trimming horses feet

[Horse Guy]

JTFarms I had to laugh at your post because honestly now that im doing the shoeing im sure spending a lot more time on colts getting them good with there feet than I ever did before when I was hireing a farrier.
But your right. How good a colt will stand has everything to do with how easy/hard it is to shoe.
Really frustrateing when your learning to shoe. Takes you forever to shape a shoe. Then you get one nail on and the colt throws a fit , takes the foot back and starts useing it enough that you have to pull the shoe and start all over again.
Thats what was making me curse at first. I should have had them better prepared. Should have had them more used to me taping them on the hoof with a hammer before I ever tried to shoe them.

 

[Lammie]

I agree NOT everyone should try to trim a horse.I have seen more than my share of BAD pros. I have seen alot of horses ruined because people have tried to do the work for them selves.
If you don't know what you are doing then Then learn from a PRO you can trust.Ask around at boarding stables the fancy ones will only hire the best!

Had my donk's hooves trimmed by someone who did not realize that their hooves are not like horse's. It was a mess. Now I have a farrier that comes out every three months and does it that knows and appreciates donkeys and mules. He's worth every cent. I will poke around a hoof if I think something isn't right. I am still learning, though, and I would hate to injure one of my animals. It has been bad enough around here this year as it is.

 

[luvs2ride1979]

I trim my own. I have Pete Ramey's book and Jamie Jackson's book. I also frequent ironfreehoof.com. I think Ramey might have a video, http://www.hoofrehab.com

The best way to learn though, is to get a farrier to let you shadow him/her for a few working days, and then pay them to show you on your horses. That is what I did to get the feel for it, then I used the afore mentioned books to perfect the technique, so my horses stay sound barefoot on rocky terrain.

 

[ArrowHBrand]

JT Farm, there is nothing worse than a horse that stands all over you no matter what you are doing. I hate when a horse invades my space and our horses learn quick not too, but when you buy an outside horse, they are usually pretty bad. Anyway, the main reason I learned to do farrier work because our farrier was unreliable, hard to reach, wouldn't return phone calls, and the last time he was out he smucked my weanling filly with his nippers because she wasn't standing the best. We work with all of our horses diligently to stand, but you can't compare a 6 year old horse who doesn't stand to a weanling who doesn't stand. Congrats Horse Guy, the first time I trimmed it took an hour per horse, now it takes 15-20 minutes. I don't have to track any one down, I can one or two after work, it's so convenient. We went to a horse show a couple of weeks ago and when we got there I noticed my 3 yr old mare had a "flap" of hoof that had chipped off on her front off side. Easy fix, get tools, nip hoof flap, file smooth, evaluate, a tick more file and done deal. There was a farrier on the grounds all weekend, but I would bet he wasn't going to be cheap because if you need farrier work at a show it usually is an emergency. To anyone who wants to learn the art of farrier, be careful and take your time in learning!