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SUBSCRIBETrimming and Shoeing
How Short is too Short?
Post At
12/15/2011 - 10:33 pm
reply from
Lee Olsen
I was wondering what length everyone else likes to trim the hoof to? I normally keep it between 3-3.25in. Also what wondering how much it varies with big to small horses.
Reply at
12/16/2011 - 11:53 am
reply from
Greg Mackinnon
Lee that is a good question! I remember reading an article by a respectd farrier years ago. I wish I could quote his findings. He had different lengths for different breeds and size of horses. For the average Q horse I do along with Arabs you are right in the ball park. Certainly there are individuals where 3 inches will be to short. I shod my reiner last week and got a little to aggresive. He let me know about it the next day. I always asked new customers if there horse was ever sore after the farrier shod them. If not I would shoot for the average.
One opinion! greg mackinnon
One opinion! greg mackinnon
Reply at
12/16/2011 - 5:45 pm
reply from
Richard Barnard
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";"><font size="3">Lee, </font></span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";"><font size="3">I went to a clinic a while back and one of the big things was cutting the horses to short the clinician said he saw a lot of it out there and pressed don’t trim to short. Myself I just trim to live sole just getting all the old dead chalky stuff out, don’t really use a tape just the dividers to make sure I have pairs the same. I have time to time put a tape on the dividers and get somewhere around 3 ¼ to 3 ½ inches in general. But it is going to be each horse to his own, whoever the gaited horses are a whole other story? Good Luck</font></span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";"><font size="3">I went to a clinic a while back and one of the big things was cutting the horses to short the clinician said he saw a lot of it out there and pressed don’t trim to short. Myself I just trim to live sole just getting all the old dead chalky stuff out, don’t really use a tape just the dividers to make sure I have pairs the same. I have time to time put a tape on the dividers and get somewhere around 3 ¼ to 3 ½ inches in general. But it is going to be each horse to his own, whoever the gaited horses are a whole other story? Good Luck</font></span>
Reply at
12/16/2011 - 11:11 pm
reply from
Katrina Hasbrouck
I believe it varies on every horse. When trimming I typically stay in line with the dead sole. When shoeing I will trim just to the live sole (but I don't remove all the all the dead sole, they need that. I only do this on the edge of the white line/ hoof wall) If you trim to the live sole on both sides, they should be equal. I don't believe that tape measures should be used unless you're just comparing right to left. Conformationally, every horse's hoof depth is going to be a little different. To me it's the same concept as trying to get every QH's front angle to be 55. If their pastern conformation doesn't line up to a 55, forcing their hoof angle to be so will only cause problems.
Reply at
12/19/2011 - 9:17 am
reply from
Dr. Esco Buff, PhD, CF
Amen Katrina.
Let the anatomy of the individual horse dictate those perimeters.
Esco Buff, PhD, CF
Let the anatomy of the individual horse dictate those perimeters.
Esco Buff, PhD, CF
Reply at
12/20/2011 - 9:11 pm
reply from
Troy Greenfield
Nobody will go out on a limb. Here are the average toe lenghts of several breeds (long toe and low heels will change these lenghts).Minnies and small donkeys will be around 1.50". Quarter, Arabs, Paints, and most horses in the same body type will run about 3.00" to 3.25". Thourobreds and warm bloods will run a little bit longer, not over 3.75", mamoth jacks 3.50" to 3.75". Most drafts at a good angle to their pastern will run about 3.00 to 3.5"
Reply at
12/21/2011 - 8:51 pm
reply from
Troy Greenfield
I beleive that every farrier should use a hoof guage and tape measure, on every foot. The front should be at the same toe lenght and the same angle. Also this applies to the hind. If you don't do this the horse can't function at it's opptimal performance. The angles are easy to find for each individual horse. The hoof wall should be semetric. If the hoof after triming shows thicker hoof wall in the toe the angle should be increasd. Also if the Quarters and heels are thicker the angle should be decreased( you can raise the angle fast, but you must lower it slowly ). A easy rule of thumb is looking from the side of the foot 1/3 in front of the corrinet band and 2/3 behind. I hope this helps.
Reply at
12/22/2011 - 6:26 am
reply from
sylvia kornherr
Guess my first send was too long as it didn't make it in.
Hoof length depends on many things. Here are a couple more considerations: Need sufficient sole depth under P3- so in a healthy SHOD hoof: about 15 mm functional (live) sole on average, in an UNSHOD hoof: about 12 mm. Laminitics- need MORE sole depth protection. The higher the coffin bone sits in the hoof capsule, (less drop) the tighter your laminae connections are, the better your concavity and the result is a shorter hoof capsule length with healthy sole depth. As the coffin bone drops, you will see loss of concavity and long forward toes and dishing, so trimming to a short capsule trying to get a "set" hoof length will compromise the already thinning sole. If you try to grow a longer hoof length than the foot requires, and the laminae hold, you set up excess sole depth under P3 at the toe and break the bony column back and create low or negative palmar angles. Use visual aids (some noted above) and Balance rads give you sole depth info and more, or you can measure your commissure depths- see Pete Ramey for technique to help determine adequate sole depth to support the hoof length per foot.
Hoof length depends on many things. Here are a couple more considerations: Need sufficient sole depth under P3- so in a healthy SHOD hoof: about 15 mm functional (live) sole on average, in an UNSHOD hoof: about 12 mm. Laminitics- need MORE sole depth protection. The higher the coffin bone sits in the hoof capsule, (less drop) the tighter your laminae connections are, the better your concavity and the result is a shorter hoof capsule length with healthy sole depth. As the coffin bone drops, you will see loss of concavity and long forward toes and dishing, so trimming to a short capsule trying to get a "set" hoof length will compromise the already thinning sole. If you try to grow a longer hoof length than the foot requires, and the laminae hold, you set up excess sole depth under P3 at the toe and break the bony column back and create low or negative palmar angles. Use visual aids (some noted above) and Balance rads give you sole depth info and more, or you can measure your commissure depths- see Pete Ramey for technique to help determine adequate sole depth to support the hoof length per foot.
Reply at
12/24/2011 - 7:29 pm
reply from
Troy Greenfield
When a coffin bone drops and the sole looses its concavity, the hoof has spred out( what we call plater footed ). As the hoof capsule gets wider and longer the sole will drop. The hoof needs to be pulled back togather with a shoe. It will take several sets to bring the hoof capsule back to it's normal size. The concavity will come back to the sole as the diamiter decreases the sole concavity will increase.
Reply at
12/25/2011 - 9:47 am
reply from
Dr. Esco Buff, PhD, CF
Several posts have been removed due to improper content and comments.
Please post professional and courteous comments.
Thank you,
Esco Buff, PhD, CF
Please post professional and courteous comments.
Thank you,
Esco Buff, PhD, CF
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