VIEW CART
Trim To Guidelines, But Use Your Eyes As Well
Most farriers use guidelines or landmarks when trimming a foot, but Bob Peacock, a member of the International Horseshoeing Hall Of Fame, says it’s also important to use your eyes.
Peacock, owner of Farrier Science Clinic in Hamilton, Ohio, shared some tips on hoof trimming in a 2009 issue of American Farriers Journal. If one guideline came through clearer than any other it was, “Always leave enough hoof.”
Peacock likes to compare the outside hoof wall to a spring mechanism. “By leaving as much cushion as possible, you will enable the foot to do what it is intended for: displace pressure,” he says. “It’s like when you put an upside-down cup flat in a puddle. It will dispel the water around it, creating an even surface."
Many farriers have been taught to trim the heels to the widest part of the frog. It’s a good landmark, Peacock says, but again, he advises caution. “Less is more,” he says. “So if you’re in doubt, leave more, rather than less. One of the biggest errors comes from cutting the hoof wall to short at the quarters, causing the sole to flare at those points. The nippers should only be used to nip off what is rough.”
Peacock suggests using nippers to trim from the heel to the toe, keeping the nipper reins perpendicular to the bottom of the foot and cutting only one-half the width of the nippers at each bite. Once you’ve reached the toe, go back to the other heel and repeat the process.
Whether nipping or rasping, Peacock advises pausing to check your work as you go.
The Hall of Famer also advises checking your work with more than a hoof gauge. The gauge, he says, is fine for checking angles, but take a step back and look at the whole horse.
“It is essential for the shoulder, knees, pastern and hoof to be in alignment, which should put the front hoof angle between 48 and 58 degrees for a full-grown, average-sized horse.”
Peacock says if you can’t figure just what angle is right for a horse, you can leave the horse barefoot for a week or so and the horse will set his own angle.
