A clinic in Boise made me switch up my trimming approach for a specific hoof shape

I was at a workshop there last fall and saw a demo on dealing with severely underrun heels. The instructor, a farrier from Montana, said 'sometimes you gotta leave more sole than you think to let it drop.' I've been trying that on a few tough cases back home with better results. Anyone else adjust their trim for that particular issue?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavin_allen482mo ago

My buddy's draft horse, Gus, had heels so underrun they were almost parallel to the ground. His old farrier kept digging out the sole, and the horse just got more sore. After a clinic in Wyoming, I told him about that 'let it drop' method, kind of like what perez.barbara said about doing less. He found a new trimmer who left a full quarter inch of sole, just let it be. Six months later, Gus's heel angle is way better and he's moving like a different animal. It was all about patience.

sammurray1mo ago

Wait does that mean I've been wrecking my horses' feet this whole time? Might need to try doing basically nothing and see what happens.

perez.barbara2mo ago

Oh man, I used to be so aggressive with the sole on those. My results were, let's say, not great. That 'let it drop' idea made me slow way down, and it's been a game changer for a few of my regulars. I guess sometimes the best move is to do less.