Trimming too short on a nervous horse led to a bad week

I was working on a skittish quarter horse and ended up taking too much off the heels, making him lame. Some guys at the shop say I should have sedated him first, but others think rushing the job was the real problem. Where do you stand on handling difficult horses to avoid mistakes?

3 comments

3 Comments

hernandez.barbara3mo ago

Seriously, lameness from a heel trim?

jakefox3mo ago

Barbara saying "lameness from a heel trim" like it's wild shows she's never seen a horse get sore. Take off too much heel and change that angle, you can absolutely make one lame. I've seen it happen, a horse going short-strided and ouchy for days because someone got aggressive with the nippers. It's not just a trim, it's changing how their whole leg sits.

the_jenny3mo ago

That "bad week" from a trim gone wrong sounds familiar. My friend's gelding is super touchy about his feet. We rushed it once and he kicked out, now we just take breaks.