But, I was already inclined to learn more about how to trim hooves. As usual, I have been reading and reading about subjects that interest me, and horse feet are fascinating. Talana has been kept barefoot most of her life, and doesn't seem to have any issues with it. In fact, I just assumed that horses always go barefoot unless you have a very specific reason to shoe them. It turns out that there are many very different opinions on the matter, and that means that there is plenty to read.
I am inclined to think that the horse's hoof is a naturally sturdy thing which has evolved to hold up the horse and absorb/distribute impact appropriately. Now, the question in my mind is, how can we manage the horse's environment and use our trimming to help the horse's hoof do what it naturally wants to do - i.e., comfortably support the horse? Do we want to artificially force the hoof into a shape that we think makes it sturdy, or do we want to facilitate growth of the hoof so that it makes itself into whatever shape is most helpful for this particular horse, on this particular terrain? I suppose the answer is, some of both.
Most folks aren't able to provide their horses with terrain that allows the hooves to manage themselves. There is a certain amount of wearing away that needs to happen, balanced by a certain amount of growth. We want our horses to be comfortable all the time, not just in a soft pasture. But since the soft pasture is what we keep them on, we have to help the hoof maintain an appropriate shape. Thus, trimming.
Talana had long toes when she first arrived. She was 2 weeks out from her last trim. I noticed a few other things that concerned me about her feet, which didn't necessarily have to do with her previous farrier.
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See these growth rings? When I started reading about them, I began to find them a little alarming. I thought this was normal when I was growing up, but it's not. Well, it's "normal" in that you may find a lot of horses who have these, but it's not ideal. Hooves are supposed to be pretty smooth and even. Unlike tree rings, they are supposed to grow evenly all year long. Growth rings like this are a sign of missing vitamins/minerals, and thus, of poor or inconsistent nutrition. Often you'll see a ring that becomes apparent several months after spring, in response to the rich, sugary grass that suddenly pops up in everyone's fields. Rings like this can also be a sign of a laminitic episode. Eek! It made me wonder if some of Talana's "arthritis" may actually be sore feet.
However, she walks and trots with proper heel-first landings in all four feet, and doesn't appear lame, only stiff. Nor is she reluctant to move around. So I held my panic at bay, and continued reading to see what I could do about it.
The supplements I have been giving her are step number one. I was able to determine that she's likely had too much iron, and not enough copper and zinc in her diet. So I sought out a supplement with no iron, but appropriate levels of these and other needed things. Hooves take months to grow out, so I am just now starting to see the effects of the supplement. I think her hooves are growing in more smoothly. I will be more certain by spring, when the current hoof wall has made its way further down, and I can compare pictures. Her glossier-than-normal coat is another indicator that I have done a good thing by adding this supplement to her diet.
Another thing I noticed after looking at lots of example pictures is that her frogs are contracted, particularly in the front hooves. I looked further, and noted that her front hooves aren't just long in the toes, but all the way around. Her heels were starting to run forward, which is a bad thing that comes from the hoof wall being allowed to get too long. This, and the wet grass that she often stands in, likely accounts for the contracted heels. However, I'm seeing no thrush, just a less than ideal cushion for the back of her foot.
The last thing I noticed was that she had a deep groove between her hoof wall and sole. Lots of dirt and little stones got packed in there, and it seemed like maybe it's not supposed to be that deep? Well, I was right. The hoof wall pulling away from the sole like that is worrisome. Not only can stuff get packed in there that shouldn't, that's supposed to be a tight connection that holds her feet together. This groove that is now growing out is a sign that about six months ago when this part of her foot was first growing in, she may have had some laminitis-type stuff going on, resulting in a weaker connection between the wall and the sole.
Golly! And I thought all along growing up that these were strong, happy feet! I guess not, so much. However, Talana herself has never complained about trotting over gravel, sand, pavement, or grass. So, perhaps things aren't ideal, but I decided that getting too alarmed was not a good plan. Instead, I read more about how to mend these problems, to see if there are things I can do myself. Meanwhile, given that it had been a couple of weeks and I had not heard from the trimmer, I began to seek out resources that could help me learn to trim. I know that there are many people who trim their own horses' feet. Perhaps I can learn, too.
I read a lot on Pete Ramey's website about how hooves are put together. He also has what seems like sound advice on which bits of the hoof are best to leave alone, and which bits can be safely trimmed. I decided that I'm not going to mess with nippers, which take a lot of hoof at once. It seems to me that I could easily make a mistake with those in a hurry. So I started with just a rasp, and a plan to bring back just Talana's toes. Then I thought I'd observe her for a few days, and see if it helped, hurt, or had no obvious effect.
It turns out that holding up a horse's foot while rasping it is hard. My back gets tired. Talana gets tired, too, so we take a lot of breaks. I do either the fronts or the backs, but usually not all four on a given day. Sometimes I have someone hold her for me, because she doesn't like to stand on three legs very much and I don't have the energy to chase her around with the rasp in addition to using it on her. She stands very nicely when she knows she's been captured.
Well, I worked on her feet and shortened those toes. Immediately, within five minutes, she was walking more smoothly without tripping. I hadn't noticed the tripping so much before, but I noticed when she stopped doing it. Clearly I was doing some good. This emboldened me a little, and I became a little braver about the idea of trimming her feet myself. I knew that I hadn't taken very much the first time, and more needed done.
I have settled into a routine of working on her feet about once a week. They still aren't perfect, for sure. Perhaps a professional could fix them up more quickly. But whenever I trim, she looks better and moves better. I have decided, as per Pete Ramey's recommendations on his website, not to mess with her sole, bars, or frog. It sounds like it may be ok to adjust these areas if you are a professional with lots of experience, but I am not. I look very carefully at her feet before I work on them, and then I rasp the hoof wall where it is too long. I use her sole as a guide for the shape of her foot, and I don't take a whole lot at a time. Then I watch how she is moving for the next few days. I once felt a little heat in her rear hooves, and after I trimmed them the heat went away within a day. I must be doing the right thing.
That groove is slowly going away. It is already much less deep. I think soon it will be gone altogether. Her frogs are still contracted, but that takes time to overcome. I have noticed that her soles are getting more concave, particularly near the frogs. I am slowly getting rid of the flared part of her right front hoof wall.
I like being able to work on her feet myself. I wouldn't mind having someone check my work, but I can also see that I am doing good things. I look forward to Talana's feet in six months, when they have grown in all new and I am maintaining them in a more ideal way. I'm betting she'll feel better.
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