missed with other issues. taken the time to try and I emphasize try to show me how to do a decent job of trimming between visits. I know the ones you are talking about however they drop the feet handle the horses rough almost like their changing tires on a car. glad you found a good one though. post some picks of your minis

[vicpumpkin]

Such cute horses!

[MsHorsetrainer]

horsedesigns I guess you should have chosen a different name for your video.

[horsedesigns]

MsHorsetrainer, She is trimming my horses for barefoot performance so the name fits. I've been through all the arguments for years. People need to do what works for them, shoes or no shoes. Not everyone is prepared to make barefoot work for them. But the info is out there for those who want to pursue it. Calling people names on the internet just makes you look arrogant. Maybe because you are. bcbeaupied owes you no explanations.

[MsHorsetrainer]

who asked you anyway...Is bcbeaupied mute?? Butt out of the conversation.

[bcbeaupied]

horsedesigns

Thankyou!

[horsedesigns]

Happy to oblige and best wishes to you, bcbeaupied. If someone joins youtube just to come after a polite poster like yourself on one of my videos, I consider it my obligation to order them out of the pool.

[MsHorsetrainer]

great advertising for this lady and I am all for leaving a horse barefoot but this video did not prove a thing about this particular horse. First this horse had a normal foot with no apparent abnormalities. She would have done better to convince the non believer's if she had worked on such as mentioned. And, she needs to have a video or some explaination of why the problem footed horse went from problem to no problem. Like I said great ad for the lady.

[horsedesigns]

MsHorsetrainer, nobody's trying to prove anything. I made a little video of my trimmer. You are the one reading into it that it's supposed to convince anyone of anything. However, if you DO want to know this horse's story, then click on the video response by "horsedesigns" and then you can learn about this horse. Also, this trimmer doesn't need to make a video. She is so busy she is turning down clients. If you want to learn more, there are plenty of places to do it other than my lil home video.

[kwerna]

This gal seems like a fabulous trimmer, but she's going to ruin her skin in the sun.

[gallopinghorseback]

your Sydney and Lil Sis are really beautiful..lucky you! ;)

[Kathy5770]

Thank you for sharing!!! It's good to see a lady on here who knows hoe to take care of her horse!!! I'm hoping to do the same with mine!!! How do you know how far to trim and what the angle should be???

[Rachee666]

i must say, gorgeous horse !

[ericthered007]

wow , very nice job where do you work?

[QLombardoQ]

/watch?v=Ce_Xhnr0FTs

[womule2005]

i would buy a horse if she would come to my house to do this! nice video

[HelenandMia]

rses can cope with their workload even on the roads with no shoes. I know a few like this but at the end of the day i think it depends on the horse. People argue shoes are unnatural but so is the way we have domesticated horses these days. I dont believe either shoeing or barefoot are wrong. If my mare needed shoes again I would have them back on, its the horse not the shoe. Anyway each unto their own if its right for the horse then its just right. Much respect x

[HelenandMia]

007 blacksmith i understand where your coming from i have a lot of faith in my farrier and wouldnt be without him but my horse is barefoot as she has arthritis and was lame with shoes. Now we enjoy all of our old persuits barefoot including comepeting and hacking on the roads. I would have thought the top horses form hicksted have heavy work loads and need shoes for this reson but not necessarily to enhance performance (although i do accept that they can in some cases)Whereas many leisure ho

[007blacksmith]

not 1 of the horses that r real top horses dont have shoes on (doesnt that say something? also ive seen the damage caused by ppl with out training and the results arnt good, it leaves people like us 2 sort it out and it doesnt do any1 any good

lets just think bout it and stop bein so bloody ignorent thinkin tht a read of 1 book by some1 with no training means u know everything

just think bout it and think of da horse for 1s

[imnsho13]

The reason you may not see top horses without shoes is they put on a lot more miles and would wear out their hooves without shoes. I don't put enough miles on my horses to wear their hooves out and I have them barefoot or in boots when riding on rough ground.

[007blacksmith]

shoe on but theres far more to it (a, need 2 b trimmed properly, b, need 2 take the support left in consideration and you can solve so many probs with shoes on then with out shoes. yer we will leave shoes off on alota customers horses but only the 1s tht arnt goin on the road or hard ground, i am 1 of the farriers on duty at hickstead international showground and the south of england show,

[007blacksmith]

i think this whole discusion is rediculous to be honest with you all

in england its a 4 yr apprentiship at college 2 become a farrier (not ferrier)

we learn bout what the finnished jobs supposed to look like (those with no training i bet you dont know how 2 check exactly 4 exact ballance nd levelness and i bet you dont know the names of all da bones off by heart (you need 2 know those 2 b able 2 take things in consideration)

also some1 earlier said that we just slap a

[XArabHunterX]

Im not a "registerd" ferrier,but I have ben an aprentice for 8yrs, I have experianced a bit of it all, and barefoot was the best of'em.I give my horse a barefoot performance trim.We compeet in 3-day eventing, somthing that people told me could not be done with a barefoot horse.

[jona7fe]

el farrier,1 . no esta generando forma de apoyo en sus pies y no busca el acomodo idonio para tratar de relajar su espalda ,forsa demasiado su espalda. 2 . demuestra demasiada confiansa cuando esta limanndo la pared del casco de los posteriores estando demasiado expuesta con los posteriores. para mi eso no es rpofesionalismo. un farrier debe de cuidar su integridad fisica y no arriesgar su integridad de esa manera.deberia de tratar de mejorar en su postura i tecnicas de acomodo en el caballo..

[jona7fe]

The shoes usually start the problems, a horses hoof needs to flex so the blood can get up the leg more easly, or its because they have been standing in a stall, and muck for too long.

[007blacksmith]

bst interest in da horse, neither is jst makin horses go barefoot cause theres sooo many times ive seen horses go foot sore, get effected by bad foot absesses nd r more prone 2 laminitus so how can u mock shoes? its jst a way ppl can save abit of money and for gullable ppl that believe nything

barefoot doesnt improve the performance, when have you seen a top international dressage or show jmpin horse go barfoot?

i just cant wait till they make it illegal 4 ppl to trim with out bein registered

[XArabHunterX]

Shoes just cover up the problem.You do know that you have to pick out your horses hooves? Thats what prevents an infected hoof,not shoes.And there is a transition proses that can take from 6 months to a year,they dont adapt to being bare foot over night,like most people seem to belive.I hope someone so ignorant is not a "registerd/only a pice of paper" ferrier like the one who screwed up MY horse,if so,god hellp us all.

[007blacksmith]

u have to say that this whole barefoot thing is sooooo silly, if a horse is on the road it needs shoes, likewise if it has problems or standing around in a stable alot which is hard standing ect..... if not and there on the grass all the time then the farrier should trim them, farriers have training for it, in the apprentiship we r marked for foot preperation (trimming) where as barefoot trimmers arnt trained at all, they just come into it and do what they think which is wrong and isnt in the

[Dano000347]

pelovina

[stephntilly]

I think if at all possible horses should go barefoot but we had a pony that had never had shoes on and had awful laminitis and she has since had severe seedy toe our farrier is great he keeps her sound and ablbe to enjoy her life

[sk8erdevil5]

go barefoot horses their is no need for shoes unless the have problems with their feet

[communitypeach]

The shoes usually start the problems, a horses hoof needs to flex so the blood can get up the leg more easly, or its because they have been standing in a stall, and muck for too long.

[costasebastian]

A horse to be consider living in a natural environment, needs a 30,000 acre size pasture minimum. Metabolisms regulates the hoof grow/wear cycles. A horse in a 10 acre pasture is not by any mean consider NATURAL.This is not a theory but a fact.Good luck !!!

[jwgreen1]

That's right, horse shoes are evil and not "natural". While we're at it lets rip off all our clothes and shoes, stop going to the dentist, having life saving surgeries and drinking starbucks... you know, all that evil "un-natural" stuff we humans like to do. Fact: "Natural" is not synonymous with "healthy". The shod horse will ALWAYS out-perform the unshod horse if you have a SKILLED farrier, not just one you like (or just like to look at as seems to be the case with this videographer).

[happycampersMT]

Study the natural hoof. If you truly studied hooves and how they perform and function naturally - you would never put another shoe on a horse. The BLM mustangs are a perfectly good example. They come off the prairies having never been touched by humans - and their hooves are beautiful. As a matter of fact - natural flexation of the hoof (sans shoe) is necessary for circulation. Shoeing thins the hoof wall - especially when removing the cleats. Do some reading before being so critical.

[IronFreePony]

YAY!! Now we've got to get all those poor shod horses out of the Dark Ages!!

Enough Medieval footcare!

Let's be naked!

[silifein]

Shoes, with and without plates, were used on medieval horses to help their feet survive the months and months of standing tied in stalls full of muck and disease while a castle was under siege.

[IronFreePony]

Right....we are not besiaged any longer and we are (or should be) aware of the damage standing in stalls does not only to feet but overall health.  It is refreshing to finally see people doing not what is "tradition" but what is normal. For the Horse. :-))))

Hoooray!

[newbucka]

wait till you get a stonebruise before a competition

[IronFreePony]

A healthy bare hoof has more sensation than a shod or contracted hoof. They can feel the ground more effectively and can alter their step onto a sharp rock and avoid bruising or twisting.

[bcbeaupied]

IronFreePony-

"Now we've got to get all those poor shod horses out of the Dark Ages!!

Enough Medieval footcare!". That is such a load of crap. I will say that I dont know much about going without shoes, but some horses need to have shoes. My horse would be in pain without shoes. He has locking stiffles, and the shoes he has support his stiffles. We tried him with no shoes for 3 months, and he got progressivly worse. Barefoot is not always the answer.

[IronFreePony]

Makes me wonder if he was trimmed with a correct BF trim.

Study up on hoof anatomy. The shoe is never a cure, never the correct answer to a problem. Only a symptom cover-up.

[bcbeaupied]

His hooves arent the problem, its his stiffles (due to his carreer on the track), which the shoes support. He hasnt locked up once since he has had these shoes on.

[IronFreePony]

Ok then....good for you.

Why start an argument? I really don't give a shit. Everyone learns at their own pace.

[bcbeaupied]

Im not trying to start an argument, I am stating my opinion, and the experience I have had with my horse and his shoes. And are you replying to when you say "everyone learns at their own pace."

[allbreedsgood]

bcbeaupied

just saw the barefoot trim vid and your comments. the angle of the hoof could affect your horse's stifle problem whether he's shod or not. if his hoof angle is correct it will help his stifle injury to heal. walking uphill is a good exercise to strengthen the stifle and prevent further injury.

[bcbeaupied]

I tried the barefoot thing, and it didnt work for him. Since he has had these shoes on, his stifle has been so much better. He doesnt lock up anymore, and he seems much happier. He injured his stifle when he was 2, and he is now 11. Unfortunatly, the damage that his stifle has isnt going to go away. He gets worked everyday, and I do exercises to keep his hind end strong. I do the best I can for him, and I believe that having him shod is whats best for him. But thankyou for the advice :)

[lovedbysweetie]

what about using the easyboot?

[bcbeaupied]

And how is that supposed to help his stiffle...?

[MsHorsetrainer]

you should listen to bcbeaupied advice about the angles barefoot or not. Sounds like you are a close minded person to bad for your horse. THINK!

[bcbeaupied]

Hey, are you calling me close minded or no? lol im not sure

[MsHorsetrainer]

yes, it sounds from your comments that you are being closed minded. I meant to say you should listen to what allbreedsgood had to say to you about the angle of the hoof shod or not shod. Tell us all technically why you think the shoes are solving the problem? We can all learn together. Did your farrier tell you why they are working or did he just say your horse needs them?

[bcbeaupied]

Thanks for your concern, but if I were close minded, would I have tryed the barfoot route? Or would I have tryed switching farriers 3 different times? No, I wouldn't have. To be honest, I have a happy, healthy and pain free horse at home, and I have those shoes to thanks for it. He told me that the shoes would better support my horses's stiffles, and they do just that. He hasn't locked up once since he got these shoes. Not once. I tryed barefoot, and it didnt work.

[bcbeaupied]

continued

By all means, if you want your horse barfoot, then go for it. Im not trying to preach that shoes are the only way to go. I am just saying that for my horses situation - they worked. There is no way I am taking them off, because they work. It is as simple as that. If you as me, the people that do nothing but preach barefoot are the close minded ones.

[willietango]

Barefoot would ABSOLUTELY be your answer to your stifle issue.....it's called NATURAL function?? Blood flow...DUH

[bcbeaupied]

willietango

It is ABSOLUTELY not. It has nothing to do with his blood flow. He has an injury from his racing career. He has theraputic shoes on and hasent locked up since.

[artgoat]

I have a pony stallion that has the same problem. It's usually a mechanical issue caused by too-straight legs. It doesn't matter what he has on his feet, but keeping them at the correct angle that makes the biggest difference. If I deviate more than a degree or two from 55 degrees, his stifle locks up when he's backing. He's always been barefoot, but I've always done the work on him. Most farriers aren't trained in barefoot, so they do a pre-shoeing trim, which isn't ideal.

[bcbeaupied]

Thanks for the info :) But I think ill keep his shoes on. I dont see the point in taking them off when hes been so much better with them. And he injured his stifle on the track, but thanks for not being nasty :)

[LaRanaTJ]

Don´t settle 4 second best. I have a mare turned 19 now, major stifle problems from years of beatings before I rescued her. Transitioned her to barefoot at age 16, at age 17 she completed a 40 km endurance race, solid and sound. She is born again. Another mare now aged 9 always lame, absesses etc. Since a took off her shoes she has never had an off day. Saucy Night - barefoot steeple chaser, Gezebelle - barefoot dressage, many many barefoot endurance horses. Just do some proper research

[bcbeaupied]

Im not settling for second best. He is happy, comfortable and loving life. Why should I take his shoes off? They are working. This horse is my life. I have done my research. That is why he has these shoes on. I tried that barefoot stuff and it did not work for him. What works for him are the shoes he has. They are not coming off. If he wasent happy, then it would be a different story. But he is, and they are staying on.

But thankyou for your input.

[wootbaby0]

we trim our own horses hooves:]its cheap but the tools cost money but its better than having to pay for each horses hooves just to get trimmed..btw your horses stand very nice!

[maunaowakea777]

that there is the cutest farrier I have ever seen

:)

barefoot too!!!

[usefpro]

barefoot is fine if you don't acually do anything with your horse or he has a reason to go barefoot. I've known a lot of amatures who end up laming their horses because they are too cheap pay a good (emphasis on good) and competent farrier who knows what they are doing. It's really simple people, you get what you pay for!

[maunaowakea777]

im thinking if you don't pasture your horse then you need shoes. mustangs run 20 miles a day and their feet are fine, I don't think any road or trail could be harder than what they do. keeping them in a stall breaks down the hoof. so, yeah, if your horse is in a stall then you need shoes if not then not.

[hoofforeeya]

I agree maunaowakea! Those show horses NEED shoes so they can kick their ignorant owners in the head and get a new owner who will take those nasty steel contraptions off.:)

[XArabHunterX]

I have ben useing Pete Ramey's meathods on the Mustang trim. And he has a book called....

Making Natural Hoof Care Work for You.

Check out, hoofrehab(dot)com if interested in more info.

[pklfsh]

Very interesting information, for those who need it, also you can research a mustang roll on here [youtube] and learn how to do it yourself, getting rid of shoes on your horse, is not the only thing you need to do, believe it or not, more work and care is needed when you remove shoes, to make sure your horse grows and maintains a healthy hoof, cos yer horse doesnt run around as much as a mustang hoss does!

[XArabHunterX]

Yep, and it helps to have photos, for those of you trimming you own horses, of all angles of a Mustang hoof so that you can always look at it while your trimming your horse and see what to "slowly" work towards.

[pklfsh]

brilliant job! my horse is an arabian gelding and he is 5 years old and NEVER had shoes on! i ride on metalled roads, and all terain including gravel, AND i barefoot trim myself with an american mustang trim!!! yahooooo!

[XArabHunterX]

Same here, but my arabs 19. lol

[chevy6780]

so fascinating...I just took my horses shoes off...He's training PSG dressage...I'm excited to see how it goes. Thanks for the video. It's so obvious that this horse is happy having her feet done this way.

[XArabHunterX]

I wish my horses stood that still. lol

[sxypnyrdr]

My inexpierence! You have no idea I think you let your mouth run a lil too much. I have 12 horses all barefoot and finally sound thanks to barefoot trimming. Ive been watching horses get their feet done for a long time now. How would placing shoes on horse correct lameness?! Ovbiously you have not read the studies nor have you learned how the horses body works. I think you have a little researching to do!

[hoofhelper]

I would also like to give a shout out to all the lady hoof-care individuals! People like our 'friend' shoeripper here are the perfect example of why we ladies need to support each other! Keep on kicking ass and trimming hooves!

[pklfsh]

you go girl!

[hoofhelper]

listen up shoeripper, you just sound like a vulgar, uneducated ass! What makes you think that some people cannot correct lameness? Many pathologies of the hoof are man-made due to improper trimming and shoeing, so proper trimming is needed to correct these issues. The only "smoke and mirrors" out there are the farriers that hammer shoes, wedges, and pads on a horse's hoof until they lose all feeling and circulation and then "ta-da!" the horse is sound (because they can't feel their damn feet!).

[XArabHunterX]

I totally agree, that's why QH feet are so small and why they develop nivicular easily.

I first started my horse career on a farm that specialized in barefoot corrective trimming, that woman saved many horses that were going to be put down because of founder, nivicular, and many other hoof issues.

[hoofhelper]

yeah, once you see horses with a proper barefoot trim it just seems absurd to nail a shoe on their hoof!

[hard72tail]

I have been shoeing for over 20 yrs and I total disagree. Some horses need shoes. Yes it is better to go bare foot, but some horses have to have shoes. I have fixed a lot of horses with founder also. Example: Reining horse doing a 50 ft slide, the horses hooves would be smoking by the end, how long before the horse would be walking on it hocks?

[sxypnyrdr]

bahaha shoe ripper! This is my farrier and my trainer for that matter! I have a 12 yr old throughbred that has competed up to training level and has nivicular he had been lame for about two months michelle comes out does a barefoot trimming three days later the house is sound.. hasnt missed a beat since! michelle really isnt an amatuer shes been doing this for about 5 yrs! How long have you been doing it?!

[djtitanik]

what a good job!!!!

[CowsAndCrows]

you have a gorgous horse, and seems to love that pampering ;)

[marykmusic]

Linnie Brister is the go-to barefoot trimmer in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. That's a bit too far from here, so I use her apprentice who lives closer. Been riding barefoot horses most of the last 35 years, including while cowboying and riding some intense mountain trails. Ever been on a shod horse that slipped on big rocks? It freaks 'em out! I never had a really damaged horse in all these years.

[CowsAndCrows]

wooo another barefoot rider, i do the same, ride barefoot, and once they put shoes on the horse and she was slipping and sliding all over the place.. so i let them fall off an rode her the old way again.

[Gabinofarrier]

Donosa moza,a fe mia!!

[moonlightlover4eva]

All our horses are barefoot and I believe it's better than shoes personally! We had a navicular horse and everyone said we should put on shoes and my uncle contacted a man out west and we trim our horses hooves the way a mustangs hooves wear in the wild because they say horses from the wild very rarely have hoof problems!

[ambersalahub]

Good Job! I am training to be a barefoot trimmer. I have been doing it for almost 3 years now. I have a fantastic mentor, and I trim a bit right now. Looking to start it up as my new business... more so then trimming, education is what i want to work on... cause more then the hoof, it is the food, the exercise, and the whole horse you have to take care of... the hoof is just a part of that! I want to teach people about maintaining the health of their WHOLE horse... Hat off to you!

Amber Edmonton

[footfixer1956]

First let me say the reason I went to farrier school was expensive horses and no farriers to help other than just slap shoes on Second many of my horses are barefoot many are shod some just the front some all the way around I run a fulltime farrier practice that stays away from the fads and radical methods seen all over the web and elsewere the problems I see is untrained trimmers and farriers trying to make a quick buck. First clinics then books then dvds ask real professionals for help

[willietango]

Farrier school? Talk about a quick buck! NOTHIG more radical than nailing steel onto the feet of one of natures finest creations. Respectfully Sir/Mam, this ladies bag is WAYY deeper that any dvdclinicfarrierschool. Did Wilbur and Orville go to aeronautics school? Did Edmund Hillary go to climbing school? Ansel Adams to photography school? Louis Armstrong to music school? Pincay to jockey school? Life on em', beside em', AND under em'. Peace

[footfixer1956]

Where do you get your opinions. Please do some actual research like I said before let the real experts with training do their jobs on these "Natures finest creations" I see the results daily do it yourselfers injuring and maiming animals I was called in this week to large farm by staff members to see numerous stalls with iodine covering up blood stains from a natural trimmers work! It needs to stop if they want to practice do it on cadaver limbs not living animals

respectfully footfixer1956

[owlcanyon]

I've seen a lot of bad ferriers also. Theres good and bad in every profession. By the ferrier school grad. it's ferrier not farrier!!!

[wdawson61]

Wow. I've seen a lot of bad spellers too. The most amusing are the zealots who correct everyone else's correct spellings!

[gramsey1]

Farrier,

The American Farrier's Association.

They don't know how to spell either?

[HunterJumperLuver]

It bugs me when people can't take a little correction from an outside party I know exactly what you mean shawnalarose. Even if it can save a life!!!......or a hoof

[natscann]

mate im a farrier and i make horses bleed from pricking or baring them 2 much every1 will do it or, if its full time work i promise u itl happend atleast 1 time a week so ide be more careful about wat u say please? i pricked a horse last night but he didnt work off lame - may i add thats a lovely horse in this vid and nice 2 see the girls getting into sum trimming

[willietango]

HEY GIRL, YOU ROCK! 20K+ views. This chick is THE best cuz of her equine intuition, in general, AS WELL AS her unparalleled knowledge of hoof anatomy. Sorry "steel cookers", you days are numbered!

[cavemanss]

im in ontario And I want to learn to do this where do I go?

[sk8erdevil5]

i keep my horse barefoot to.. i had them barefoot since hes been born and hes 4 now.

[ShannyPants2]

Rock on! Do you do Strasser? We do Pete Ramey here. I have a Paint gelding who has nivicular and with the barefoot trim, he is being ridden already, only... 7 months it took, but he runs aroun without any meds. at all

[GlenviewLodge]

Its all about balance, Period. Nice work love and good to see a lady getting dirty.... but get rid of those gloves and get that hoof stink into ya pours gives a good feel on a barefoot trim.

[ferretbabe101]

My family keeps most of our horses barefoot. It's never been a problem. They hooves only get liitle chips at teh edges that pose not threat to the hoof or anything, and my dad just trims them when needed. Don't worry, he used to be a farrier, so he has PROPER training.

[fifthavenuegirl]

Most horses that are made sore, aren't sore right away but the next day or two. It is the accumulation of work over time that can lead to the pedal osteitis. Not all horses can take a hoof knife to the sole. To me, it's not worth the risk. Farriers and barefoot trimmers can use knifes and sanders, but there are a growing number of trimmers that believe in leaving the sole alone, period.

[horsedesigns]

not sure why you keep posting these warnings other than maybe you're worried, but rest assured, these are our horses and they continue to not be sore, nor do they have pedal osteitis or other problems. They are sound and healthy. We've been trimming our own since 1999 after receiving 2 years of guidance and help first. We are not Strasser followers :-)

[shawnalarose]

It's one thing to have lots of training, but some people think that just by watching a video that they can do it... There is a 13yr old at our barn who uses the knife on her horse... What a joke.. I don't think anyone without training should even be able to own one, let alone use it!! Another horse has NO toe, his walking on his sole and is dead lame.. again, a 2week course made this owner think they were a pro.. The fact you had 2yrs training makes a big difference!!

[horsedesigns]

Best to have help and supervision when starting out but I'm not for making laws about it. In some countries it's illegal to trim your own horse without a farrier... can you imagine where that would put all of us who got into this because of poor experiences with farriers? Hopefully, the 13 year old girl will get guidance and help. Maybe you could be a big sister to her and offer her some suggestions or a good book to help her knowledge grow.

[shawnalarose]

She already thinks she knows it all... One of those kids... I'm just waiting for the day she makes her horse bleed from going in too deep.. I've mentioned to her that it can be dangerous to go digging there and all I got was a "I know" then back at it she went... Some people are too cocky and think they know it all to ask for help or guidance and refuse to take any info that comes there way.. Now that's what I find sad!!

[fifthavenuegirl]

overtrimming the sole and/or making the sole soft can lead to pedal osteitis...very bad. Use boots and best to take your time, less is more and keep off the sole. It doesn't block circulation to do so - you want compaction for a thick sole.

[horsedesigns]

hi... all horses in the video trotted off sound with no soreness... we don't overtrim soles or bars. I'm personally not a big user of boots and so far have not needed them but I do have them on hand in the event we ever did.

[FemaleFreedomSeeker]

Are you sure you know what you´re talking about?

I mean, where do you know all this from; from the ferriers?

Do you know that nearly every domesticated horse has hoves which are different from the wild living ones, which are used regularly and in a natural way?

Why do you think that´s the case?

Besides: it is a fact that the average horse dies after his 6. year, in over 90% of the cases it is killed because of hoof or leg problems.

Where does that come from?? ...

[fifthavenuegirl]

Personally I think the Strasser method is way too extreme. Any method that subscribes to invading sole plane is very dangerous and should be avoided.

[tomntractor]

totally agree with you, and we don't follow Strasser. She did a great job bringing awareness and options to the horse world, but yes, my experience with her trimmers was that it was too invasive.

[FemaleFreedomSeeker]

I am a Strasser hooftrimmer. We usually do not cut it bloody or very thin; this only happens if the hoof is sick, and the problems pass quickly if everyone woks right.

A sound (!) hoof does not need to be trimmed thin.

I live on a farm, we have 13 horses.

We started trimming in 2005.

They all walk, we even drive them and we compete from time to time.

There are many prejudices against the Strasser method, I know that. But I think mostly they build up when people don´t know enough of it.

[smack36867]

Sick hoof? Cough, cold or running nose? Im willing to be there will be a fever though!

[zeroboysid]

Pure Genius! I love the way bare foot trimmers do "Power Rasping"

[wildkiger]

Do you follow Pete Ramey? He has expanded and revised a lot of his first ideas.

[tomntractor]

Yes, Pete Ramey is an excellent resource.

[windridr66]

Great job there! We have two mares and they have been barefoot for at least 11 years. I do my own trimming and love my Hoofjack.

[horsedesigns]

the song is "Barefoot Nellie" ;-)

[barbarolover]

lol i like the song.

nice video!